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Indian-Spiced Cauliflower and Potato Casserole

In this nourishing vegan casserole, potatoes, cauliflower, and a medley of other veggies are baked to tender perfection, soaking up deliciously spiced sauce in the process. Make this Indian-inspired dish as hot or mild as you like: You control the amount of cayenne in its homemade spice mix.

By Carla Christian, RD, LD,

Ingredients

  • 1 tablespoon ground cumin
  • 1 teaspoon sea salt
  • ½ teaspoon ground ginger
  • ½ teaspoon turmeric
  • ⅛ to ¼ teaspoon cayenne pepper
  • ⅛ teaspoon ground cinnamon
  • 1 cup brown rice
  • 1 lb. Yukon gold potatoes, cut into ¾-inch pieces
  • 4 cups small cauliflower florets
  • ½ cup thinly sliced carrot
  • 1 15-oz. can no-salt-added chickpeas, rinsed and drained
  • 1 15-oz. can no-salt-added tomato sauce
  • 1 14.5-oz. can no-salt-added fire-roasted diced tomatoes, undrained
  • ½ cup frozen peas
  • ¼ cup chopped fresh cilantro (optional)

Instructions

  • In a small bowl stir together cumin, salt, ginger, turmeric, pepper, and cinnamon. Set aside.
  • Preheat oven to 375°F. In a 6-qt. Dutch oven bring 10 cups of water to boiling. Stir in rice. Return to boiling; reduce heat. Simmer 15 minutes. Stir in potatoes; simmer 10 minutes. Stir in cauliflower and carrot; simmer 2 minutes more. (Vegetables will still be crisp.) Drain and return to Dutch oven.
  • Stir in the next four ingredients (through peas). Stir in spice mix. Spread into a 3-qt. rectangular baking dish. Bake, covered, 25 to 30 minutes or until heated through and vegetables are tender.
  • Let stand 10 minutes before serving. If desired, top with cilantro.

Comments (30)

(5 from 16 votes)

Recipe Rating

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Susan Wright

what would you have for a side of it it will be our next meal but I don't know what to have with it can you help me out

DonnaD

Made this today and loved it. I think I will double the spices next time. It makes alot; can I freeze it?

Jay

Do you have a freezer?

lesa sanden

was very good followed directions as indicated will keep this as a staple meal in my home:)

Sue

We loved this dish, it’s a keeper. Next time I want to add a touch more liquids to create a little more sauce which will go great with homemade naan bread

Ann Zimmerman

This was quite tasty - we upped the cayenne. Cooked the rice separately from the first 3 veggies and then mixed everything together in a large bowl. Suggest serving with a cucumber raita and a mango chutney.

Thalley Lindeman

Can I use cooked rice? How should I adjust - maybe deduct the cup of water that I used to cook the rice?

Rebekah Welch

I make this with quinoa and I steam the veggies instead of boiling them. And like someone else suggested, I double the seasonings. Great recipe!

Dianne

So amazing! As per the comments here, I doubled the spices. I substituted black beans for chick peas and used twice as many peas. This was amazing! I was skeptical of the cooking method, but it worked perfectly. This will probably be a mainstay recipe for us.

Lois

In Step 2, it says to "Drain and return to Dutch oven." Does this mean you drain all the 10 cups of water off?

David LaVerne

Love this recipe! It's very adaptable to personal tastes and preferences. I add onion, quinoa, garlic, jalapeños and portabella mushrooms to all the other ingredients. I make 2.5 times the recipe and end up with a lasagna pan, 3 qt and 1.5 qt casserole dish stuffed to capacity.

Tami

Kind of an awkward recipe but I followed the process and doubled the spices. Flavor was amazing and the dish was hearty, nourishing and satisfying. I baked in my dutch oven for 30 minutes and it was perfect

DSK

I put this together last night and refrigerated it overnight to bake this evening: 30 minutes covered + 20 minutes uncovered. As recommended by some of the comments I doubled the spices and added one 15 ounce can of light coconut milk. It was hearty and had a creamy mouth feel, good comfort food for a rainy cold day here. I served it with toasted naan. If I make this again I will make a half batch because this makes a huge amount of food (and I will be the only person in this household who will eat the leftovers).

Patty

We had this tonight and we all liked it very much. Will make it again. There was too much water in ours. It was very watery. Next time will use less water. Did anyone else have this issue?

Peggy

Did you drain the water after cooking the veggies?

Jennifer

Has anyone cooked this in an instant pot?

Judy Lautner

I am wondering the same thing

Anja de Jong

I made this dish yesterday and we liked it very much. I didn’t put it in the oven but instead I let it in my Dutch oven for 10 more minutes and it was all tender and delicious! Thank you from Anja from the Netherlands.

Dana

How many servings in this dish (all women)?

Sue

I used sweet potatoes instead of white and it was very good.

John Doyle

I made this dish, followed the instructions. the ingredients had the making of a great dish but I was very disjointed, it was very bland to me. sorry open to suggestions as the ingredients are great.

jen dunn

hi! I added a can of lite coconut milk to the pot for the last twenty minutes. It really brought the flavors together and added a richness that otherwise was lacking.

Michelle

I always double the spices in FOK recipes. That makes the whole difference in our family

Nicole

Could russet potatoes stand in for yellow potatoes? I have russets on hand at home.

Dianne

I used half russet and whatever other potatoes I had on hand. They didn’t seem to fall apart or anything. And I left the skins on all of the potatoes.

Fay Klingler

I will make this again. I thought it was delicious and full of flavor. Thank you.

Joyce

This is the first "Forks and Knives" recipe that I have made. It tased good. I agree with another person's review, I probaby baked this about 45 minuts total and I precooked the rice.

Christine

Good meal with an interesting combination of ingredients. It sounded to me like a lot of work but the way the recipe is broken up into steps, while you're cooking one thing you have time to ready the next step so assembly goes quickly. I cooked it for an additional 20 minutes only because I wanted to delay dinner and it was perfect. We found the cilantro to be very complimentary

J

Is the rice cooked or uncooked? And when is it added?

Aimee B.

The rice is uncooked. It's added in step 2. Here's part of it. Hope that helps. "In a 6-qt. Dutch oven bring 10 cups of water to boiling. Stir in rice. Return to boiling; reduce heat. Simmer 15 minutes."

About the Author

Headshot of Carla Christian, RD, LD

About the Author

Carla Christian, RD, LD

Carla Christian received her associate’s degree in culinary arts from the Culinary Institute of America in 2006 and her bachelor’s degree in dietetics from Michigan State University in 2009. She finished her dietetic internship from the University of Nebraska Medical Center in 2010 and is a former chef in the Better Homes and Gardens® Test Kitchen. Find her on LinkedIn. Photo by Jason Donnelly.

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