An incredibly tasty plant-based potato casserole baked with a crunchy golden panko topping. Delicious served for breakfast, brunch, or dinner.
When you talk comfort food, potatoes and cheese are where it’s at. I mean, who doesn’t love a good Cheezy Potato casserole?
A more traditional casserole is laden with loads of unhealthy butter, cream, and cheese. But not this Cheezy Potato Bake! It’s inherently way better for you. I mean, seriously better. As in, you can literally eat this for breakfast, lunch, and dinner. It’s chock-full of healthy vegetables and nutrients, thanks to the potatoes and cheezy sauce.
I’ve served it with a bean and veggie medley, tofu scramble, salad, Not-Meatloaf, pancakes, omelets, and broccoli. It complements so many different dishes and makes the best leftovers. Just check out the different photos throughout this post for inspiration.
Let’s talk about this This Cheezy Potato Bake, which uses three primary components to create a delicious casserole dish.
- Potatoes
- Mighty Cheez Sauce
- Panko crumb topping
First up are the potatoes. I like using russet potatoes, though you can really use whatever potatoes you have on hand. The texture and color may vary depending on the potato you use. Simply boil your chopped potatoes until fork tender. This takes about 10 minutes. Then drain your potatoes and cover them with a delicious cheezy sauce.
I love my Mighty Cheez Sauce. It’s an incredibly creamy cheezy pourable sauce that you can use on top of baked potatoes, steamed vegetables, taco bowls, nachos, or a deluxe pot of mac ‘n cheez! It’s made with surprisingly whole food ingredients like potatoes, carrots, cashews, and nutritional yeast.
What’s great about this dish is that it doesn’t take much time at all if you make the Mighty Cheez Sauce in advance and use it for a couple of different dishes throughout the week, Instant Pot Broccoli Cheez Risotto, Loaded Southwest Vegan Omelet, Garden Veggie Quesadillas, Super Nachos, Baked Mac N Cheez, Layered Fiesta Stack, Grilled Fiesta Bowl, Ultimate Veggie Burrito, and so on. So many fantastic options to keep your plant-based meals anything but boring.
Then, while your potatoes are boiling, mix your Mighty Cheez Sauce with a few ingredients that elevate this cheezy sauce. The end result is a super thick and creamy sauce that you toss with the potatoes until the potatoes are well coated.
And finally, for the third and final component, you combine a reserved portion of the cheezy sauce with some panko crumbs. This action simultaneously moistens and flavors the crumbs without the use of any butter or oil.
Putting it all together is super simple. Just transfer the cheezy potatoes to a 9×13 pan or large casserole dish. Then sprinkle the cheezy panko crumbs over top and bake it in the oven until nice and toasty. You do have the option to add in some shredded Vegan Cheddar Cheese if you want to add a little more more cheeziness to the dish, but I honestly don’t think it needs it at all.
You also have the option to turn the broiler on for a short stint if you want to make the panko topping darker. You’ll know your Cheezy Potato Bake is ready when the sauce is nice and bubbly and the crumb topping is a gorgeous golden color.
It’s important that you allow your Cheezy Potato Bake to cool for at least five minutes before serving. This time ensures it isn’t scalding hot; as well as allows the sauce to thicken slightly.
To store leftovers, allow your Cheezy Potato Bake to cool completely before covering. This prevents the panko topping from getting soggy from excessive condensation as the dish cools trapping in moisture. You can then store this Cheezy Potato Bake in the refrigerator for up to one week. Just remember that the sauce does thicken up quite a bit when it cools.
I hope you enjoy this Cheezy Potato Bake as much as I do.
I would love to see your results! Please leave a comment and rate it down below, tag a picture @pebblesandtoast and #pebblesandtoast on Instagram, Twitter, and Facebook! Enjoy!!
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Cheezy Potato Ingredients
- 4 pounds russet potatoes, scrubbed, peeled, and cubed* (6-7 medium)
- 2 cups Mighty Cheez Sauce
- 1½ cups non-dairy milk
- 1 Tbsp white miso
- 1 tsp Dijon mustard
- ½ tsp poultry seasoning
- ½ tsp garlic powder
- ½ tsp onion powder
- salt and pepper to taste (optional)
Panko-Cheez Topping Ingredients
- ¼ cup Cheezy Potato sauce (reserved from above)
- ½ cup panko bread crumbs
- ½ cup vegan shredded cheese (optional)
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 375° F.
- Boil the potatoes until fork tender, about 10 minutes. Drain the potatoes.
- Meanwhile, in a bowl, combine the remaining Cheezy Potato Ingredients.
- In a large bowl or back in the pot, pour all but ¼ cup (reserved) of the cheezy sauce over the drained potatoes. Stir gently to combine. Transfer the cheezy potatoes to a large 9×13 pan or large casserole dish.
- Using the “dirty” bowl or pot (the same one you just used to mix the potatoes and cheezy sauce), combine the reserved cheezy sauce, panko bread crumbs, and vegan cheese (if using), scraping the sides of the bowl to incorporate all of the Cheezy Potato Bake sauce remnants.
- Spread the panko-cheezy topping evenly over the Cheezy Potato Bake.
- Bake for 35-40 minutes, or until the panko topping is golden brown. Remove from the oven and allow to cool for 5-10 minutes before serving.
Notes
* You can use another variety of potato; but I like using russets in this potato casserole.
Cheezy Potato Bake
Equipment
- oven
Ingredients
Cheezy Potato Ingredients
- 4 pounds russet potatoes scrubbed, peeled, and cubed* (6-7 medium)
- 2 cups Mighty Cheez Sauce
- 1½ cups non-dairy milk
- 1 Tbsp white miso
- 1 tsp Dijon mustard
- ½ tsp poultry seasoning
- ½ tsp garlic powder
- ½ tsp onion powder
- salt and pepper to taste optional
Panko-Cheez Topping Ingredients
- ¼ cup Cheezy Potato sauce reserved from above
- ½ cup panko bread crumbs (gluten-free, if needed)
- ½ cup vegan shredded cheese optional
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 375° F.
- Boil the potatoes until fork tender, about 10 minutes. Drain the potatoes.
- Meanwhile, in a bowl, combine the remaining Cheezy Potato Ingredients.
- In a large bowl or back in the pot, pour all but ¼ cup (reserved) of the cheezy sauce over the drained potatoes. Stir gently to combine. Transfer the cheezy potatoes to a large 9×13 pan or large casserole dish.
- Using the “dirty” bowl or pot (the same one you just used to mix the potatoes and cheezy sauce), combine the reserved cheezy sauce, panko bread crumbs, and vegan cheese (if using), scraping the sides of the bowl to incorporate all of the Cheezy Potato Bake sauce remnants.
- Spread the panko-cheezy topping evenly over the Cheezy Potato Bake.
- Bake for 35-40 minutes, or until the panko topping is golden brown. Remove from the oven and allow to cool for 5-10 minutes before serving.