Creamy Vegan Broccoli Casserole

I made this creamy vegan broccoli casserole for Friendsgiving and NOBODY even noticed it was vegan. I got a ton of compliments, which is impressive for a humble broccoli dish. This recipe is great not only because it looks and tastes good, but because it utilizes the whole stem of the broccoli. It's so important to me that I am being as kind to the environment as possible especially when cooking, so I've found a tasty way to use the stem in this casserole!

I like to peel the outer most layer off of the broccoli stem off, similar to the way you would peel a potato. This outer layer is very fibrous and has a sulfuric taste that so many people don't like. While I might not mind it, I keep in mind who I might be feeding when I write recipes. Since this is a dish perfect for entertaining, I wrote it as non-vegan friendly as possible. By peeling the stems and chopping them up before adding them, it makes them crisp and honestly almost refreshing!

Another note on this recipe for all my recipe modifiers; there's lots you can do with this one, but skipping boiling the broccoli before it goes into the casserole dish is NOT one of them. Cooking the broccoli first it allows it to release its moisture before you mix it with the cashew cream. One could try to skip this step and cook the whole thing all the way in the oven...but you'll get a runny mess. Spend the extra 10 minutes and make it nice 🙂

My secret ingredient for crispy toppings every time... is corn flakes! I like to crush them up and mix with panko and a little fat for the perfect crunchy top.

This creamy vegan broccoli casserole is:

A crowd pleaser

Creamy

Crispy

Flavorful

[lt_recipe name="Creamy Vegan Broccoli Casserole" servings="8" total_time="45M" difficulty="Medium" summary="This crispy and creamy casserole will make the perfect addition to any holiday meal, and nobody will even know its vegan!" print="yes" image="https://mindfulcooks.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/11/Creamy-broccoli-casserole-horizontal-1024x768.jpg" ingredients="1 ½ cups cashew pieces;2 cups water;2 heads broccoli;3 Tablespoons olive oil, divided;1 onion;3 cloves garlic;½ cup cornflakes;¼ cup panko;1 Tablespoon rosemary, chopped" ]Preheat the oven to 425F;Add the cashews and water to a medium pot and simmer, covered, for 10 minutes. Bring another pot of salted water to a boil, this will be for the broccoli.;Meanwhile, prep the broccoli. Use a vegetable peeler to remove the outer most skins of the stems. It doesn't need to be perfect. Cut off the florets and chop up the peeled stems. Drop them in the boiling water for 5 minutes. Strain and rinse with very cold water.;Chop the onion and garlic. Cook them in a large non-stick skillet on medium heat for 5-10 minutes.;Meanwhile, puree the cashews with their water in a blender with a pinch of salt until smooth. This will take a full minute with the blender on. With the motor running, steam in two tablespoons of olive oil. This will make the cashew cream rich and smooth.;Add the cooked broccoli and cashew cream to the skillet with the onions and garlic and mix until well incorporated. Add the mixture into a casserole dish.;Add ½ a cup of corn flakes into a plastic bag. Crush them. Add ¼ cup panko (or breadcrumbs) into the bag with the remaining one tablespoon olive oil and chopped rosemary. Mix it together and sprinkle over the casserole. Bake for 10 minutes, or until golden brown.;Serve garnished with additional rosemary[/lt_recipe]