Vegan Hamburger Casserole is a tasty twist on the Traditional American Hamburger or Cheeseburger Casserole. This family favourite dish includes plant-based mince, potatoes, vegan cheese sauce, and a crispy breadcrumb topping, adorned with all your favorite burger accompaniments.
Hamburger casserole is deal for weeknight dinners and meal prepping, this casserole also makes a creative and delicious main course for Christmas or Thanksgiving. Serve it alongside your preferred vegetables and a mouthwatering vegan gravy for vegan comfort food at its best.
Origins of Hamburger Casserole
The origins of cheeseburger or hamburger casserole are not well-documented, making it difficult to pinpoint its exact beginnings. However, it is widely believed that these dishes originated in the United States, most likely in the South, and influenced by the popularity of hamburgers and cheeseburgers in American cuisine.
Casseroles themselves have been a staple in American home cooking since the early 20th century, with various regional and cultural adaptations. The cheeseburger or hamburger casserole likely emerged as a practical and convenient way to combine the flavors of a classic burger into a one-dish meal, perfect for feeding families and utilizing leftovers.
Enjoy this dish with your favorite veggie burger accompaniments, such as crisp lettuce and red onion rings. Be sure to include everyone's favourite vegan condiments, like hot sauce, mustard, tomato ketchup, brown sauce, or vegan mayonnaise. Additionally, an additional onion gravy provides a delightful topping for an extra layer of flavor.
Vegan Hamburger Casserole
Cheeseburger casserole might not be a well-known dish in the UK, but I couldn't resist creating a veggie version. I knew my kids would love it, and I'm sure many families will add this meal to their weekly rotation.
For this vegan hamburger casserole recipe, I opted to use TVP (textured vegetable protein), a dried mince that needs rehydration. I appreciate TVP for its affordability, protein content, high fiber, cholesterol-free nature, and low calorie and fat levels. Plus, it's incredibly versatile and absorbs any flavors you add.
You can use any vegan mince, though. I've made this casserole with fresh and frozen veggie mince, and both were fantastic.
First, cook the mince with veggie stock, onion, carrot, celery, and garlic, seasoning it with soy sauce, vegan Worcester sauce, and dried herbs. Add chopped potatoes and a bit more stock, cooking until soft. Then, transfer everything to a casserole dish.
Cover the potato-mince mix with an easy vegan cheese sauce made from a little vegan margarine, veggie stock, plain flour, and plant milk. Mix in nutritional yeast flakes for a cheesy flavor.
Top the cheese sauce with a blend of whole-grain breadcrumbs and vegan shredded cheese. You can add any of your favorite veggie burger garnishes, like sliced tomatoes or diced gherkins. Canned or jarred jalapeños or fresh chilli slices are also tasty options.
If you prefer, you can skip the breadcrumb topping and simply use vegan grated cheese or extra nutritional yeast flakes. For a quicker option, use a store-bought vegan white or cheese sauce.
You can easily make this casserole gluten-free as well—just check the recipe notes below for more information.
How to prepare vegan hamburger casserole
Once soaked, drain but reserve the stock.
Add the vegan mince, soy sauce, vegan Worcester sauce, and dried herbs.
Cook for a few more minutes.
Add the potatoes and more stock.
Cook for 15 minutes with lid on and 5 minutes with lid off.
Transfer to casserole dish.
Add nutritional yeast flakes for a cheesy flavour.
Season the sauce to taste.
Top with whole-wheat breadcrumbs and grated vegan cheese.
Or omit the crumbs and simply top with cheese.
Or add some jalapenos/sliced chilli's.
Bake until golden and crispy.
Optional: Serve with crispy lettuce and red onion rings, and a vegan onion gravy.
Or top with your favourite veggie hamburger garnishes.
Recipe Notes And FAQS
Leftovers can be stored in the fridge, covered, for 3 days. The casserole can be frozen but the texture of the breadcrumb topping may be affected.
For meal prep the casserole can be prepared up to the breadcrumb-cheese topping stage, and frozen minus the topping. Defrost, bring to room temperature and add the topping before baking.
Bring chilled or defrosted casserole to room temperate and bake on the middle oven shelf at the cooking temperature, until piping hot throughout.
Pop a cover over the casserole to avoid over browning, and add a few tablespoons of water to the casserole dish to help with reheating.
Anything you would normally have with your vegan burgers.
* crispy lettuce
* sliced red onion rings/ green or spring onions
* cucumber, any of your favourite salad veggies
* peas and sweetcorn
* corn-on-the-cobs
* green beans/ mangetout/ field beans/ asparagus
* sweet potato fries
* any roast veggies
* any steamed veggies, especially tasty green leaves
* baked beans/ spaghetti hoops (vegan-friendly)
* vegan gravy
* tomato ketchup/ brown sauce/ BBQ sauce
* vegan sour cream/ mayonnaise
* guacamole
* salsa
* mustard
* hot sauce/ siracha
A few suggestions:
* instead of potatoes use pasta or thick noodles
* not a fan of gherkins? replace with canned or jarred jalapenos, or use both gherkins and jalapenos
* replace the white potatoes for sweet potatoes
* use cracker crumbs instead of breadcrumbs
* replace the vegan mince for chopped up vegan burgers or diced mushrooms
* sub out the celery for green bell pepper or courgette/zucchini
* omit the vegan grated cheese for the topping and use nutritional yeast flakes, about 4-6 tablespoons
It is easy to prepare this casserole with gluten-free ingredients. Use gluten-free breadcrumbs and gluten-free stock. Tamari soya sauce is usually gluten-free but check the vegan Worcester sauce ingredients. The Worcester sauce can be replaced with another tablespoon of tamari if necessary.
Other considerations are the type of vegan mince used just check the ingredients and package labels. Textured vegetable protein is usually just a one ingredient product (soya) but sometimes the packaging states that it is prepared along with other gluten products. Also TVP could potentially contain wheat ingredients so its best to have a good look at the packaging.
For the cheese sauce use a gluten-free plain flour blend such as the Doves Farm brand, and also check that the ingredients for vegan margarine are also gluten-free.
Of course. A few ideas:
* use an already prepared vegan white sauce, such as a jar of vegan lasagna sauce and mix through the nutritional yeast flakes before covering the mince and potatoes. Or use a vegan cheese sauce packet and make up the sauce according to packet instructions.
* prepare the mince and potato mix in advance and store in the fridge for a day or two before proceeding with the recipe. The mix can also be frozen for 4-6 months.
* if you are in a rush the breadcrumb topping can be omitted or simply use extra vegan shredded cheese for the top
Yes this casserole is perfect for batch prepping. Prepare the casserole and freeze for 4-6 months, well wrapped in the casserole dish. But don't add the breadcrumb topping until you are going to bake.
It is easy and saves time to batch prep an extra casserole along with the one your preparing for dinner. You'll definitely thank yourself later!
* reheat and serve on a slice of toasted bread for next day's lunch
* mash the potatoes a little and use as a sloppy-joe filling for a crusty roll
* or as a toasted cheese/grilled sandwich filling
* mix the leftovers with a can of baked beans and reheat, serve with veggie sides
For a twist, swap out the potatoes for pasta or thick ribbon noodles. Alternatively, you can skip the breadcrumb topping and simply sprinkle vegan shredded cheese on top, baking until melted and golden. Delicious!
Recipe
Vegan Hamburger Casserole
Equipment
- Sauté pan/skillet
- Small saucepan
- Casserole dish at least 3-4 litres (3-4 ½ quarts) capacity
Ingredients
Saute veggies:
- 250 millilitres vegetable stock or 1 tablespoon of oil
Casserole filling:
- 400 grams vegan mince fresh or frozen. For dried varieties see recipe notes below for method on quantities for rehydration. *Vegan mince is often called crumbles in the US.*
- 1 medium onion chopped
- 140 grams carrots 1 large, sliced
- 85 grams celery about 2 ribs, diced
- 4 cloves garlic thin sliced or minced
- 750 grams potatoes chopped into roughly 1-1 ½ inch chunks
- 1 tablespoon vegan Worcester sauce Or replace with 1-2 tablespoons of brown sauce or tomato ketchup. Or an extra tablespoon of soya sauce.
- 1 tablespoon soya sauce use Tamari if gluten-free dish is required
- 2 teaspoons dried mixed herbs
- 600 millilitres vegetable stock use a vegan beef flavour if available.
Cheese sauce:
- 1 tablespoon vegan margarine
- 2 tablespoons plain flour or gluten-free plain flour/ all-purpose/wholemeal plain flour
- 400 millilitres plant based milk
- 6 tablespoons vegetable stock
- 20 grams nutritional yeast flakes
Topping: (alternatively can simply top the casserole with vegan cheese)
- 100 grams breadcrumbs use a gluten-free variety if necessary.
- 50 grams vegan cheese grated/shredded, or replace with 20 grams of nutritional yeast flakes
- 3 medium tomatoes thin sliced, optional
- 4 small pickled gherkins/dill pickles diced, optional use more if liked or replace with sliced jalapenos from a jar/can
Instructions
Optional: If using dried vegan mince (TVP):
- Soak 80 grams of textured vegan protein in 500 ml (2 cups) boiling vegan stock. Mix through 1 teaspoon of marmite, optional. Soak for at least 30 minutes, drain but reserve the liquid.
Sauté veggies:
- Heat 250ml/1 cup of vegan stock to a simmer. Add the onion, carrot, celery and garlic. Pop a lid on and cook for 5 minutes. Remove the lid and cook for another 5 minutes. Stir frequently.Alternatively cook the veggies in one tablespoon of oil over a medium heat, stir frequently.
Continue preparing the filling:
- Scoop in the vegan mince and give everything a good mix.
- Mix through the soya sauce, vegan Worcester sauce, mixed herbs and 125ml/ ½ a cup of stock.Cook for 2-3 minutes.
- Preheat oven to 200 fan/ 210 Celsius/ Fahrenheit 410/ Gas 6.
- Add potatoes and mix to combine.Pour in 250ml/1 cup of veggie stock, if using rehydrated TVP mince also add in the drained soaking liquid. If using fresh or frozen mince simply add an extra 200 ml (¾ cup) veggie stock.Pop a lid on the pan and cook for 15 minutes.
- Leave to cook while you prepare the sauce. Just give it a stir every now and then and add extra stock or water if needed.
- Remove the lid and cook for an extra 5-10 minutes.
While the potato-mince filling is cooking prepare the sauce:
- Melt the margarine in a saucepan. Once melted add 6 tablespoons of veggie stock and stir.
- Mix through the flour.
- Slowly add the plant milk stirring to avoid lumps.
- Bring to the boil, then lower the heat, simmer for 3-5 minutes.Stir frequently and extra plant milk just to thin a little if the sauce is too thick. Although the sauce should be quite thick.
- Don't worry if lumps appear it doesn't affect the casserole, but the sauce can be sieved or blended if preferred.
- Take off the heat and stir through the nutritional yeast flakes.Season with salt and pepper to taste.
Assemble the casserole:
- Tip the potato-mince mix into a casserole dish.
- Pour over the cheese sauce and spread to cover.
- Mix the breadcrumbs and grated vegan cheese together. Sprinkle over the sauce.
- Scatter over the chopped gherkins and slices of tomato.
Bake:
- Bake for 25-35 minutes or until the topping is golden and crispy.
- Serve with your favourite veggie burger sides and sauces. Such as hot sauce, tomato ketchup, brown sauce, BBQ sauce, vegan sour cream or mayonnaise, guacamole, salsa, mustard, etc.
Notes
- Nutritional information is provided for guidance only and is not a strict calculation as ingredients vary.
- Fresh, frozen or dried vegan mince or crumbles can be used. If using fresh or frozen mince mixing through a teaspoon of marmite to your vegan stock provides a meaty flavour boost.
- For dried mince pieces such as textured vegetable protein(TVP) or dried crumbles soak about 80 grams in 500ml (2 cups) of boiling vegan stock (beef flavour if available) and 1 teaspoon of marmite for 30 minutes. Drain but reserve the liquid for the recipe. This should result in about 380 grams of mince.
- Instead of vegan mince use 300 grams of mushrooms chopped really small into mince size pieces. I love replacing mince with mushrooms its so tasty. And my son who hates mushrooms never knows the difference. A small food processer is great for crumbling the mushrooms into tiny pieces.
- For a change replace the potatoes with pasta or thick noodles.
- The breadcrumb topping is optional, if you are in a hurry simply omit and just add grated vegan cheese.
- The cooked potatoes and mince can be enjoyed without baking as a casserole, simply add extra water to create a gravy and serve in a bowl. A slice of thick crusty bread to mop up the savoury gravy is tasty.
- Leftovers can be stored, covered, for 3 days.
- Or frozen for 4-6 months.
- Defrost before reheating.
- Bring chilled or frozen hamburger casserole to room temperature before reheating.
- Reheat at the cooking temperature, but pop a cover over to prevent overcooking and browning too much. Reheat for 20-25 minutes until piping hot.
- Leftovers are tasty served over a slice of toasted/grilled bread or bap. Or use the casserole to prepare a grilled cheese toastie/grilled sandwich. Give the leftovers a mash and use as a sloppy joe filling.
- Want to stretch leftovers out to create another meal? Add a can of baked beans, mix, and bake until piping hot. Perhaps sprinkle more vegan shredded cheese over, and serve with a crispy side salad.
Leigh
Looks amazing and interesting! Will be giving this a go for my family, Thanks x
Jacq
So glad you enjoyed my post. Let me know how you get on!