I must admit I’m actually not a big breakfast person. Usually I’m totally happy with my daily green smoothie (with loooots of spinach or kale). But once in a while I feel like having a hearty breakfast or even brunch. Last Sunday, we had this vegetarian breakfast casserole with potatoes, BBQ tempeh, and vegan cheese and boy, was it good!! I made it for a family brunch and everybody was totally surprised that it was vegan!
I remember I once had a vegetarian breakfast casserole with hash browns and wanted to make something similar for the brunch we had last weekend. The casserole I remember was loaded with cheese and eggs, so it wasn’t exactly vegan. But no problem, we vegans are creative, right? So of course I had to try to veganize it. Instead of the eggs, I used a mixture of silken tofu, turmeric, paprika powder, and chives. I also stirred and some vegan cheese and added a pinch of kala namak, which gives it its egg-like taste.
If you haven’t heard of kala namak yet, you should really check it out. It’s a type of rock salt that is typically used in South Asia. Some people call it Himalayan Black Salt and it smells and tastes very much like eggs. I also added it to the vegan asparagus quiche I made a couple of weeks ago and it’s also great with avocado. If you’re looking for even more recipes that use kala namak, check out this article that features tons of delicious vegan egg recipes.
For me, the best part of this vegan breakfast casserole is the BBQ tempeh. We make it quite often as a topping for salads or pasta and it’s super easy to make! When I first tried tempeh some years ago, I didn’t really like it and I thought it was kinda boring and tasteless. But when you season it right and cook it until it’s really crispy it’s soooo good!! I like it even better than tofu and I really LOVE tofu, so that’s actually more than a compliment! I also used this kind of tempeh bacon for my spaghetti carbonara, which has been really popular on the blog.
Unlike most of my other recipes, this vegetarian breakfast casserole takes a bit longer to make, but it’s so worth the time! And it’s actually really easy to make, it just takes a bit longer because you have some waiting time while it’s in the oven.
I first boiled the potatoes and cut them into small cubes and seasoned them with some onions, paprika powder, and salt and pepper. Make sure to cook them until they are really crispy and lightly brown.
If you want it to be a lot faster, you could also use store-bought southern style hash browns instead of the potatoes. Then stir in the vegan egg-cheese mixture, sprinkle it with some more vegan cheese and bake for about 15-20 minutes. I served it with some fresh cherry tomatoes, green onions, and parsley to give it some more color. Everybody at our brunch really loved it! We topped it off with some sriracha sauce.
This vegetarian breakfast casserole also makes a great dinner. Just enjoy it with some green salad and you got a delicious and healthy meal!
I hope you like it as much as we do around here! Let me know if you give it a try. As always, I love hearing from you guys!! xx
Vegetarian Breakfast Casserole
Ingredients
- 5 medium potatoes (about 22 oz.) If you want it to be faster, you can also use store-bought southern style hash browns instead.
- 1 medium onion, chopped
- salt, to taste
- black pepper, to taste
- 1 teaspoon paprika powder
- 10 oz silken tofu
- 1 1/2 tablespoons olive oil
- 1/2 teaspoon paprika powder
- 1 pinch kala namak
- 1 teaspoon turmeric
- 1 tablespoon corn starch
- 1 tablespoon fresh or frozen chives, cut into rings
- 1/2 cup vegan cheese
- 5 oz tempeh
- 1 tablespoon BBQ-sauce
- 1 teaspoon paprika powder
- 1 teaspoon soy sauce
- 1/2 teaspoon liquid smoke (optional)
- more vegan cheese to sprinkle on top
- fresh chives
- cherry tomatoes
- green onions
Instructions
- Boil the unpeeled potatoes for about 15-20 minutes or until they're tender. Peel and cut them into cubes.
- While the potatoes are boiling, make the BBQ tempeh "bacon": Cut the tempeh into small cubes. Heat some more oil in the pan you used for the potatoes and cook the remaining onions for about a minute. Add the tempeh and stir in the BBQ sauce, the paprika powder, the soy sauce, and if using the liquid smoke. Season with salt and pepper and cook for about 5 minutes. Set aside.
- Heat some oil in a large pan and cook about half of the chopped onions for about 2 minutes or until translucent. Add the potatoes and season with paprika powder, salt, and pepper. Cook for about 5 minutes or until crispy and lightly brown. Set aside. If you want the recipe to be a bit quicker, you can also use store-bought southern style hash browns.
- In a medium bowl, combine the silken tofu, the oil, the starch, the turmeric, the paprika powder and the kala namak. Whisk until smooth. Stir in the vegan cheese and the chives.
- Fill the potatoes and the BBQ tempeh into a casserole dish and stir in the vegan egg-cheese mixture. Sprinkle with some more vegan cheese and bake for 15-20 minutes at 350 °F.
- Serve with fresh chives, parsley, and cherry tomatoes.
Sandi
Just now found this blog, and will try this recipe tomorrow. I actually already have all the ingredients! Trying to find breakfasts without eggs and bacon (poor hubby!) or oatmeal (he hates!) to improve his/our health, and very much appreciate recipes like this one. Hugs!!
Kyly
SO yummy, made this for Christmas breakfast with some hot sauce. I liked it better than the non-vegan breakfast my family made! Impressive, and so satisfying. Will make again!
Tracy
I made this vegetarian breakfast casserole for a brunch last weekend and everyone loved it! It was soooo good!
Carol Shine
Can this recipe be made the night before and baked the next morning? I’m not all that familiar with tofu or tempeh. I’m going to attempt to make this dish for my vegan daughter-in-law.
Kathy Sturr
Sorry about that, I thought I was posting on It Doesn’t Taste Like Chicken who shared this yummy looking recipe of yours. Obviously I haven’t had my breakfast yet and not enough coffee …
Sina
Haha! No problem, Kathy! So glad you like my recipe. :-) I totally know where you’re coming from!! I LOVE savory breakfasts too!
Kathy Sturr
Ha! I laughed at the title of this because I am so a BIG breakfast gal – typically eating a large savory breakfast and no lunch. A smoothie will never “cut it” for me and I absolutely don’t crave sweet in the A.M. Wonderful batch of big breakfasts for a gal like me! TY!
Lindsay
Looks delicious! Making it now…Directions reference turmeric and starch but neither are listed in the ingredients. Would like to know how much of each. Do you mean corn starch or something else?
Lindsay
I did not use any cornstarch since it wasn’t listed in the ingredients. My “eggs” never firmed up and remained really runny. I’m pretty sure this is because of the cornstarch issue. I even baked an extra 10 mins. Can you advise on the cornstarch? Thanks!
Sina
I’m soooooo truly sorry about this, Lindsay!!! :-( I actually forgot to list the starch and the turmeric in the ingredient list. I can’t believe this happened! Just fixed it. I’ll definitely check my other recipes for missing ingredients as well, so this won’t happen again. Yes, this definitely remained runny because you didn’t use any starch. The starch (I used corn starch) makes it really thick and egg-like. I’ve already used this mixture for vegan quiche (https://veganheaven.org/recipe/vegan-quiche-with-asparagus-and-tomatoes/). I hope you’ll give it another try and forgive me for this. So embarrassing! Best, Sina
Lindsay
Thank you so much for your reply! I will definitely give it another shot…I’m actually planning to make it for a brunch I’m hosting this weekend. Thank you for sharing!
Aimee / Wallflower Kitchen
YUM! I would absolutely love this for breakfast or any time of day!
Sina
Glad you like it, Aimee! We actually had it for breakfast AND dinner. :D
Rochelle Fox
Wow! This looks so yummy! I want to taste this soon!
Good vibes, FOX
Sina
Thanks, Rochelle. :-)
The Vegan 8
This looks so hearty and filling, I could eat soooo much of it!! So much goodness Sina!
Sina
Thanks, Brandi! :-)
Jenn
Wow, this looks so good! I am a HUGE brunch person…love it so much! I would inhale this!
Sina
Haha! Thanks, Jenn! :-) I absolutely LOVE brunch, but unfortunately we don’t do it very often…
Alisa Fleming
This looks so full flavored and satisfying – I could see enjoying it for dinner, too!
Sina
I also love having it for dinner with a green salad, Alisa. :-)
Linda @ Veganosity
This is such a lovely casserole. I love all of the flavors and colors in it. I could eat this daily.
Sina
Thanks, Linda! :-)
Rebecca @ Strength and Sunshine
I’m crying that you said you’re not a breakfast person…but at least you know how to make a delicious looking breakfast ;) Savory to boot!
Sina
Haha! I know, everybody LOVES breakfast but I’m more of a dinner person I guess. ;-)