Veggie Breakfast Casserole (Vegan)

What I Love About This Breakfast Casserole Recipe

• It's loaded with plenty of nutritious and filling vegetables, including potatoes, baby spinach, tomatoes, mushrooms, and peas.
• The vegan and gluten-free filling is packed with protein and has the perfect consistency, made by combining tofu, non-dairy milk, and yellow split mung beans (the beans that Just Egg is made out of). Then it's seasoned with nutritional yeast, onion powder, and nutmeg, plus black salt for added eggy flavor.
• You can customize this casserole with whatever vegetables you like or happen to have in your fridge. Check the section called "More Veggie Options to Make It Your Own" for more ideas.
• Want to make it ahead of time? No problem. You can either prepare the veggies and filling and bake them in the morning or bake everything the night before and warm it up when you're ready to eat.
• It makes plenty, so it's great for serving a crowd on Christmas morning or for warming up on your way out the door to work or school.

Ingredient Notes & Substitutions

What are yellow mung beans? And is it okay to use Russet potatoes instead of yellow? This section answers your common ingredient-related questions (for the recipe with measurements, see the recipe card below). If you don't see the answer to your question here, feel free to leave a comment, and I'll reply as soon as I can!

Vegetables and Add-ins

extra-virgin olive oil: You can use any oil you like here.

yellow potatoes: I like yellow potatoes in this recipe, but you could also use white potatoes, red potatoes, or russets (baking potatoes).

red onion: Red onions give the casserole a brighter color, but any onions you like will work.

mushrooms: I like king oyster (trumpet) mushrooms in this recipe, but white, baby bella, or shiitake mushrooms work well, too.

garlic: If you don't have fresh garlic, you can also blend 1/2 teaspoon of garlic powder into the filling mixture.

baby spinach: These greens add plenty of vitamin A and iron to your breakfast casserole, but you won't notice them! You can also use baby kale or regular spinach.

peas: Delicious and a great source of vitamins, protein, and fiber!

grape tomatoes: These add some color and acidity to balance out the casserole. Cherry tomatoes or sliced tomatoes also work.

vegan cheese: I used my homemade vegan Gruyère in this recipe, but you could also use vegan cheddar cheese, mozzarella, or Swiss.

Filling

extra-firm tofu: Together with mung beans, this creates an egg-like texture that bakes up solid. Firm tofu should also work equally well.

almond milk: Adds liquid into the filling mixture so it's not too thick. Make sure you're using an unsweetened, plain variety. Any kind of non-dairy milk would work (try soy milk for extra protein).

yellow split mung beans: Mung beans are available in two varieties: yellow and green. It's important to use yellow mung beans in this recipe because green ones won't work. You'll want to soak your mung beans in water several hours ahead of time or overnight. Make sure you add plenty of water to the beans, because they'll absorb a lot of it.

nutritional yeast: Adds a savory flavor to the vegan egg filling. I don't recommend substituting.

onion powder, nutmeg, turmeric: Seasonings that add color and flavor to the filling.

salt and black pepper: To enhance all the flavors of the filling.

black salt: Also known as kala namak, this Indian salt has a sulfurous taste that resembles eggs. If you don't like this taste or you can't get black salt, it's fine to leave it out.

Making It Without Mung Beans

I highly recommend using yellow mung beans if you can because when combined with tofu, they create the best texture for the vegan egg mixture. However, it is possible to make this casserole with just tofu. Instead of the tofu, almond milk, and mung beans in the recipe, use:

• 1.75 packages (24.5 ounces/700 grams) of extra-firm tofu
• 1/4 cup (60 mL) of almond milk

You can keep all the other seasonings, veggies, and instructions the same.

More Veggie Options to Make It Your Own

This recipe is incredibly easy to customize. You can swap out any of the veggies you want, as long as you keep the total amount of vegetables approximately the same (or lower). Here are some other veggies you may want to try:

• sweet potatoes
• potato hash browns
• sweet onions
• green onions
• bell peppers
• cauliflower
• frozen corn kernels
• kale
• black beans

Make-Ahead

This recipe is easy to turn into a make-ahead breakfast casserole for busy weekdays or holiday brunches. Here's how to do it:

Prepare both your veggies and filling as directed one day in advance, but don't mix them together. Store them separately in the refrigerator. The next day, assemble the casserole and bake as directed.

This casserole is also delicious reheated, so if you don't want to wait for it to bake in the morning, you can bake it the night before.

Storage

Store veggie breakfast casserole slices in the refrigerator for up to 5 days. You can either store them in the baking dish, covered with plastic wrap, or transfer the slices to an airtight container or zip-top bag.

I don't recommend freezing the casserole because it won't hold together well as it defrosts. If you need a freezer-friendly version, you can reduce the amount of veggies so that there's more of the filling to keep it together.

More Incredible Vegan Breakfast Recipes

Vegan breakfast doesn't have to be boring! If you liked this recipe, you might like some of my other morning favorites:

• tofu breakfast sandwich
• tomato & basil quiche
• homemade English muffins
• French toast
• protein pancakes
• protein oatmeal
• cinnamon coffee cake