Description
A wholesome and delicious roasted veggie casserole featuring caramelized vegetables coated in your choice of vegan or Mediterranean-style cheese sauce. This colorful, nutritious dish works as both a satisfying main course and hearty side dish. Packed with sweet potatoes, carrots, zucchini, broccoli, bell peppers, mushrooms, and cherry tomatoes, it’s perfect for meal prep and easily customizable with whatever vegetables you have on hand.
Ingredients
For the Roasted Vegetables:
- 4 cloves garlic, chopped
- 1 onion, sliced
- 1 large sweet potato, sliced
- 2 carrots, sliced
- 1 zucchini, sliced
- ½ head broccoli, broken into florets
- 1 red bell pepper, seeds and top removed and sliced
- 2 cups mushrooms (white preferred)
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 1 cup cherry tomatoes
- Seasonings as desired (I like garlic powder, Italian herbs, salt, and pepper)
For Vegan Cheese Sauce:
- ½ cup vegan cheese
- 1 cup nut or oat milk
- 2 tablespoons nutritional yeast
- 1 teaspoon paprika
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- Seasonings to taste
For Mediterranean Diet Friendly Cheese Sauce:
- 1 tablespoon plus 2 teaspoons flour
- 1½ cups milk (use low to no fat milk or nut milk)
- ⅔ cup grated cheddar cheese
- Seasonings as desired
Instructions
Turn your oven to 450°F. Line a baking sheet with parchment or spray it. High heat is important here – that’s what makes the vegetables brown instead of just cooking.
Put all the vegetables except the cherry tomatoes in a bowl. Pour olive oil over them and add your seasonings. I use garlic powder, Italian seasoning, salt, and pepper but you can use whatever. Mix it with your hands.
Cut things about the same size. Doesn’t have to be perfect but if your sweet potato is in huge chunks and your zucchini is tiny pieces, they won’t cook at the same speed.
Spread everything on the baking sheet. Don’t pile them up. They need space or they’ll steam. Put them in the oven for 25-30 minutes. Stir them every 10 minutes.
They’re done when they’re soft and have brown edges. Those brown bits are where the flavor is.
Make your sauce while the vegetables roast.
Vegan: Put all the ingredients in a pot and stir constantly over medium heat. Don’t leave it or it’ll burn on the bottom. Takes 5-7 minutes to get thick. It should coat your spoon.
Regular: Whisk the flour, milk, and cheese in a pot over medium-low heat. Keep whisking. Don’t stop. Takes 8-10 minutes. Add salt and pepper when it’s thick.
Turn your oven to 350°F. Spray your casserole dish. Put the roasted vegetables in, add the cherry tomatoes, pour the cheese sauce over everything.
Bake for 5-10 minutes. This warms up the tomatoes and lets everything come together. Stir it before you serve so the sauce gets mixed in.
Notes
- Don’t overcrowd the baking sheet – if your veggies are piled up, they’ll steam instead of roast. Use two sheets if needed!
- Make sure your oven is fully preheated before adding vegetables. That initial blast of heat is crucial for caramelization.
- For the vegan sauce, if it gets too thick, thin it out with a splash more milk. Too thin? Let it simmer a bit longer.
- For the Mediterranean sauce, using room temperature cheese helps it melt more smoothly into the sauce.
- Common mistake: Adding the cherry tomatoes too early. They’ll turn to mush! Add them only at the assembly stage.
- Smart shortcut: Use pre-cut vegetables from the grocery store if you’re short on time. No judgment here!
- Prep Time: 15-20 minutes
- Cook Time: 30-40 minutes
- Category: Main Dish / Side Dish
- Method: Roasting
- Cuisine: American