Scrumptious, easy casserole
- 1 tsp black pepper
- 7 large potatoes (or equivalent)
- 1 large sweet onion
- 10 oz pack chopped, frozen spinach drained
- 2 tbsp chives
- 1 cup chopped vegetables of choice (i use broccoli, cauliflower, and carrots)
- 8 oz dairy free sour cream
- 2 tbsp dairy free cream or milk more or less to make mixture thin enough to stir easily.
- 1/4 cup dairy free butter
- 1 oz dairy free garlic mozzarella cheese cut into tiny blocks (optional)
- 2 tbsp nutritional yeast
- 2 tsp sea salt
- 1 cup dairy free cheddar cheese shredded
- 1/4 cup bac-o's (soy bacon bits)
- Carbohydrate 45.988023125 g
- Cholesterol 29.0745 mg
- Fat 16.20120125 g
- Fiber 7.24550007459521 g
- Protein 14.217005625 g
- Saturated Fat 8.1031523125 g
- Serving Size 1 1 Serving (346g)
- Sodium 642.3564375 mg
- Sugar 38.7425230504048 g
- Trans Fat 5.64733475 g
- Calories 383 calories
Step-by-step
- Preheat oven to 400 degrees.
- Cube potatoes and boil in salted water until firmly done (not mushy).
- Thaw and drain spinach. (Mash extra water out).
- Steam chopped vegetables.
- Slice onion into rings and when potatoes are done, turn stove eye off and place onions on top of potatoes (make sure they are submerged in hot water) until softened.
- Do not boil onions.
- Using slotted spoon dip out onions and half of potatoes into a bowl and set aside.
- Mash remaining potatoes using a hand masher.
- Add butter and cubes of garlic mozzarella cheese and mash into potatoes until well incorporated and melted.
- Add sour cream, cream or milk, nutritional yeast, salt and pepper, spinach and chives and stir.
- Gently fold in chopped vegetables, onions and remaining potatoes.
- Pour into 2 quart casserole dish and bake 20 minutes.
- Remove and top with Bac-O's and cheddar cheese.
- Place back in oven for 10 more minutes until cheese is melted.
Starch selection dictates whether a casserole holds its geometry or collapses into soup. Russets yield a high-amylose mash that absorbs added dairy substitutes effectively, whereas waxy red potatoes retain moisture and resist mashing, resulting in a fractured interior texture. Freezing changes plant cell walls permanently, meaning frozen spinach requires rigorous mechanical pressing in a cloth towel to remove excess liquid before incorporation. Without this pressing step, the trapped water dilutes the fats in the dairy-free sour cream and prevents proper emulsification during the initial twenty-minute bake at 400 degrees Fahrenheit. Substituting fresh spinach introduces raw moisture that must be sautéed away completely prior to mixing, altering the baseline hydration ratio established by the frozen variant. Plant-based cheeses melt differently than dairy counterparts because they lack casein protein networks, requiring precise thermal exposure during the final ten-minute cheese-melting phase to prevent oil separation. Onions softened residual-style in hot potato water rather than boiled directly maintain structural crispness and sulfurous bite, contrasting against the dense starch base. Adjusting milk quantities by tablespoons controls the viscosity of the mash before folding in broccoli and carrots, ensuring uniform heat distribution throughout the two-quart baking dish.
