The Best Fall Casserole
Hello all! I’m back, and feeling much stronger. Thank you SO MUCH for all your kind words about Betty’s passing, your support really meant a lot to me. I’m in a really good place. I miss her terribly, but I feel certain that I made the right choice, at the right time, for her. That gives me a lot of comfort. I’ve also been focusing on celebrating her life, rather than mourning her death. I’ll miss her forever, and I’m sure there are more tears in my future, but I feel strong.
It was a busy week- in addition to remembering Betty and, you know, crying, I also had to pack myself on a plane and head to DC for work. I ate lots of vegan food and got to see some old friends, which was very therapeutic.
Also therapeutic? This Fall Casserole! Or, if you’re like me and love the word ‘autumnal’, you can call this The Best Autumnal Casserole. Either way, with its hearty potatoes and thickly sliced vegan sausage, it’s perfect for these crisp autumn evenings. Whether you spent the afternoon hiking and enjoying the changing leaves, or camped out on the couch watching football, once the divine smell of this casserole starts wafting through your house you’ll want to dig in like you haven’t eaten in a week!
Olive oil and a bit of melted earth balance add a rich layer to the flavorful veggie broth. Really, this dish is all flavor! It’s a new take on the roasts many of us used to make in our crock pots during our pre-gan days, right?
My secret ingredient is vegan worcestershire sauce, and if you were so inclined, a couple glugs of wine would be really nice too. In the dish I mean, although in your glass is also a great idea!
Side note: Isn’t that little casserole dish adorably retro? I got it for $1 at a nearby thrift shop- a shop which donates their profits to local animal rescues! Isn’t that just the best?
The Best Fall Casserole (makes 5-6 servings)
Ingredients:
- 1 lb potatoes (this is approximate, I used 1.2 lbs I think)
- 1 lb bag of baby carrots
- 1 green bell pepper
- 1 medium yellow onion
- 1 teaspoon granulated garlic
- 1 teaspoon red pepper flakes
- 1/2 teaspoon oregano
- 1/4 teaspoon sea salt
- Pepper to taste
- 1/4 teaspoon parsley
- 1 1/4 cups vegetable stock
- 3 T Earth Balance, melted
- 4 Tablespoons worcestershire
- 4 pack Tofurky Italian sausages, each chopped into thirds (or quarters if you’re feeding smaller kiddos)
Directions:
- Preheat oven to 425. Wash, peel and chop potatoes into large (but still bite-size) pieces. This is a hearty casserole! Add with carrots to a 9×13 glass baking dish. Chop and add bell pepper and onion- keeping the pieces nice and big-bite-sized.
- In a medium bowl mix all the spices with the veggie stock, melted earth balance and worcestershire, then pour over the veggies in your baking dish. Mix very well, and add a bit of salt and pepper as needed.
- Cover with foil and bake for 40-45 minutes or until the veggies are tender. Add the sausage, stir everything together, cover and put back in for another 20 minutes. Remove and let cool for just a few minutes before serving.
Enjoy!
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Caught this recipe on 10/11 at OneGreenPlanet! Made it this weekend and loved it. Now in my HOT rotation and sure to be made again. THANK YOU!
That’s awesome, thanks so much for letting me know!! You totally just made my day 🙂
So glad you are doing better Barb 🙂 This looks like the ultimate comfort food- root veggies, vegan sausages and earth spices- yum!
Thanks Gabby, I do feel much better!
I was so sorry to hear of your loss, and am happy you are doing a little better. I love a good autumnal casserole, and that retro dish is awesome!
Thank you so much, it just takes time, right?
I also love the word “autumnal.” It can be tricky to say ;-)! My mom had one of those dishes – too cute! Sounds like a super casserole, Barb.
It’s a great word- totally underutilized! 🙂
Autumnal is how we do it here in Australia…no falling for us! Aside from when we forget that the mental dog is behind us and we attempt to play with the normal dog and the mental dog takes us off our feet from behind…thats “fall” here in Australia ;). Love the look of that casserole. Brunhilda, our massive 4 oven wood burning stove has gone into hiatus for our coming summer and so we are adapting to going back to cooking on our covered gas bbq outside and our indoor gas stovetop. Casseroles are making way for wraps and salads BUT here in Tasmania, the closest that Australia gets to Antarctica…we often have days where a casserole is as good as a wink to a blind bat 🙂
I know exactly what you mean- we just had a crazy hot summer and I spent most of it perfecting my “hot weather” recipes that wouldn’t heat up my kitchen 🙂
That looks so amazing!! Love the sausage chunks! Also, I’m an terribly sorry to hear about Betty. 🙁
Thanks Bianca, she was a super dog! And the sausage was the best part of that casserole!
Hey great feature. I tried this with a touch of chilli powder – really gave this a kick. Will keep us warm during the upcoming winter months!
Great idea!
Hi! I am so glad you are feeling better! This looks delish–and we love, love, love a good casserole around here!
… and it’s that time of year!!
I love simple, flavorful, hearty stews like this for cold days. It’s the perfect sort of thing to throw into the slow cooker instead of the oven, and forget about until dinner time. Always lovely when that gadget can do the work for me. 🙂
This looks amazing. But if you have not yet tried Field Roast Sausage, then my friends, find some. they are amazing.
FR is really good, but I love Tofurky too- I tend to switch off between the two brands depending on the flavore I’m going for
I’m so sorry about Betty, I sure do understand how you might be feeling. We just lost one of our kitties in the most horrible way and had to let him go. I’ll write more about it later though.
This recipe is one we’re having tonight and we’re thrilled to be making and then devouring. It looks like just what we were needing and wanting. It’s funny because while I was reading your recipe, my husband was at the store buying a few different kinds of the tofurkey non- sausages even though it wasn’t on our list. I thought how in sync we were.
Thanks! Welcome to your new blog. I’m going to have to find out who you went with for your web-hosting.
Wishing you peace and harmony with all.
Oh, Barb, I know how hard it is to lose your bestest friend. I lost mine 3 years ago, and I still find myself tearing up on occasion. Tincture of time is the best remedy….and I believe we will see our beloved pets again….
This was an awesome recipe. Thank you!
I saw this recipe today and knew right away what we were having for dinner tonight. You’re right, this IS the best fall casserole! I had to make a couple modifications, but nothing drastic. I subbed Gardein beef tips for the sausage and Bragg’s Aminos for the Worcestershire. We had just received our organic veggie box yesterday, so I added in fennel and a parsnip I had. The end result was beyond delicious! My omni hubby even went back for seconds and said how much he loved it. It is now in our favorites folder. 🙂 Thanks so much for the recipe! (((Hugs)))
Now, why didn’t I find this earlier? This is exactly what I was hungry for on Friday….but if I’d found it, I guess I wouldn’t have created a new soup instead. lol I am going to fix this soon!
I guess I have to finally admit it – the fun, ‘retro’ things that most vegan bloggers find to bake in make me laugh at myself – because it means I am officially retro. 😀 Those were the “new” thing when I was first buying stuff for my newlywed kitchen! 😀 I’m probably one of the older vegan bloggers out there. lol Love it.
Such a hearty and comforting meal! This recipe and your retro crock remind me of my childhood 🙂