By Susan Voisin 90 Comments
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Asparagus, mushrooms, and chickpeas are baked in a creamy sauce and topped with crunchy shredded potatoes in this low-fat vegan casserole.
Everything I read lately, from blogs to magazine articles, proclaims that summer is almost over and fall is in the air. Really? Where? Here in Mississippi, daytime temps are still in the mid-90’s and the only thing in the air is dust.
Nevertheless, maybe because I’m wishing for fall or maybe because I’m just getting sick of salads, I’ve been craving casseroles–hot, starchy, comfort-food concoctions that fill the whole house with the warmth and aroma of savory herbs and vegetables. So this week I just decided to go with the craving, pretend that the leaves are turning to gold and the wind is nippy instead of balmy, and bake my family a casserole. This casserole.
If I’m going to turn on the oven in this kind of weather, I want to make sure that what goes into the casserole dish is filling and complete enough to be a whole meal (with, maybe, a slice of whole-grain bread or a salad on the side). In other words, it must include vegetables as well as beans and starch.
In this Asparagus and Chickpea Casserole, my starchy element doubles as an easy, crispy topping: Frozen, oil-free hash browns, the shredded kind sold as “Country-Style.” If you can’t find them in your supermarket, simply run a medium-sized gold or red-skinned potato through the shredding disk of your food processor. Sprinkle on top of the casserole for crunchy topping that, unlike traditional breadcrumb crusts, is fat-free and refined-flour-free.
And parents, if your children are like mine, they’ll devour anything with shredded potatoes on top. My daughter E gave this dish four and a half crumbs on her 5-point Num-CrumbTM scale (5 crumbs being limited to lasagna and desserts). I guess she was ready for casserole season, too.
4.80 from 5 votes
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Asparagus and Chickpea Casserole
To make this gluten-free, substitute 1 tablespoon cornstarch or potato starch for the flour.
Prep Time 20 minutes minutes
Cook Time 50 minutes minutes
Total Time 1 hour hour 10 minutes minutes
Servings 6
Author Susan Voisin
Ingredients
- 1 medium onion , diced
- 1 rib celery , diced
- 8 ounces sliced mushrooms
- 3 cloves garlic , minced
- 12 ounces asparagus , ends trimmed and stalks cut into 1-inch pieces
- 2 tablespoons vegetable broth or “no-chicken” broth
- 2 tablespoons flour
- 1 cup vegetable broth or “no-chicken” broth
- 3/4 cup unsweetened soymilk or other non-dairy milk
- salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste
- 1 1/2 tablespoon nutritional yeast
- 1/2 teaspoon dried thyme leaves
- 1 teaspoon dried basil
- 1 15-ounce can chickpeas , rinsed and drained
- 2-3 cups frozen hash brown potatoes (or 5-8 ounces raw potato, shredded)
- smoked paprika , for garnish
Instructions
Preheat oven to 400F. Lightly oil or spray a 2-3 quart casserole dish.
Heat a non-stick pan over medium-high heat and add the onions. Cook until onions soften, 2-3 minutes. Add the celery, mushrooms, and garlic and cook for 2-3 more minutes, until mushrooms exude their juices. Add the asparagus and two tablespoons of vegetable broth, cover pan, and cook for another 2-3 minutes, until asparagus is bright green and beginning to become tender.
Whisk the flour into the cup of vegetable broth. Add it, the milk, nutritional yeast, thyme, and basil and heat until bubbly. Add the chickpeas and salt and pepper to taste. Turn heat to low, and simmer for 5 minutes. Pour into prepared casserole dish and top with an even layer of potatoes. Sprinkle potatoes with salt, if desired, and smoked paprika.
Bake until casserole is bubbly and top is lightly browned, 25-45 minutes (frozen potatoes will take longer than fresh). If top does not completely brown, place it under the broiler for a few seconds.
Nutrition Facts
Asparagus and Chickpea Casserole
Amount Per Serving (1 serving)
Calories 152Calories from Fat 18
% Daily Value*
Fat 2g3%
Sodium 166mg7%
Carbohydrates 27g9%
Fiber 5g21%
Sugar 5g6%
Protein 10g20%
* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2000 calorie diet.
Nutritional info is approximate.
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Reader Interactions
Comments
November 3, 2010 at 1:25 pm Yum! I used your recipe as an inspiration to recreate the Broccoli and Chicken Divan my mom used to make when I was little. Turned out great! Thank you!
http://www.mywholedeal.com/recipes/low-fat-vegan-chick-divan/
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franny
November 4, 2010 at 1:05 pm10/10!!
This recipe was deeeeelicious! I had for dinner and again for lunch, and it was even more crispy and yummy the second time!Reply
November 15, 2010 at 8:14 am Loved it thank you,
going to be spending a long time going through your recipes 😀 thanks again
Phil
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Erin
November 20, 2010 at 10:23 pmThis sounds yummy, but not a big fan of mushrooms ….any other suggestions?
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Natasha
November 23, 2010 at 12:18 pmI have definitely been in the casserole mood the last little while, and this was the first one I made. I’m SO glad I did! It was awesome! I used green beans instead of asparagus (my husband hates asparagus), and used raw potatoes (I couldn’t find frozen shredded hash browns). I kind of mucked up the order of the ingredient adding (I put the chickpeas in when I was supposed to add the beans..) but it was still really good! I think next time I will add more nutritional yeast, since everyone in my household LOVES it 🙂
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December 3, 2010 at 7:04 am It’s really getting cold here in MA (just north of Boston) and this was just perfect. My husband and I are attempting to more to a more plant based diet vs a meat based diet that we were eating. This was fabulous. I am realizing just how much I love chickpeas. I left out the mushrooms, mainly because I didn’t have them, but they are not my favorite either. I also used fresh grated sweet potatoes and added a little garam masala for spices as well as herbs de provence. My husband and I loved it. It wasn’t as big of a hit with the kids though, but they are extremely picky eater ( 2 3/4 years and 22 month old twins). I am looking forward to trying more recipes of yours.
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Ariana
December 4, 2010 at 6:10 pmI made these for Thanksgiving and it was a major hit! We didn’t have any chickpeas so I just omitted that ingredient and left everything the same. The potato topping I made from freshly grated potatoes. I think next time I’m going to use more grated potato for topping. Excellent dish! I just wish I had more asparagus right now to make another batch. Thank you, Susan!
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Vanessa
February 4, 2011 at 12:16 amOh wow, this looks absolutely divine! I just finished cooking up the quinoa paella and it was unbelievable.
My question is, I am cooking only for myself (ah. joy of veganism) and usually, I’ll do the recipe and freeze the extra portions separately, that way I have meals all week. Now, do you think I could freeze this dish?
Thanks so much! Please keep going, I cook at least 3 of your recipes every week 🙂
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SusanV
February 4, 2011 at 7:45 amI’m so glad you liked it! I don’t see why it wouldn’t freeze well- all of the individual ingredients do. When you reheat it, maybe sticking it under the broiler at the end would help give the potatoes back their crispiness.
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Ingrid
March 26, 2011 at 9:01 amYour blog is amazing. I have been looking for something like this for over 3 years. Thank you so much!
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lea
May 3, 2011 at 10:21 amThis recipe is sooo delicious! I substituted green beans for the asparagus and added summer squash – but I think the concept is still the same. As a vegan it is a real treat to have a hearty dinner – most of my meals tend toward the light soup and salad type – but this was so filling and satisfying – and healthy, too. I will definitely make this one again and again. Thank you Susan!
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sarahf
May 28, 2011 at 9:45 pmOh Susan, I made this last weekend and it was wonderful. I had been hoping for leftovers, but my husband and I DEVOURED it. I followed your recipe for the most part, using a coulple extra ounces of asparagus, because I had it and didn’t want it to go to waste. The amount of sauce and thickness was perfect, so I’m not sure why others had problems with too much liquid. I used cooked chickpeas(previously dried, soaked and cooked) as opposed to canned, so maybe that made the difference. The crispy potato top was so clever, it really made the casserole. I used frozed, cooked for 45 minutes and then broiled on high for 4-5 minutes. It turned out great. I’m going to try to pick up some more local New Jersey asparagus tomorrow and make it again this week. Thanks for such a great recipe.
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Julie & Marty
June 20, 2011 at 9:07 pmThis was good, but I don’t think we would make it again.
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Con Conz
July 23, 2011 at 1:18 pmThis is probably one of the best things ive ever made. Doesnt feed six though!
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Elan
August 22, 2011 at 5:50 pmI made this for dinner the other night so I wanted to say THANK YOU! It was hit with my family! I really enjoyed doing something new with staples I always have around the house.
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September 22, 2011 at 11:58 am Thanks for sharing this, and the ‘fall’ perspective from a warm spot. 😉 I live in Hawaii, and yes it’s paradise, but when everyone is talking about sweaters, boots, cool breezes, and pumpkin lattes, I start to crave comfort food and snuggly clothes too! This is definitely going on the menu plan. 🙂
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Charity
April 22, 2012 at 10:03 amdo you think it would be good if i substituted sweet potatoes? just got some in my csa box.
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April 22, 2012 at 10:25 am I haven’t tried it with sweet potatoes but I think it will work, though they may take a little longer to cook.
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Kaylie
May 26, 2012 at 2:02 pmDo you think that after I cook it in a pan and pour it into a casserole dish that it would freeze well? I have a 3 month old and a husband who travels a lot for work, so I would love to just pull this out of the freezer and cook on a hard day.
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May 26, 2012 at 2:13 pm I think it would freeze okay, but I can’t say for sure since I haven’t tried it. If you do, please let me know how it turned out.
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Kaylie
May 26, 2012 at 2:43 pmAlso, my husband is allergic to mushrooms, should I just skip them or replace with something else? Tofu? Thanks!!!
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May 26, 2012 at 2:50 pm They don’t take up a lot of space, so you could just leave them out, but tofu sounds like another alternative. I would increase the seasonings, though, since tofu doesn’t contribute any flavor of its own. Hope you enjoy it!
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Vicki Creal
October 19, 2012 at 5:58 pmI LOVE your recipes. The asparagus chickpea is wonderful. My new company dish. Thank you so much for sharing all of your yummy creations.
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Sue B the V
October 22, 2012 at 9:52 amI made this recipe yesterday, and it is DELICIOUS! Comes out very tasty and creamy – my husband thought I made it with cream of mushroom soup. Yummy comfort food without the fat and dairy of most creamy dishes.
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January 13, 2013 at 8:22 pm I am prepping this today to bake tomorrow. It looks amazing. Of course, I did the really annoying of substituting a bunch of stuff I had on hand that needed to get used. So it has black beans, (frozen chopped) spinach, and 2 large sweet potatoes – cubed instead of chickpeas, asparagus, and mushrooms. Can’t wait to have it for dinner tomorrow!
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Jessica J.
February 11, 2013 at 9:20 pmSusan, I made this recipe with a couple substitutions, and it was fabulous! You really nailed the sauce combination. Asparagus isn’t in season now, so I used broccoli, and had to use white beans in place of chickpeas. I can’t wait to try it with other green veggie and bean combinations, especially green beans, as others have suggested. Your casseroles make winter more tolerable! Thanks!
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Sara
February 15, 2013 at 8:36 pmMade this tonight with my roommate and we both loved it! We used cow’s milk and left out the nutritional yeast but it was still amazing. We’re culinary students so we tend to be hyper-critical of recipes ;), but we were absolutely obsessed with this! Much love from culinary students from Johnson & Wales, this blog is awesome!
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Jul
April 6, 2013 at 10:05 amMade this dinner last night. Dear husband is not a bean fan but conceded to try chickpeas. It turned out great…..and he liked it. I used fresh grated potatoes and inadvertently left out the milk. It was very tasty….will definitely make again…great way to fix asparagus with the spring season coming up. We served it with a salad and a whole grain roll. Yummy!
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September 23, 2013 at 10:55 am Mmm, great idea, using shredded potatoes as a topping of your casserole 🙂 I’ll be making this soon, I bet it’s gonna taste wonderful with other casserole ingredients too!
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Anne F
September 29, 2016 at 1:23 pmI LOVE this recipe, especially the way the asparagus flavor blends with the “creamy” sauce. My husband is not a vegetarian, but he likes it too. We’re always looking for ways to avoid cooking two completely different meals. For this recipe, I divided the mixture in two 1-quart casseroles after the 5-minute simmer. He added some cubes of ham to his. Into the oven they went…problem solved.
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Hol
June 4, 2018 at 3:49 pmDo you think it would be ok to mix the shredded potatoes in with the whole mixture and then top with breadcrumbs? If I did that, would I just grate in uncooked potatoes or should i cook them first before mixing them in and baking the casserole? Thanks!
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Heike Childs
April 21, 2021 at 8:33 amIt’s a good recipe and a fabulous inspiration. I like my dishes to be extraordinary flavorful, so I added the juice of 1 lemon to the sauce component as well as a teaspoon of soy sauce to bring out the umami flavor senses which changed this dish from good to great. Additionally, instead of roasting the potatoes on top of the casserole in the oven, I roasted them in a frying pan while the other ingredients were cooking and then used them as a crisp topper on top of the serving dish, thus negating the need to use the oven. That change prevented the asparagus from getting their flavor and texture “killed” during the baking process.
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Everly
June 12, 2023 at 3:48 amHi, can I use sweet potatoes instead of regular?
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