Creamy Broccoli and Mushroom Casserole

December 1, 2015

Creamy Broccoli and Mushroom Casserole


So I’ve been recently asked by a reader the following question “Could you describe how a casserole would taste like to someone who has never lived in America? I would certainly love to know how it actually tastes like.”
According to the Larousse Gastronomique "a casserole is a dish with two or more elements, the basis of which can be rice in combination with meat or fish, plus a sauce or gravy, and often a variety of vegetables. This one-dish-meal can be prepared in advance and cooked in a decorative casserole. (Here comes my favorite part) - Such a dish is very popular in homes where there are no servants to help prepare or serve meals."
Which explains why I make so many casseroles it’s not even funny, I have no servants.
Ha!


Broccoli


I personally like to think of casseroles as just a type of dish: You have a bunch of ingredients, place them in a baking dish (or better yet a casserole dish), and throw them in the oven for however long the recipe calls for.
Each casserole can have a different flavour and texture, depending on what's in it. You can have one-dish-meal casseroles, breakfast casseroles, dessert casseroles, even appetizer casseroles.

Creamy Broccoli and Mushroom Casserole


Casseroles rely on the magic of the oven to transform simple ingredients into a delicious dish that is more than the sum of its parts.
Generally it’s a combination of starch (pasta, rice, bread, quinoa, etc.) and vegetables and/or meat with a thickened liquid as a binder, all mixed up and baked in the oven.
But I know it’s not black and white.
For instance in parts of the South a casserole is casserole if it is made with a can of Campbell's Cream of Mushroom/Chicken soup and has Ritz crackers (or potato chips) on the top. While in the UK a casserole is a sort of beef stew baked in the oven.
One word, so many meanings....

Creamy Broccoli and Mushroom Casserole


Anyways, let’s talk about this particular Creamy Broccoli and Mushroom Casserole.
It’s sort of the hearty, meatless meal you’re going to want to whip up ASAP. Because, you know, it’s freezing, and casserole helps!
Sauteed mushrooms and steamed broccoli are mixed with eggs and coconut milk, then baked until golden brown and bubbly.
This is good. Comforting, creamy, satisfying, and hearty. Not to mention completely dairy-free and paleo.
A delicious dish for those of you who just want a veggie dish without all the rice and potatoes to carb it up.
This is exactly — I mean, literally — what the doctor calls for.

Creamy Broccoli and Mushroom Casserole                                                                                Print this recipe!
Adapted from PrimalPalate

Ingredients
Serves 6

1 ½ lbs / 680 gr broccoli florets
2 tablespoons coconut oil (or olive oil)
1 medium onion, thinly sliced
2 garlic cloves, minced
1 lb / 453 gr white button mushrooms (or cremini mushrooms), sliced
1 teaspoon dried thyme
1 teaspoon fine grain salt
½ teaspoon sweet paprika
¼ teaspoon ground black pepper
⅛ teaspoon red pepper flakes
4 eggs, at room temperature
1 cup full fat coconut milk (I used BPA-free Natural Value)

Directions

Preheat oven to 350°F (175°C) and place a rack in the middle. Grease a 9x13 baking dish with olive oil.
Place ¾ o 1 inch of water in a saucepan with a steamer and bring to a boil (if you don't have a steamer, you can simply put the broccoli directly into an inch of boiling water.) Add the broccoli to the steamer and cover; reduce heat to medium and let cook for 4 to 5 minutes, until tender but still firm. Remove from the heat and let cool.
In the meantime, melt coconut oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat, add onion and sauté until translucent, about 5 to 6 minutes. Add garlic and sauté for 1 minute, until fragrant.
Add mushroom, thyme, salt, paprika, black pepper, and red pepper flakes.
Sauté until mushrooms have browned a bit, about 8 minutes.
When broccoli florets have cooled down a little bit, chop the larger ones into bite-sized pieces.
Add broccoli to the skillet and gently stir until combined.
Pour the broccoli-mushroom mixture into the prepared baking dish.
In a bowl whisk eggs with coconut milk and pour over broccoli mixture.
Bake in the oven for 45 to 50 minutes until golden-brown.

Nutrition facts

One serving yields 180 calories, 10 grams of fat, 11 grams of carbs, and 14 grams of protein.

44 comments:

  1. So delicious and comfy!!! I would love to taste your casserole!

    Amy

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  2. Love the use of the coconut milk to make this casserole ultra creamy and comforting! So yum :)

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  3. There's nothing better on chilly days than a creamy, comforting casserole (especially when it's made from scratch and secretly healthy)!

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    1. Second that K, casseroles are the best on cold winter days!

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  4. Haha, loved the parts about the servants :D yummy, looks like a perfect warming dish

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  5. Hey - we both had casseroles involving broccoli on the brain!
    I've had those Cream of Mushroom/Chicken soup casseroles with Ritz crackers (or potato chips) on the top at friend's places and dude this is way better! Especially seeing it's dairy free :)

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    1. I can't even begin to tell you how much I hate Cream of Mushroom casseroles. Ewwww...

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  6. Hi Mike, clever idea to use coconut milk, I will definitely make this!

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    1. can I make it with crême freche or something else? Coconut milk is sort of sweet (at least it is in my country)

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    2. Absolutely. I made it twice with creme fraiche and it came out delish!

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  7. If all goes well with my plans for the evening, I intend to make it for our dinner tonight, as I happen to have all ingredients!

    without meat my beloved gets nervous, so I would serve your beautiful casserole with center cut pork chops, I think.

    hope all is going great for you these days, with training and all... or maybe you are also busy writing a cookbook? yes? no? maybe? ;-)

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  8. I haven't had Campbell's soup in years... also haven't had a good casserole in years (yes, I'm from the South)! This looks promising! :)

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  9. I love casseroles! I just had a creamy cheese and broccoli one last week, and would this version with mushrooms, too. So perfect for the cold weather right now.

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  10. This looks delicious Mike! I may throw some cheese on top of that beyotch, but I love that it's otherwise dairy-free. Hope all is well buddy!

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  11. I've suggested you a few times to be your dishwasher, but you've ignored my offer, haha. I'm still available, and I could consider to be a servant too, sure if I get these creamy dreamy casseroles on a regular basis, Mike!

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  12. Most of my favourite ingredients are in this casserole. The only one missing is hot pepper. I might add some or eat it with hot sauce.

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  13. I cannot wait to give this recipe a try! I don't usually make many casseroles, but this one sounds absolutely delicious!

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  14. made it! We loved it... very creamy and luscious - I had to add just a tad more of coconut milk to my veggies, but I confess not measuring that closely, just used a container of mushrooms and probably a bit more broccoli than you

    delicious! Thank you....

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  15. I don't have mushrooms but just re-stocked the fridge with broccoli!! Pinning this!

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  16. Dear Mike,
    I think your site really stands out high above the rest of the on-line culinary landscape. This dish in particular looks Excellent. However, I am just a nip concerned to serve it up at our upcoming rotary bingo game. Isn't there something one could add in place of all the broccoli? Thank you so much in advance, Mike.
    Arlene N. McClaws

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    1. Hey Arlene,
      Thank you so much for your comment, you've made my day. About swapping the broccoli...what about cauliflower? Maybe half cauliflower and half potatoes to make it you know more "potluck friendly"
      :)

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    2. Dear Michael,
      Thank you for your kind words. The feeling is mutual. Well, that does sound like an excellent recommendation. I will see if my granddaughter can pick up some orange sweet potatoes and purple cauliflowers on her way home from Church today. By the way, Saturdays my Rotary. Everyone there is very excited because I have been telling them, for some time now, all about your site.
      Arlene

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  17. Hi fantastic recipe to make it vegan what can be used to replace the eggs and in what quantity
    Kavit

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  18. Just cooked this today and it was delicious. Unfortunately I was out of coconut milk but had some cream left from holidays and used that. Can't wait to try it with coconut milk

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  19. I wondered about using frozen broccoli florets, which, if thawed, would removed the necessity of steaming the broccoli before making the casserole. My only concern is how much liquid that would add. I'm guessing that just enough microwaving to thaw it and draining on the paper towel would make it work.

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  20. Mike...First the good news....Let me just tell you that I LOVE your recipes and now consider you my culinary idol! I'm still working my way through them, but every single one has had a ton of delicious flavor. Thank you for making vegetables taste so freakin' good. Now the bad news...I definitely screwed up this particular recipe because it turned out bland and believe me, I know none of your recipes should ever taste bland. I'm pretty sure I chose the wrong coconut milk...my choices at the grocery store were Original, Unsweetened, and Vanilla...and I chose the unsweetened. Is this where I went wrong? I hope you will answer because I really want to try again but I want to be sure I don't make the same mistake again. Signed with much love for you and your amazing website. xoxo

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    1. I think you want to get the coconut milk out of the asian/canned section of your store, not the kind in the cold/dairy section...

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    2. Thank you for responding, Msmeesha. I'm pretty sure you're right about this because I did use the coconut milk from the dairy refrigerator NOT the canned milk in the asian section. I'm going to pick up the right type of coconut milk and try this recipe again. I'll report back soon!

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    3. Ok, so I made it again and it came out much better with the canned coconut milk. THANK YOU! :)

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  21. has anyone tried this using something other than coconut milk? I was thinking of subbing almond milk as nobody in my house likes coconut milk.

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  22. I made this a few nights ago and served it to my family with a holiday dinner. Nobody liked it so had to dump it all. I made it exactly as written and wished I had replaced the coconut milk with something else... anything else. It did not go with this dish at all. And I think there were too many eggs. The spices cooked with the broccoli, mushrooms and onions were nice so I may keep the recipe but use cream or regular milk or even cream of mushroom soup.

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  23. I made this recipe last night after your 15 best casseroles post. I had all of the ingredients (for the most part) on hand. I added some peas to make up for the lack of broccoli I had and added some feta because I love feta so much. This recipe is so delicious! I have made a few of your recipes and they are always spot on. Love the mongolian beef one too! That is a quick go to for us. I always make that with cauliflower rice. So keep them coming! My family loves your recipes.

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  24. hi if i dont eat egg can it be replaced with anything else

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  25. I'm making this to bring to an office potluck. Can I assemble the ingredients in the pan, refrigerate overnight and bake in the morning, without compromising flavor?

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  26. Hi, I would love to try this casserole. My vegan son has been foraging wild mushrooms. Since he doesn't eat dairy what can be used to substitute for the eggs?

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  27. Recipe doesn't have eggs listed?

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  28. From a Midwestern standpoint, this casserole intrigued me - all of the casseroles I've ever made have used cheese and cow milk! Unfortunately, this one was a bit of a miss for me. The coconut milk made it too sweet for my taste. The paprika and chili flakes did help balance the sweetness out a bit so I can see it still being a hit for some, especially if they're wanting to try out a more unique flavor profile. I might make it with cow milk and cheese sometime in the future so that I can still get all the other yumminess the main ingredients have, but with the savoury flavor profile that I prefer. :-)

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  29. Can this be made in advance? If so, can you please share your recommendations.

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  30. Can this be made in advance? If so, please share your recommendation.

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