Vegan  Casserole

Serves 6-8

16 oz whole wheat penne pasta
1 large onion, chopped
2 large carrots, chopped
2 celery stalks, chopped
8 oz fresh green beans, cut into pieces
16 oz cooked cannellini ( white kidney ) beans
1 cup panko bread crumbs
1 cup shelled or frozen peas

Sauce

1/2 cup whole wheat flour
1/3 cup dry parsley
2 teaspoons dried thyme
2 teaspoons paprika
1 cup vegetable broth
salt & pepper to taste
5 cups vegetable broth

If you cannot get fresh green beans, rinse a can of beans about 3 times to get most of the sodium out of the beans. I do not add any salt to the recipe as the vegetable broth is fairly high in sodium.

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Cook the pasta in a pot of boiling water about 7 minutes until just underdone. Drain, return to the pot and set aside.

In a large skillet over medium heat, sauté the onion, carrots and celery in 2-3 Tablespoons of water.

Cook stirring occasionally, until softened, about 5 minutes. Stir in the green beans, cannellini beans and peas.

Cook for another 4-5 minutes. Combine the vegetables and pasta and spread in a deep 9 x 13 casserole dish.

In a medium sauce pan over medium heat, add 1/2 cup of the vegetable broth and quickly whisk in the flour. Slowly whisk in the remaining 1/2 cup of broth.

Add the parsley, thyme, paprika and 5 cups of vegetable broth. Season with salt and pepper to taste. Cook, stirring until thickened.

Pour the sauce over the noodle-vegetable mixture, and bake, covered, for 30 minutes.

Remove the casserole from the oven, uncover, and sprinkle panko evenly on the top.

Return to the oven and bake, uncovered for 10 minutes, until panko is nicely browned. Serve hot.

Note: I used a different bread crumb product and it did not turn brown. Still tastes great even though I don’t add any salt as the sodium in the vegetable broth is enough for me.

Recipe Source: Hope for Health USA