Cheezy Green Bean Casserole

This dish was created awhile back (when a friend of mine shared a surplus of her fresh garden-grown green beans with me) but I thought it would be a perfect follow-up to our Thanksgiving Feast feature.  And though this makes an excellent side dish, at the time, I really wanted to create something that would become more of an entree. What came about is a delicious gooey cheezy casserole.  

This dish features our "Easy Peas-y Cheezy sauce" and that is for sure what really make this dish.  

Because I had so many green beans, I was able to make a double batch to provide for more than just one night's dinner.*  

You will need the following

 INGREDIENTS:

2-3 cups green beans, washed and trimmed

~you can easily opt out with your favorite veggies you have on hand

2-3 cups of short grain brown rice (or grain of your choice)

1-2 cups of thinly sliced onion (I like the sweet best)

Sauce:

 1/2 cup soy margarine

1/2 cup of gluten-free flour blend (brown rice flour on its own is fine too)
3 1/2 cups boiling water
2 teaspoons salt

1 tablespoon tamari

1 1/2 teaspoons garlic powder
1 teaspoon onion powder

1/4 tsp. turmeric

1 cup nutritional yeast
salt and pepper

1 cup of grated vegan cheddar

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Get your rice cooking first as this step will take the longest.  Or if you choose to,  you can cook the rice ahead of time as I did.

Once my green beans have been washed and trimmed, I cut up my onion and add both to a large pan.

Saute until onions are translucent and green beans slightly tender.

Turn off heat and set aside.

Before you begin your sauce get a small pot of water, to equaling 3 1/2 cups,on the stove to boil. 

To begin your sauce, melt the margarine in the pan over low heat.  Beat in the flour a bit at a time with a whisk over medium heat until the mixture becomes smooth and bubbly

 

Next whisk in the boiling water a bit at a time, each time whisking until smooth. Once all of the water has been added, add in your salt, soy sauce, garlic powder, and onion powder. Cook the sauce until it thickens and bubbles, stirring constantly. It should look like this BELOW.

 

Next add your turmeric and the yeast. Whisk until the yeast is fully dissolved and then add in your cheese.  

Give your sauce a taste (but be careful of how hot it will be) and add in salt and pepper to taste.

Voila! Yummy cheezy goodness in a delicious sauce.

Turn off the heat, set the sauce aside.

Assemble your veggies over the rice in a casserole dish.

Pour your cheesy sauce over the top and stir to ensure the cheese sauce is fully incorporated, adding more if you wish.

Bake in the oven for 15 minutes to heat all the way through.  And then turning the oven up to broil, broil for 5 minutes until top of the casserole is brown and crusty.

This sauce is so delicious you are going to want to put it on virtually anything and I recommend you double the recipe so that you can do just that!  

Some other yummy options:

~Add it to a pasta bake and top with gluten-free crumbs for baked macaroni and cheese.

~Add a bit of chili powder and maybe even some green chiles for nachos

~Use it a dipping sauce for homemade french fries or hash browns

~Pour it over a lentil loaf or atop your mashed potatoes.

So many yummy options!!  

We'd love to hear what your favorite is! Be sure to share with us on our Facebook page.

Love and Light!

Amber

*The recipe below is for one batch (enough to serve 4-5 people) but the photos featured are actually for double the amount.