Vegan Mashed Potato Casserole (Make-Ahead Friendly)

Recipe by Curvy Carbivore (@curvycarbivore)

Yield: 9 x 9 dish | Prep time: 15 min

Cook time: 45 min | Total time: 1 hour

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Elevate your holiday table with this creamy, flavorful Vegan Mashed Potato Casserole (Make-Ahead Friendly). This is perfect if you're planning on making lots of different foods for dinner, like Thanksgiving, or need to assemble something ahead of time. Soft, fluffy potatoes are blended with garlic, vegan butter, and plant-based milk, then baked with your choice of crunchy or cheesy toppings. Or both. This casserole can be prepared up to 3 days in advance, making holiday meal prep stress-free while keeping the potatoes perfectly creamy.

Ingredients:

• 1.5 lbs potatoes (about 4 cups cubed, Russet or Yukon Gold)

• 2 tbsp vegan butter

• 1/3 cup unsweetened plant milk

• 2 cloves garlic, roasted or sautéed until soft (or 2 tsp garlic powder)

• 1 tsp salt

• 1/2 tsp black pepper

• 1/4 cup nutritional yeast

• 1/2 cup breadrumbs

• 1/2 cup vegan parmesan (store-bought or my walnut parm)

• Vegan gravy (for topping, optional)

• Vegan sour cream (for topping, optional)

  • The above yields a 9x9 dish; see notes for 9x13 size

Directions:

• Start by cooking the potatoes.

• Peel and roughly cube the potatoes.

• Add them to a large pot, cover with cold water, add a pinch of salt, and bring to a boil.

• Reduce heat and simmer until fork-tender, about 20 minutes.

  • The smaller the cubes, the faster they'll cook.

  • The longer the potatoes cook, the easier they'll be to mash by hand.

• Drain well and return to the pot.

• Next, make the mashed filling

• Mash potatoes with a masher or hand mixer.

• Stir in vegan butter, plant milk, vegetable broth, roasted garlic, salt, pepper, and nutritional yeast.

• Adjust consistency with extra milk or broth so it’s creamy but still scoopable.

• Assemble the casserole.

• Preheat oven to 375° F.

• Spread the mashed potatoes evenly in a lightly greased 9x9-inch baking dish.

• Sprinkle the breadcrumbs and vegan parmesan evenly on the top.

  • I chose to use my homemade walnut parmesan which gave it a nice golden color.

• Cover with foil, and bake for 20 minutes, then uncover and bake another 15 minutes, or until the toppings are golden.

• Remove from the oven and let it sit for 5 minutes before serving.

• Top with vegan gravy or sour cream!

Make-Ahead Storage - can be made 3 days in advance!

• Assemble the casserole but do not add the toppings. Cover tightly and refrigerate.

• When ready to bake, preheat the oven to 375° F.

  • No need to let the casserole come to room temperature, you can bake it chilled.

• Add the breadcrumb and parmesan toppings.

• Bake covered in foil for 25-30 minutes, then uncover and bake another 15 minutes until the top is golden brown.
  

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Tips and Tricks:

• For a 9 x 13 size, increase all the ingredients by 1.5x (ie: 6 cups potatoes, 3 tbsp butter, 2 cups milk, etc.). Increase baking time to 25 minutes covered.

• The toppings can easily be customizable. Try bacon crumbles, cheddar cheese, or scallions!

• Store the leftovers in an air-tight container in the fridge for up to 7 days. Can be reheated in the oven (375° F for 10-20 min or until warmed through) or the microwave.