This casserole is an adaptation of the Southern American family favourite Hamburger casserole.Vegan Hamburger Casserole is a fun, deliciously wholesome family meal perfect for easy midweek meals. Serve with all your favourite veggie hamburger toppings.Perfect for veggie Thanksgiving or special meals with sides of green beans, Brussel sprouts, or peas and a tasty vegan gravy.
400gramsvegan mincefresh or frozen. For dried varieties see recipe notes below for method on quantities for rehydration. *Vegan mince is often called crumbles in the US.*
1mediumonionchopped
140gramscarrots1 large, sliced
85gramsceleryabout 2 ribs, diced
4clovesgarlicthin sliced or minced
750gramspotatoeschopped into roughly 1-1 ½ inch chunks
1tablespoonvegan Worcester sauceOr replace with 1-2 tablespoons of brown sauce or tomato ketchup. Or an extra tablespoon of soya sauce.
1tablespoonsoya sauceuse Tamari if gluten-free dish is required
2teaspoonsdried mixed herbs
600millilitresvegetable stockuse a vegan beef flavour if available.
Topping: (alternatively can simply top the casserole with vegan cheese)
100gramsbreadcrumbsuse a gluten-free variety if necessary.
50gramsvegan cheesegrated/shredded, or replace with 20 grams of nutritional yeast flakes
3mediumtomatoesthin sliced, optional
4smallpickled gherkins/dill picklesdiced, 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.