Vegan Bacon Cheeseburger Casserole
This 100% vegan Bacon Cheeseburger Casserole is an ooey-gooey flavour-bomb without being a calorie bomb! With only 450 calories and 30g of protein per serving, this healthy meal will be a family favourite and meal-prep staple!
Jump to RecipeIngredients & Inspiration
This Vegan Bacon Cheeseburger Casserole was created by accident… sort of! But we all love a happy accident every now and then, right? When creating this recipe I had only a few requirements: It must be cheesy, it must be bacony, and it must be healthy (and delicious, of course)!
Those three things don’t usually scream ‘health food’ normally, but when made with whole food plant-based ingredients and lots of tasty seasonings, you can create MAGIC! And magic this dish is, because it tastes very much like a bacon cheeseburger! But a much more healthed up version 😉
Here’s what we’re using in this recipe:
TVP Bacon Bits
- textured vegetable protein
- tamari or gluten-free soy sauce
- tomato paste
- olive oil
- garlic powder
- maple syrup
- liquid smoke
Cashew Cheese Sauce
- raw cashews
- chipotle pepper in adobo
- fresh lemon juice
- nutritional yeast
- garlic powder
- onion powder
- turmeric
- salt & pepper
Everything Else
- broccoli
- cauliflower
- mushrooms
- onion
- garlic
- smoked paprika
- quinoa
- veggie broth
How to Make Vegan Bacon Cheeseburger Casserole
While the steps may seem like many, it’s actually really simple and straightforward to make this Vegan Bacon Cheeseburger Casserole! Let me break it down for you:
- Rehydrate the TVP in hot water for 5 minutes, strain and squeeze out the excess liquid. Add all the ‘bacon’ sauce ingredients and cook on the stove for about 10 minutes until slightly browned and most of the liquid is absorbed.
- To a large casserole dish, add the chopped veggies, quinoa, and veggie broth and stir to combine. Sprinkle ¾ of the TVP bacon crumbles on top, tightly cover the casserole dish with foil and bake for 45 minutes at 375°F.
- While the casserole bakes, make the cashew cheese sauce by adding all cheese sauce ingredients into a high-speed blender, and blending on high for 30 to 60 seconds, until smooth and pourable.
- Remove the casserole from the oven, pour the cashew cheese sauce overtop and spread into an even layer. Sprinkle remaining TVP bacon crumbles on top and return to the oven uncovered for another 15 minutes, allowing the cheese to brown slightly and the TVP to get slightly crisped.
- Let cool and serve hot, garnishing with any of your favourite burger toppings like shredded lettuce, chopped tomato, avocado, hot sauce or green onions. Enjoy!
Cheese, Please
Trust me, when once you try this Vegan Bacon Cheeseburger Casserole you’re going to be slightly obsessed. Like, you’re going to want to make it every week because it is so dang good! And good for you, too. Fibre and protein packed TVP and quinoa, loads of veggies and a lusciously dairy-free cheese sauce made from cashews?! And it tastes like a cheeseburger?! You’re welcome 😉
If you enjoyed this recipe you might like some of my other casseroles like my Vegan Sausage & Egg Breakfast Casserole, Garlicky Golden Quinoa Casserole, or my Smoky Lentil Casserole!
Lastly, if you made any of these recipes and decide to share them on Facebook or Instagram, don’t forget to tag me @SteamyVegan and use hashtag #SteamyVegan! I seriously love seeing what you’re cooking up! Plus make sure to check me out on YouTube — I have HUNDREDS of videos to give you limitless plant-based inspiration!
Vegan Bacon Cheeseburger Casserole
Ingredients
Method
- Add the dry TVP to a large bowl and pour the boiling water overtop, then cover and let it soak for 5 to 10 minutes. Strain over a fine mesh sieve and press any remaining water out with a large spoon or spatula.
- Add the remaining bacon sauce ingredients minus the oil to the rehydrated TVP and stir to combine.
- Heat a small skillet and warm the oil over medium heat. Add the seasoned TVP and cook for 8 to 10 minutes, stirring frequently, until lightly browned and most of the moisture has absorbed. Set aside.
- Preheat oven to 375F and grab a large casserole dish. Add the quinoa, broccoli, cauliflower, mushrooms, onion, garlic, smoked paprika, salt and pepper, and veggie broth. Stir well to combine.
- Add ¾ of the TVP bacon bits on top of the veggies and quinoa in an even layer. Cover the dish with foil and bake for 45 minutes.
- In the meantime, make the cashew cheese sauce. Boil 3 to 4 cups of water, add the cashews to a bowl and pour the hot water on top. Let soak for 20 minutes, then drain the water.
- Add all remaining cashew cheese ingredients to a high speed blender and blend on high speed for 60 seconds, until it forms a smooth, creamy sauce.
- Once the casserole has baked for 45 minutes, remove from the oven and take off the foil. Pour the cheese sauce over top of the casserole and smooth into an even layer. Sprinkle the remaining TVP bacon bits over top and return to the oven to bake for a further 15 minutes. Optionally, you can turn on the broiler for the final 5 minutes to achieve a more browned and bubbling top layer.
- Let cool for 10 minutes before serving. Garnish with chopped green onions and a pinch of red chili flakes, and enjoy!
Video
Notes
Some suggestions: Bell peppers, zucchini, potato, sweet potato, carrots, onions Macros per serving (serves 6):
- 454 calories
- 30g protein
- 47 carbs
- 20g fat
Loved loved LOVED this cheeseburger casserole! Very well received by family! Prep took me closer to 40 minutes. In the future I might cook up the bacony bits in advance to shorten prep. Very adaptable recipe! Didn’t have broccoli so used more cauliflower and mushroom. Didn’t have chipotle in adobo so added a TBS white wine and a tsp of dijon mustard to the cheese sauce. Used the ketchup option rather than tomato paste to season the TVP—thank you so much for that swap! ALWAYS have ketchup around! Used a 10 x 14 inch pan as my 9 x 13 is too shallow, and still there was plenty of cheese sauce to spread over top. Planning on using left overs to add to tofu scramble breakfast burritos! Definitely going to be making this often, thank you for a great dish.
I’m so glad you and your family enjoyed the bacon cheeseburger casserole! Great swaps and additions you made, I love that you made it work with what you had. Thanks for the comment, Tamar!