It’s happened.
You’ve been invited to a potluck, a family meal or a party in the throws of your 6 week Eat to Live program.
You’re stressed, you’re anxious, you’re absolutely terrified of falling off of the nutritarian plan that’s helping you loose weight, regain your health and feel amazing.
No one likes suffering through the night with a crudite platter, and (if you’re lucky) some afterthought-hummus. Especially while watching fellow partygoers stuff their faces with buffalo wings, mystery meatballs and constantly asking you “Why you aren’t eating anything?!” Ugh.
Now, you just stop all that worrying–I got you!
I’d like you to meet your new best friend–Cheesy Kale Casserole.
She’s cheesy,
She’s vegan,
(yes, she’s a she)
She’s loaded with plant-based protein and nutrient-powerhouse superfoods like mushrooms, onions and kale,
She’s nutritarian (that means there’s no added salt, no oil, no processed foods),
She’s sexy and so freakin’ delicious! (Okay, that will be enough of the she-ing!)
Bottom line: This recipe is going to become your social-eating shield. You are going to take this baby with you every time you get invited to a food-centric social gathering.
And guess what? Everyone is going to love you for it!
If you’re just about done with all the build up, just scroll down to the end of the post for the printable recipe!
If foreplay’s your favorite part, come read with me…
I cannot wait for you to try this dish! I mean just look at all that freshness up there!
You’re going to be so pleasantly surprised to see that with the aid of a few pantry staples, these ingredients are going to be elevated into a savory, deeply-flavorful dish that’s going to leave you completely satisfied and content.
This is a soulful dish–those flavors run deep.
And, hello! Cheese sauce. Luscious, nutritarian cheese sauce makes life better. Just look at that:
So, this recipe takes time.
It’s not a mid-week kinda meal. It’s a special occasion, dinner party, Sunday-supper-classic.
When I food prep for the week, I keep my meals simple and then do more complicated dishes, like this one, on the weekend. Especially Saturdays–that’s when I have the extra time, since Sundays are my meal prep days.
You can see my weekly meal prep routine here and get a free weekly meal planner while you’re at it!
What I love about this casserole is you can make it a day ahead. Get it all ready to go the day or night before and then pop it in the oven when it’s showtime!
This is easy to do! In no way would I say this is a difficult recipe.
But it does take time. Time and love. There are two components to prep before, the cheese sauce and the tofu eggs, and a lot of sauteing and layering to build flavors.
This is real cooking–and your taste buds are going to love you for it!
This casserole also has pizzazz!
Yes, this necessitates bringing the word pizzaz back!
It’s pretty to look at. That’s another reason why it’s perfect for special family meals, dinner parties or when you’re invited to a potluck. Your hostess will be happy to have it on her spread and it’s hearty enough for vegans and meat-lovers alike.
Yeah, I’m pretty pumped up on this dish because it’s the very first nutritarian casserole recipe I’ve developed! It’s been through revisions, corrections, rigorous testing–and now my hubby and I can’t live without it.
I make it every. single. weekend.
Okay, okay enough foreplay…
Let’s do this!
- First you’re going to need to make a batch of these recipes:
- Nutritarian Cashew Cheese Sauce
- Nutritarian Tofu Scrambled Eggs
- Vegan Parmesan (omit salt)

Cheesy Kale Casserole
A nutritarian-friendly, vegan, no-oil, no added salt casserole, packed with superfoods and plenty of soulful flavor! Welcome to your go-to party, potluck and Sunday dinner meal!
Ingredients
- 6 cups Tuscan or dinosaur kale (center ribs removed)
- 3 cups Cremini mushrooms, chopped
- 2 cups low-sodium veggie stock
- 2 cups brown rice, cooked
- 2 cups tofu eggs (see notes for link to recipe)
- 1 1/4 cup diced yellow onion
- 1 cup Nutritarian Cashew Cheese Sauce (see notes for link to recipe)
- 1 cup diced red pepper
- 1/4 cup Cashew Parmesan Cheese (see notes for link to recipe)
- 1 tbsp no-salt seasoning
- 1/2 tsp garlic powder
- 1/2 cup crushed no-salt-added kale chips (optional)
Instructions
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Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
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Add 1 cup low-sodium veggie stock in large skillet, over medium-high heat. Add diced onions and saute for 6 minutes or just translucent.
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Add 3 cups chopped mushrooms, 1 cup of veggie stock, 1/2 tsp. garlic powder and 1 tbsp. no-salt seasoning. Saute for 6 to 7 minutes.
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Add 6 cups kale and reduce heat to medium. Saute for 7 minutes
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Add 3/4th cup of the diced red peppers, reserve 1/4 cup for garnish. Saute mixture for another 2 minutes.
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Reduce heat to low, and add 2 cups brown rice, 2 cups tofu eggs, and 1 cup Nutritarian Cashew Cheese Sauce. Mix well.
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Transfer mixture to oven-safe casserole dish. Sprinkle the top with 1/4th cup vegan Parmesan cheese and optional crushed cheesy kale chips. Top with 1/4 cup diced red peppers.
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Bake at 350 for 40 minutes. Let sit for 10 minutes before serving.
Recipe Notes
I recommend having the cheese sauce and tofu scrambled eggs ready to go before starting the recipe. You can make this up to a day before and store it in the fridge before baking--just let it go for an extra 10-15 minutes in the oven. Leftovers keep for up to 7 days in glass containers in the fridge.
this casserole was DELICIOUS!
Hi Jess! YAY!!
I’m so glad you tried and liked it!! Thanks so much for leaving your feedback too!
xo, Kristen
Oh my goodness. So amazing! Thank you thank you. Comfort food that is good for you.
This looks absolutely delicious and I plan on making it today! One question though. .. Is it only 3 Cremini mushrooms or 3 cups? I’ll let you know how it turn out.
Hi Karen!
So glad you’re going to give it a try–it’s a delicious fall casserole!
Yes, it’s 3 cups of mushrooms. Lol, I get that question a lot.
I wanted to really jam pack this casserole with Dr. Fuhrman’s superfood: mushrooms! Take a read here to learn exactly why they are so, so good for us (think melting fat and fighting cancer)!
xo, Kristen
Maybe put a “C” beside the 3 on the ingredient list. I had the same question. I look forward to making this recipe. Denise
Hi Denise,
That’s a wonderful idea! Hope you love it!
xo, Kristen
Perhaps your site upgrade is missing the actual written recipes? I am not seeing the recipe for this either 🙁 Rats!
Hi Nicole!
Yes, we are having technical difficulties with the recipe plug in–it should be resolved in the next 2-3 days!
Kristen
Thanks, Kristen! I see that the recipes are posted now. SO excited to make them now. Congrats on the site change! xoxo
So happy they are back up too, Nicole! And I hope you love this casserole as much as I do!
xo, Kristen
Just made this today-whew! you’re right -it does take some time but IT IS WORTH IT-delicious!! Thank you! Sandy
Hi Sandy!!!
Yay!! I’m so glad you tried the casserole and loved it as much as I do!!
xo, Kristen
Hi. I’ve never cooked a casserole without greasing the bottom of the pan…How do you not have it burn on the bottom? I live in Central America, Panama…and ovens here are generally not made with baking in mind as the temperature is uncontrollable. I am so scared to burn it!
Hi April!
I would lower your oven temperature, it really does not stick to the bottom because it doesn’t “firm up” that much.
You don’t need to worry about keeping it too hot because all the ingredients are already cooked.
If you’re following Dr. Fuhrman’s Aggressive Weight Loss plan then definitely don’t use oil. If you’re on a different plan or don’t mind the oil you can use it if you’d like!
xo, Kristen
Made this tonight for dinner. It’s a keeper! I didn’t have any no salt seasoning so used some oregano. Also used kale and Swiss chard as I didn’t have enough kale.
Hi Kathleen,
I’m so happy to hear you enjoyed this casserole recipe and thank you so much for taking the time to leave a review and comment!
xo, Kristen
Hi Kristen, this recipe sounds great and I think your site is going to be a real help in our plan to have our entire household succeed on the Eat to Live plan! Hope you don’t mind a grammar tip — the word “throws” in your intro should be “throes”. Thank you, and Best wishes, John
Thanks so much for catching that edit, John! It’s always appreciated!
Kristen
This looks great. What size casserole dish do you use? I am wondering if it will fill a 9×11 3 quart dish or if I will need to double the recipe. Thank you!
Hi Melissa,
So glad you’re thinking of making this casserole!
I used my dutch oven for this casserole and it filled it about 3/4ths of the way up the sides.
I think you could still use one batch for the 9×11 and it would just be a bit shallow and possible you’d be able to cut it instead of spoon it out. A double batch should fill it up all the way, so it’s completely up to you!
Let me know ho it goes!
xo, Kristen
I really liked this recipe., thanks. Do you have the nutritional information for it?
Hi Anne, so happy to hear that you enjoyed this recipe! I am planning on adding nutritional info in my next website update so stay tuned!
Looks amazing! Can this go into the freezer and saved for later? I’m the only one eating like this and don’t want it to go to waste. Seems like it would be great for leftovers?
Hi Tracy, I have not personally frozen it but I agree that it seems like it would be a great candidate! If you do end up giving it a go I’d love to know for myself!
How many servings does this make?
Hi Brittany, I believe it is 8 but I will be updating it soon!
By far the best vegan meal I’ve ever made!
Oh, I’m so happy to hear that, Maria!
It’s still one of my favorites–so hearty and comforting!
Thanks so much for taking the time to leave a recipe review and rating–that’s so helpful for the site!
xo, Kristen
Love this casserole! I usually make it with fresh kale, but was wondering if frozen would work, and if so, how much should I use?
Hi Emilee! So happy to hear that you’re enjoying this recipe! I’m not sure on drastically changing the amount of kale if using frozen–you need the volume of mix to be similar. My inclination is to let the frozen kale thaw first–throughly pat dry to get out all that extra moisture. Then go with 5 cups instead of six.
Is this freezable?
Hi Holly, I have not personally tried freezing it but I think it would hold up well. If you give it a try, I’d love to know how it turns out for you!
This was absolutely delicious (and kept us full for hours). Hubs loved it too. For a shortcut I used baked tofu instead of the tofu eggs. Thanks for the great recipe.
SO happy to hear you enjoyed it! Thanks for taking the time to leave a review!
xo, Kristen