Not Your Mama’s Casserole: Swiss Chard and White Bean Gratin (Vegan)
Oh my god…the first draft of Eat More Plants is DONE!!
I can hardly believe it. I’m still in a state of overwhelm because it’s been a full, challenging and inspiring 6 months creating it for you. Now, just 18 months to go until I have it in my hot little hands…
But for now, there’s this casserole. One of the books that has been a staple in my kitchen for years is Spilling the Beans. It’s not a vegetarian cookbook, but there are plenty of vegetarian recipes and yes, every one of them has beans. The one recipe I made over and over again was this Chard and Sweet Potato Gratin. So, when charged with bringing over the vegetarian main for New Year’s Eve, I decided to vegan-ize the recipe.
I was very nervous to bring it over because I thought it might be too ‘health food’. And everyone gobbled it up! So I whipped it up for a potluck last month and it was also a hit. Given that it’s still freezing cold for many of us, I thought you might like to give it a try. It takes some time but most of it is oven time. It’s a complete meal and freezes well, so if you’re cooking for just one or two, make it Sunday and you’ll have another dinner for midweek.
I hope you love it…stay warm out there loves!
Desiree
Other cozy recipes you might love
- Creamy Sunflower Seed Risotto (Vegan)
- Nourishing farro pesto pilaf
- Mushroom Barley Soup (Vegan)
- 30 Minute Vegan Alfredo + Mushroom Pasta
Swiss Chard and White Bean Casserole
Ingredients
- 3 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil, divided
- 1 small yellow onion, finely chopped
- 2 bunches Swiss Chard, leaves and stems separated, both chopped
- 2 tablespoons gluten free all-purpose flour, (I used Bob's Red Mill Red Label)
- 2 cups unsweetened soy milk, or oat milk
- 3 tablespoons nutritional yeast
- 2 cloves garlic, crushed or grated on Microplane
- 1 large orange-fleshed sweet potato, very finely sliced on a mandoline
- 2 14 oz cans white beans, like cannellini, rinsed and drained
- 1 cup almond parmesan, homemade or storebought
- nutmeg
- salt
- pepper
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 400 degrees.
- Heat 1 tablespoon of oil in a large skillet over medium heat and cook onion until it begins to soften, about 3-5 minutes. Add all of the chard (or in batches if it's too big for your skillet) with a large pinch of salt and cook until chard is wilted and all moisture is evaporated. Transfer to a bowl and set aside.
- In the same skillet over medium heat, add remaining oil and flour and whisk to combine. Pour in the soy milk, whisking constantly until thoroughly blended. Add garlic and nutritional yeast and let come to a boil, whisking, for 2 minutes so that sauce can begin to thicken. Remove from heat, season with 1/4 teaspoon salt and plenty of cracked pepper.
- Lightly oil a casserole dish and lay half of the sweet potatoes, slightly overlapping, in a layer. Sprinkle half the beans over the potatoes, topping with some nutmeg, salt, and pepper.
- Next, spread half the greens over the beans and pour over half the sauce. Repeat, layering potatoes, beans, seasoning, greens and sauce. Top with the almond parmesan.
- Cover with tin foil and bake for 45 minutes, remove foil and bake for 15 more. Casserole should look nice and bubble. Let sit for a few minutes before serving.
11 Comments on “Not Your Mama’s Casserole: Swiss Chard and White Bean Gratin (Vegan)”
Hello Desiree,
Happy Thanksgiving! My family wants to do some Christmas shopping for me to take advantage of Black Friday sales. I would like for them to buy me a mandolin that you referenced in your Swiss Chard and White Bean Casserole above that I want to make this winter. The link to buying the mandolin above no longer exists. Could you be so very kind as to give me the link or the brand info. again? Thank you so much! Have a blessed day! 🙂 Jordanna
Hi Jordanna,
Ooh, a mandolin will be the gift that keeps on giving!! Yes, the Benriner mandolin is getting very difficult to find I’m afraid. If you can’t find it, I have put an alternative in my affiliate shop (which is where I get a tiny commission at no cost to you). Shop local if you can but if you can’t, it’s a great option. Happy thanksgiving to you and your family.
I just thought of one more question! Would the mandolin you used to create the Swiss Chard and White Bean Casserole also be able to be used to finely slice the celeriac noodles in the Epic Vegan Lasagna with Celeriac Noodles? I have a bucket list of recipes I want to make that you have created and these two I want to definitely fit in this winter. I appreciate the info. ! 🙂 Jordanna
Yes!! It will make the celeriac more like actual noodles rather than crunchy veg. It’s a great recipe 🙂
Hi Desiree,
My Benriner mandolin came from Amazon! We are going to make this recipe in the upcoming week! It looks delicious and we are a huge fan of your almond ricotta! 🙂 What setting on the mandolin should be used to slice this one sweet potato? The thinnest one? And just to clarify…just 1 sweet potato for this entire casserole? Thank you, Jordanna
Hi Jordanna,
That’s so exciting! Yes, just one sweet potato, on the thinnest setting it makes a LOT of slices.
Hi Desiree,
What are the dimensions of the casserole dish and how many servings does this recipe yield? I hope to make this recipe soon. Just waiting to get some organic Swiss chard! 🙂 Thanks, Jordanna
Hi Jordanna,
9×12 should work well! This will feed 4 as a main dish and 6-8 as a side dish but I’ve got to be honest…I can eat half of it myself ha ha!
I give this recipe 5 stars out of 5 total! (I have had trouble with clicking the black stars lately for some odd reason… I am using a different computer today to rate this recipe so maybe that will help instead of my IPAD. In case there’s not 5 stars colored in, I wanted to also type the rating here).
Desiree, my family ate this casserole today and it was the BEST casserole we have ever eaten! I do not want to appear disingenuous when I repeatedly type that phrase but I want people to know that they need to try this recipe! I am so happy that you created a recipe using greens and most of all that it turned out absolutely delicious! EVERY SINGLE LAYER of this dish had TREMENDOUS FLAVOR. I did not need to make any modifications to any aspect of this recipe- from seasoning to cooking. The flavor (most important part of a dish in my book), presentation, and texture were pure perfection in every bite! So creamy, moist, and wonderful- there was no bitterness that you taste in organic swiss chard’s raw form! I also used your almond parmesan and it was phenomenal! This is the second time I have made your almond parmesean (I believe it was also in a brussels sprouts side dish) and we were more than happy to wear our vegan hats today at lunch because of it! GREAT RECIPE!!!!! HIGHLY RECOMMEND OTHERS TO GIVE IT A TRY!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Hi Jordanna,
YAYYYYYYYY!!! This casserole has been a favourite in my house for a very long time. It’s got it ALL. Even the kids like it…but they pick at the greens, ha ha. You’re absolutely right – the thinner the sweet potato the better. I am so glad your family enjoyed it.
P.S. I would like to add to make sure you guys use the thinnest setting on your mandolin. The way you know when the casserole is ready is when you stick a fork in your casserole to make sure the sweet potatoes are tender. This was the first time I used my Benriner Japanese Mandolin #64 version. Getting sweet potatoes that are more narrow in diameter or roughly about the same width will help the pieces to be more of the same size. This mandolin tool that I bought from Amazon was great because it is smaller making it easier to store and hold. Jordanna