Leafy Green Vegan Casserole

Updated: November 28, 2022

Leafy Green Vegan Casserole

Are you looking for a recipe that contains calcium but absolutely zero dairy? Well, you’re in luck! Today I am going to share this easily prepared, vegan casserole dish. The yummy combination of crunchy kale and broccoli, with creamy coconut milk sauce, will leave you wanting more!

In fact, this casserole dish is now one of my favorite meals to prepare. Why? Well not only is this meal extremely nutritious and good for bone health, it is also very easy to prepare.

For those who do not have lots of time to cook, this recipe is perfect for you.

Prepare this dish at the beginning of your week and you will have yourself a week’s worth of high calcium goodness! Simply freeze your leftovers and reheat as needed.

Now, enough talk. Let’s dive right into this recipe!

Leafy Green Vegan Casserole

Leafy Green Vegan Casserole

This delicious, dairy-free casserole is jam-packed with calcium-rich ingredients. Just the leafy green vegetables alone (3 cups of broccoli and kale) pulls in about 468 mg of calcium and they are also full of vitamin A, vitamin C, and vitamin K. ¹⁻²
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Prep Time 20 minutes
Cook Time 40 minutes
Total Time 1 hour
Course Main Course
Cuisine American
Servings 1 casserole
Calories 2413 kcal

Ingredients
  

Equipment

  • 9 x 9 inch oven friendly casserole dish (or large if you are adding extra veggies)
  • medium-large mixing bowl
  • food processor/blender
  • medium sauce pan
  • cutting board

The Casserole

  • 3 cups kale chopped
  • 3 cups quinoa cooked
  • 2 cups broccoli roughly chopped
  • 1/2 cup swiss chard
  • 1/2 cup white onion diced

For Non-Vegans

  • 1 egg

The Sauce

  • 1.8 (just under 2 cups) cups coconut milk ideally from a carton/box
  • 1.8 cups cannellini beans cooked and drained, or Great Northern beans drained (slightly less creamy texture)
  • 1/4 cup nutritional yeast
  • 1 tsp thyme rough chopped
  • 1 tsp rosemary rough chopped
  • salt to taste
  • pepper to taste

For Garnish

  • your choice of fresh herb

Instructions
 

  • Preheat your oven to 375 degrees Fahrenheit.
  • Rinse quinoa thoroughly and cook in a medium saucepan. Bring to boil, cover and let it simmer until tender. Check and taste occasionally for tenderness.
  • Combine the coconut milk, beans, yeast, thyme, rosemary, salt, and pepper into a blender or food processor and blend the ingredients until the mixture becomes a smooth flowing puree consistency.
  • In a medium-large mixing bowl, combine the chopped kale, quinoa, broccoli, swiss chard, and white onion.
  • Next, pour half of the sauce mixture in the mixing bowl with the chopped vegetables and quinoa and mix.
  • Thinly and evenly oil the casserole dish
  • Place the combined mixture into a casserole dish and then pour the remainder of the sauce overtop of the mixture ensuring that the top layer is evenly sauced.
  • Place the casserole dish in oven and bake for 40 minutes.
  • Once completed, take the casserole dish out of the oven and let it cool down (7-10 minutes).
  • Serve and Enjoy!

Notes

It's possible to add any other vegetable you like to this casserole. It's very versatile ?
Tip: If you buy canned beans be sure to rinse them well before adding them in.
 
 

Nutrition

Calories: 2413kcalCarbohydrates: 419gProtein: 116gFat: 38gSaturated Fat: 5gCholesterol: 163mgSodium: 959mgPotassium: 4899mgFiber: 60gSugar: 6gVitamin A: 22625IUVitamin C: 416.1mgCalcium: 878mgIron: 36.6mg
Keyword vegan
Tried this recipe?Let us know how it was!

This recipe also contains quinoa, a light, and healthy whole grain and for this casserole, it contributes around 94.5 mg of calcium. ³ 

As for protein? The cannellini beans (1.75 cups) have about 21 grams of it and the coconut milk (1.875 cups) contributes around 10.3 grams. ⁴⁻⁵ 

Now there are some healthy nutritional numbers for your bones! I hope you enjoy this hearty and balanced casserole. With all of its beneficial ingredients, your body and bones will thank you!

Be sure to let us know how your dish turned out in the comments below!

Sources:

  1. http://nutritiondata.self.com/facts/vegetables-and-vegetable-products/2462/
  2. http://nutritiondata.self.com/facts/vegetables-and-vegetable-products/2357/2 
  3. http://nutritiondata.self.com/facts/cereal-grains-and-pasta/10352/2 
  4. https://www.eatthismuch.com/food/view/coconut-milk,2660/ 
  5. https://www.eatthismuch.com/food/view/cannellini-beans,162162/ 

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  1. Brenda

    November 9, 2016 , 5:59 am

    Perhaps you should clarify, use nutritional yeast not baking yeast.

  2. Dean Neuls

    November 10, 2016 , 2:39 pm

    Thank you Brenda! The recipe is updated to reflect this 🙂

  3. fitoru

    April 5, 2020 , 10:21 pm

    WOW! thanks for sharing your insights about this discussion. It is great to be informed

  4. Blaire AlgaeCal

    April 6, 2020 , 3:05 pm

    We’re so glad you found this informative, Fitoru! We hope you enjoy the recipe ?

    – Blaire @ AlgaeCal

  5. Barbara Holley

    December 12, 2020 , 5:39 pm

    I’m not sure whether the recipe calls for 3 cups of cooked quinoa or 3 cups of dry quinoa that is then cooked. Looks delicious!

  6. Megan AlgaeCal

    December 15, 2020 , 11:23 am

    Hi Barbara!

    Sorry for any confusion. The recipe calls for 3 cups of cooked quinoa 🙂

    Hope you’ll give this recipe a try… it really is delicious!

    -Megan @ AlgaeCal

  7. Ann

    January 22, 2022 , 11:20 am

    I assume the 2413 k/cal is for the entire dish. I don’t see indicated what a single serving size would be (??)

  8. Chelsea Dugas

    February 14, 2022 , 8:14 am

    Hi Ann,

    You are correct, the 2413 k/cal is for the entire recipe. So sorry for the confusion, our team has been alerted to this and is working to fix it. That said, most recipes contain 6-8 servings, so you can gauge with that if you like. Hope you enjoy it!
    – Chelsea @ AlgaeCal

  9. Nancy

    January 26, 2022 , 4:31 pm

    The casserole looks delicious. I’m a little confused with the nutrition info. 2413 calories for the complete casserole….if that is correct would it be 8 servings? That would make each serving approximately 300 calories. Is that correct? Thanks for sharing this recipe.

  10. Chelsea Dugas

    February 14, 2022 , 8:23 am

    Hi Nancy!

    Yes, you can assume the recipe is for 6-8 servings. So sorry for the confusion, our team is working to fix it! Please let us know if you enjoy the recipe! 🙂
    – Chelsea @ AlgaeCal

  11. Elizabeth Danuta Sokolowski

    January 26, 2022 , 4:43 pm

    What kind of yeast are nutritional yeast?

  12. Kirby Johnson

    January 28, 2022 , 10:20 am

    Hi Elizabeth,

    Nutritional yeast is grown specifically to be used as a food product and often has a cheesy, nutty or savory flavor; the yeast cells are not alive in the final product. Alternatively, baking yeast is purchased alive and used to leaven bread. This form of yeast is killed during cooking, but adds an earthy, yeasty flavor to bread. You’ll often find each of these yeasts available at your local grocery store, though each have very different purposes in the kitchen 🙂 Hope this helps!

    – Kirby @ AlgaeCal

  13. Yvonne

    January 26, 2022 , 5:49 pm

    My concerns with this recipe are in the amount of fat, carbs and sodium in this recipe per serving. So many people have health concerns with hypertension, high cholesterol and heart disease.

  14. Chelsea Dugas

    February 14, 2022 , 8:32 am

    Hi Yvonne!

    So sorry for the confusion, our team is working to remedy the nutritional label! The 2413 k/cal is meant for the entire recipe, and you can estimate that it contains 6-8 servings. Please let us know if you try it!
    – Chelsea @ AlgaeCal

  15. Vicki

    January 27, 2022 , 12:13 pm

    It sounds yummy but that is a lot of salt. Does it come from the yeast?

  16. Chelsea Dugas

    February 14, 2022 , 11:52 am

    Hi Vicki!

    Sorry for the confusion, the nutritional label reflects the quantities for the entire casserole and not one serving. Our team is working to rectify this. So you can calculate about 6-8 portions per casserole, which greatly reduces the quantity of salt! Please let us know if you try the recipe!
    – Chelsea @ AlgaeCal

  17. Wendy

    February 27, 2022 , 8:50 pm

    Could you please clarify – is the coconut milk the milk alternative type, or the much thicker kind? I’m thinking the former, but never sure in recipes. Thanks.

  18. Kirby Johnson

    February 28, 2022 , 9:44 am

    Wendy,

    Thanks for reaching out for clarification – yes, coconut milk, the milk alternative is the intended ingredient for this recipe (ideally from a carton/box). If you have any further questions, please don’t hesitate to let us know!

    – Kirby @ AlgaeCal

  19. Malva

    November 15, 2022 , 8:09 am

    I always like to know the reason for an instruction before taking the extra time to follow it. Why is it necessary to rinse canned beans thoroughly before adding them? I use no salt or low sodium beans and omit the rinsing.
    Also, please specify amount of water to use when cooking the quinoa. I find that it is better to use less when the quinoa will be cooked again in the casserole, and thus cook for less time until the water us absorbed. If cooked until creamy, it is mushy by the time the vegetables are cooked and the casserole is done.
    Good recipe! My family liked it with canned light coconut milk, which is made for cooking and has more flavor and creaminess.

  20. Shelby AlgaeCal

    November 16, 2022 , 1:22 pm

    Hi Malva,

    Thank you for reaching out to with your feedback – we are so glad to hear your family enjoyed the recipe, and that the light coconut milk was a hit!

    Malva, we totally understand wanting to know the rationale for something before doing it, and we’re happy to help with your questions! According to our research, just as you mentioned one of the main reasons for rinsing canned beans is due to the salt content of the liquid. When it comes to no salt or low sodium beans, it seems as though the liquid can still contain a fair amount of starch, which is one reason that rinsing may still be suggested! That said, keeping the liquid can totally be personal preference, and we’re all entitled to take some liberties in the kitchen from time to time! 🙂

    In terms of the quinoa to cooking liquid ratio, we would typically suggest following the package directions, or using your preferred amount of liquid to result in the desired consistency of quinoa!

    We hope this helps, and do continue to let us know if you try any of our other bone-friendly recipes from our blog HERE!

    – Shelby @ AlgaeCal

This article features advice based on cutting-edge research from our industry experts to give you the best possible information to support your bone-building journey.

Lara Pizzorno
MDiv, MA, LMT - Best-selling author of Healthy Bones Healthy You! and Your Bones; Editor of Longevity Medicine Review, and Senior Medical Editor for Integrative Medicine Advisors.,
Dr. Liz Lipski
PhD, CNS, FACN, IFMP, BCHN, LDN - Professor and Director of Academic Development, Nutrition programs in Clinical Nutrition at Maryland University of Integrative Health.,
Dr. Emma Gasinski
PT, DPT, RYT - Physical therapist and certified yoga teacher with a Doctorate in Physical Therapy from Rocky Mountain University of Health Professionals,
Dr. Lawrence (Larry) A. May
MD, FACP, Harvard Medical School Graduate, Physician, Author, Public Speaker - Doctor of Internal Medicine at Providence Cedars-Sinai Tarzana Medical Center and author of several articles and books, including the widely utilized and best selling medical textbook Primary Care Medicine,