Creamy, rich and full of seasonal vegetables and soft vegan cheese, this hearty and delicious Vegan Vegetable Bake makes a great side or main dish!

I’m still a little nervous making anything with so many veggies and having a vegetable bake as the only thing for dinner that evening while Phil is still embracing all things vegetarian can be risky!  It’s (only) taken 14 years but we’ve gone from someone who had SO MANY foodisms and food phobias to someone who actually asked me if he could just have a tub of salad with some veggie sausages in it for his lunch pack up!  This might not seem a big deal to most but when we met he would literally only eat meat and potatoes.  No veggies, no fruit and absolutely nothing salad.

He’s come such a long way since then but he does still occasionally ask me if he likes a certain vegetable.  Of course I always say yes, whether he’s had it before or not!

And this veggie bake is, of course, absolutely crammed with veggies!

Squash, peppers, broccoli, sweet potato, leeks, spinach and mushrooms.  A garlic, mustard and lightly spiced sauce brings all those wonderful flavours together.

Feel free to mix up the veggies though, this is a great way to incorporate whatever is seasonal or whatever you have to hand.  There’s a quick walk-through on our Instagram stories highlights where I didn’t have any squash or sweet potatoes so I used parsnips and carrots.  Always start the cooking with the ‘hardest’/root vegetables first as they will take the longest.  In one variation I’ve also topped it with some panko breadcrumbs mixed with nutritional yeast for a bit of crunch and texture.

You might also be wondering about the cheesy part of this vegetable bake recipe.  It’s is all down to a lovely vegan cheese company called New Roots.  You may have heard me mention them before.  They’re a small company, truly lovely people and make THE most amazing vegan cheese!  I keep shouting about them because I’m hoping they’ll expand and be in all the shops so we’re not just reliant on a flying visit at a food festival to get my vegan cheese fix!!

BUT. It can be a challenge to get hold of this particular cheese and I’ve made this cheesy vegetable bake many times since with all kinds of other vegan cream cheeses.  So feel free to sub with whatever is your favourite brand or flavour.

I’ve also put in the recipe for this veggie bake that it serves 2-4.  We had it as a main course for the two of us with just some crusty bread, and bloody delicious it was too!  It would also easily serve 4 and at a stretch 6 as a side dish.

But as a family we do love our big hearty meals, especially when it’s during the colder months.  Ones that you can prepare a few portions worth of and then reheat to enjoy for a few meals:

Vegetarian Lasagne – called veggie, actually vegan. SO hearty and tasty, one of our absolute must makes.

Shepherd’s Pie – a big bowl of this, crusty bread, a fork, Netflix and I’m set.  Do not disturb until spring.

Mushroom Bourguignon – perfect to feed a crowd, serve straight from the saucepan with crisp and fluffy roast potatoes.  Leftovers also freeze well and are great for a quick lunch from the microwave.

Paella – all those glorious Spanish flavours with a vegan twist.  Protein packed too!

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