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Favorite Vegetarian Casserole Recipes

By , About.com Guide

Vegetarian casseroles are great for busy nights. The dog is barking, the kids are screaming and dinner still isn't ready. Sound familiar? Time to try some of these easy one-dish vegetarian casserole recipes. Just turn on the oven, put a few ingredients into a casserole dish and set the timer. Vegetarian and vegan casseroles can be either a main dish or a side dish, depending on the recipe and the size of your appetite. If you're not sure what's for dinner tonight, try one of these easy vegetarian casserole recipes.

1. Quick and Easy Cheesy Pasta and Bean Casserole

Vegetarian pasta casserole photo courtesy of Bush's Beans.

This vegetarian casserole is a great way to use up any leftover cooked pasta you have lying around. Just "dump" a few ingredients into a dish and bake. Although you do have to cook the pasta beforehand, this vegetarian pasta casserole only has five ingredients, so it really can be a time saver on a busy night. A main dish vegetarian casserole.

2. Black Bean Tortilla Casserole

A layered vegetarian Mexican-inspired tortilla pie or Mexican casserole, made with black beans, flour tortillas, corn, and lots of cheese.

3. "Nacho" Chili Cheese Casserole Bake

This easy cassserole reminds me of nachos, since it's layered with tortilla or corn chips, beans and cheese. A bit of chiles and hominy round it out with some fiber, and sauteed onions add extra flavor. Each time I make this, I'm tempted to sneak in more vegetables, perhaps some tomatoes or spinach. But then again, this simple baked bean casserole is just about perfect, just the way it is. Use a vegan cheese substitute to keep this recipe dairy-free, or, add extra cheese and go easy on the chiles if you're cooking for kids.

4. Easy Tomato and Bean One Dish Casserole

This is a super-easy vegetarian casserole made from just six ingredients plus salt and pepper. It's not quite hearty enough for a full meal, but if you added some sauteed tofu or served it with a vegetable side dish and a salad, it would make a nice light meatless meal.

5. Vegetarian Chili and Cornbread Casserole

With beans and mock meat for plenty of protein, this easy vegetarian and vegan chili casserole can be prepared in just a few minutes. If you like corn bread, you'll like this recipe. You could also make this chili casserole using leftover homemade chili or canned vegetarian chili. if you like this recipe, you might also want to try this similar recipe for vegetarian chili and polenta casserole

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6. Vegetarian Shepherd's Pie

Shepherd's pie is a casserole dish traditionally made from meat and mashed potatoes, but this vegetarian recipe uses lots of healthy vegetables instead of meat. The recipe also includes vegan substitutions, so you can still make this shepherd's pie if you need a vegan recipe. A reviewer gave this vegetarian shepherd's pie recipe 4 out of 5 stars and said, "This was quite good, consisting of vegetables we all like. I think this will become a staple comfort food with us." You could also try this vegetarian shepherd's pie with TVP for a more meat-like dish, or, try this vegetarian shepherd's pie with lentils

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7. Easy Polenta and Cheese Casserole

Polenta, tomato sauce and cheese are the main ingredients in this baked vegetarian casserole dish.
A quick and easy complete vegetarian meal in one casserole dish, and made with just six ingredients. Whip up a side vegetable dish and perhaps a salad, and you've got yourself a complete dinner. I personally love the taste and texture of polenta and find it to be a nice addition to my usual repertoire of foods.

8. Crockpot Spinach Casserole

If you can't get your family to eat their spinach, try this creamy, cheesy and vegetarian crock pot spinach casserole recipe with lots of ricotta cheese. If you want to turn this vegetarian vegetable casserole into a main dish, add in some fried tofu

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9. Vegetarian Egg Casserole with Mock Meat Sausage

Egg casserole is a popular brunch or buffet breakfast dish, and this vegetarian breakfast casserole recipe retains all the traditional flavors and textures by using a vegetarian sausage substitute. This is a great recipe to start your day with an extra protein boost at 21 grams of protein per serving. If you need a vegetarian breakfast or brunch casserole recipe, this is the one to try.

10. Vegan Macaroni and "Cheese" Casserole

Vegan macaroni and "cheese" casserole is perfect for your vegan kids! You can sneak in some diced vegetables or even some sauteed or fried tofu for some extra nutrition. This vegetarian pasta casserole recipe is simple enough to make any night of the week.

11. Green Bean Casserole

Green bean casserole was always a Thanksgiving staple at my house growing up. You can try this easy crock pot green bean casserole recipe, which uses pre-made soup and is ready to cook in your crock pot in just a few minutes, or, for a dairy-free and egg-free vegan version, try this recipe for vegan green bean casserole, which uses vegan margarine and nutritional yeast to create a rich and creamy sauce.

12. More vegetarian recipes

Looking for more healthy vegetarian recipes? Scroll through this complete collection of meatless eaturing everything from meatless breakfast ideas to exotic Asian curries and all-American vegetarian favorites. If you like vegetarian food, this is the only recipe collection you'll ever need.

Pictured: Asian brown rice and snow-pea salad

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