Vegan Cheesy Potato Casserole

Cheesy potato casserole was always an essential item at my family’s Easter brunch celebrations growing up!  So I have made a veganized version so that I can still enjoy it, and since several others in my family are trying to eat less dairy.  For the base of the cheese sauce I use sweet potatoes and cashew butter to give them richness, so this tastes rich without being heavy on your stomach.  This is easy to make, and so good!

Author: Amy Lyons O’Neil

Amy has worked for Fresh and Natural Foods since 2006 contributing to the variety of healthful foods we offer. She graduated with a degree in studio art from Bethel University in 2007, but in her senior year of college, found that her passion was with the art of food. She later used her photography and culinary skills to create a vegan food and recipe blog, Fragrant Vanilla Cake. She has also written 3 cookbooks. She specializes in vegan and vegetarian recipes. Local, fresh and organic food has always been her focus in whatever she creates.

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Servings: 8 | Prep Time: 15 minutes | Cook Time: 45 minutes | Ready in: 1 hour

Ingredients

• Cheese Sauce:
• 2 cups cubed organic sweet potatoes or yams
• 1 cup hot filtered water (or as needed)
• 1/3 cup Artisana raw cashew butter
• 1 organic garlic clove
• 2 tsp Koop's dijon mustard
• 1 Tbsp Bragg's apple cider vinegar
• 1 Tbsp Miso Master white miso
• 1/4 cup plus 2 Tbsp nutritional yeast
• 3/4 tsp sea salt (or to taste)
• Potatoes:
• 1 Tbsp Spectrum avocado oil
• 2 16 oz bags organic frozen shredded hash browns
• Topping:
• 3 Tbsp nutritional yeast

Instructions

Instructions:

1. Steam the sweet potatoes on the stove in a steamer basket until tender (about 14 minutes ).
2. To make the cheese sauce, combine the sweet potatoes, water, cashew butter, garlic, mustard, cider vinegar, yeast, and sea salt in a high speed blender and blend until smooth and the consistency of cheese (if it is too thick add a little more water).  Set aside.
3. Preheat the oven to 375F degrees.
4. To make the potatoes, heat the oil in a large skillet.  Add the potatoes, and cook them over medium heat for about 15 minutes until they are tender and browning a little, stirring every so often.
5. Stir the cheese sauce into the potatoes, then pour into a baking dish.
6. Sprinkle the potatoes with the nutritional yeast, and place in the oven for about 15 minutes.
7. Serve!