This cheesy vegan broccoli, quinoa, and white bean bake is a healthy vegan meal that’s big on flavour and satisfaction factor!

overhead shot of the cheesy broccoli quinoa white bean bake in a glass baking dish.

overhead shot of a serving of the casserole on a blue plate with a lettuce salad on the side

Ah, casseroles. They might be retro, but I still love them. Casserole is the ultimate comfort meal, and I think I speak for everyone when I say that some of my happiest food memories involve some form of creamy, cheesy baked casserole. In fact, it was one of the only ways I could be forced to eat vegetables as I kid!

I like to think of this cheesy vegan broccoli, quinoa, and white bean bake is a modern hippie remix on macaroni and cheese casserole. It’s supremely comforting, while also delivering a mega punch of nutrients like fibre, protein, magnesium, iron, beta carotene, and B vitamins.

This bake is made with a base of cooked quinoa mixed with sauteed onion, garlic, broccoli, and white beans. Everything is then tossed with a sweet potato and tahini “cheese” sauce, scooped into a pan, and topped with sunflower seed parmesan cheese that’s reminiscent of a bread crumb topping.

overhead shot of the casserole in the baking dish with a piece taken out of it and the edge of a plate with some salad and casserole on it

Recipe features

Big batch: This bake makes at least six servings, and I’m talking generous servings. (My dad commented that this casserole could feed a football team, and while I beg to differ, it could definitely feed a family of six with hearty appetites!)
Complete protein: Quinoa and beans combine to deliver all the essential amino acids you need.
Rich in micronutrients: The tahini sweet potato “cheese” sauce is packed with beta carotene, iron, magnesium, and B vitamins; broccoli is rich in vitamin C, calcium and folic acid; and white beans are rich in magnesium, folate, manganese, and iron. In short, this dish has many of the macronutrients and micronutrients you need for optimal health.
Nut-free and gluten-free: Most vegan cheese sauces are made with cashews. I’ve created a creamy, cheesy-tasting sauce with sweet potatoes, tahini, and nutritional yeast. And, of course, quinoa is gluten-free, and in place of a bread crumb topping, you’ll use sunflower seed parmesan!
Delicious and comforting!

Ingredients you’ll need

For the sauce: Sweet potatoes, tahini, nutritional yeast, Dijon mustard, lemon juice, garlic, salt, pepper, and water.
For the quinoa and vegetables: Quinoa, olive oil, onion, garlic, celery, broccoli, white beans, salt, pepper, chili flakes, and smoked paprika.
For the topping: Sunflower seeds, nutritional yeast, salt, and garlic powder.

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step by step instructions

Prepare the cheesy sweet potato tahini sauce: Steam cubed sweet potato until soft. Add them to a blender, along with water, tahini, nutritional yeast, Dijon mustard, lemon juice, garlic, salt, and pepper. Blend until smooth.
Meanwhile, cook the quinoa and saute the vegetables. Add the cooked quinoa and white beans to the vegetables, and pour 3 ½ cups of sauce over top. Mix together and transfer into a casserole dish or rectangular glass baking dish.
Make the sunflower seed parmesan: Pulse the sunflower seeds, nutritional yeast, salt, and garlic powder in a food processor until fine.
Top the casserole with ⅔ cup of sunflower seed parmesan and bake for 20 minutes.

overhead shot of the cheesy sweet potato tahini sauce in a glass container

overhead shot of the quinoa, broccoli, and white bean mixture in a pot

overhead shot of the casserole in the dish before being topped with sunflower seed parmesan

straight on shot of the bake fresh out of the oven in the baking dish

more comforting vegan meal ideas:

straight on close-up of a serving of the casserole on a blue plate

I hope you enjoy this cheesy vegan broccoli, quinoa, and white bean bake! If you make it, let me know how you enjoyed it by leaving a comment and review below. And be sure to post a photo to Instagram tagged with @upbeet.kitchen and #upbeetkitchen, too! I love re-gramming your delicious re-creations in my stories.

Enjoy!

Cheesy Vegan Broccoli, Quinoa, and White Bean Bake

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Author: Allison
Total Time: 50 minutes
Yield: 6 servings 1x
Diet: Vegan

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Description

This cheesy vegan broccoli, quinoa, and white bean bake is a healthy vegan meal that’s big on flavour and satisfaction factor!

Ingredients

Scale

Vegan Sweet Potato Tahini Cheese Sauce

4 heaping cups peeled and cubed sweet potato (from 2–3 medium sweet potatoes)
2 cups water
⅔ cup nutritional yeast
½ cup tahini
⅓ cup freshly squeezed lemon juice
2 tbsp Dijon mustard
4 medium garlic cloves
1 tsp fine sea salt
Freshly ground black pepper, to taste

Quinoa

1 ½ cups quinoa, rinsed
2 ½ cups water
¼ tsp fine sea salt

Vegetables and Beans

1 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
1 medium yellow onion, diced
4 medium cloves of garlic, minced
3 celery ribs, diced
1 bunch of broccoli, chopped into florets
Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper
1 tsp smoked paprika
½ tsp chili flakes
3 cups cooked white beans (or 2 15-oz cans, drained and rinsed- I used navy beans, but great northern and cannellini also work)

Sunflower Seed Parmesan

1 cup raw sunflower seeds
⅓ cup nutritional yeast
1 scant teaspoon fine sea salt
1 tsp garlic powder

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Instructions

Make the Vegan Sweet Potato Tahini Cheese Sauce: Steam the sweet potato until tender. Once cool enough to handle, transfer to a blender and add the water, nutritional yeast, tahini, lemon juice, Dijon mustard, garlic, salt, and pepper. Blend until smooth, adding a bit more water if needed. The sauce should be on the thicker side, but not so thick that it isn’t pourable. Pour the sauce into a container until ready to use.
Cook the quinoa: Combine the rinsed and drained quinoa, water, and salt in a medium saucepan and bring to a boil. Turn the heat down to low, stir, and cover. Cook for 15 minutes, remove from the heat, and fluff with a fork.
Cook the vegetables: Warm the olive oil in a large saucepan over medium heat. Add the onion, garlic, and a pinch of salt. Cook for a few minutes, until lightly browned. Add the celery, broccoli, smoked paprika, chili flakes, and salt and pepper to taste. (I added a couple pinches of salt and 20 twists of pepper.) Cook until the broccoli is bright green. Finally, add the white beans and cooked quinoa. Stir to combine.
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F and lightly grease a 9×13-inch baking dish, a cast iron skillet, or a round casserole dish with olive oil.
Make the Sunflower Seed Parmesan: Add the sunflower seeds, nutritional yeast, salt, and garlic powder to a food processor fitted with the ‘S’ blade and process until a coarse powder forms. (Be careful not to over-process- this happened to me once and I ended up with cheesy sunflower seed butter!) Transfer into a container or jar.
Assemble the casserole: Pour 3 ½ cups of the cheese sauce over the quinoa/bean mixture and stir to coat. Transfer it into the prepared baking dish and top with ⅔ cup of the sunflower seed parmesan.
Bake for 20 minutes and let it cool for a couple of minutes before serving. I love topping it with hot sauce and sliced avocado.

Notes

There will be extra cheese sauce and sunflower seed parmesan. Both are delicious on pasta, burritos, and bowls!

Prep Time: 30 minutes
Cook Time: 20 minutes
Category: Supper
Method: Bake
Cuisine: North American