Easy Vegan Bake: Roasted Vegetables in Vegan Béchamel Sauce (White Sauce)

Mood: Potluck lunch or a big dinner party coming up? Must make something that is simple yet impressive & a dish that is bound to be a crowd favourite. And my Roasted Veggie Bake never disappoints! Roasted veggies, creamy Béchamel Sauce, oven baked goodness. What’s not to love? The best part? This crowd pleasure is super easy to make! With just 20 minutes of prep time, this classic dish basically cooks itself to deliciousness:) Easy peasy. Easy cheesy. #Happiness

PS: Another one for the holiday theme collection. With its festive colours, this delicious dish definitely deserves a spot on your holiday feast dinner table:) I made this recently for a holiday potluck dinner & as you can see, I baked it in a convenient & ready-to-go aluminium baking dish, taking it straight from my oven to the potluck table:)

Time: 60 minutes (20 mins Prep Time + 40 mins Cook Time)
Serving Size: 1 9×13 Baking Dish
Category: Entrée; Main Course
Author: Animagus Eats

Ingredients:
Roasted Vegetables*
• 2 cups White Mushrooms (sliced)
• 2 Red/Yellow/Green Peppers (chopped)
• 25-30 Asparagus Stalks (trimmed)
• 1-1 1/2 cups Sugar Plum Tomatoes (whole)
• 1 cup Sweet Corn Kernels
• 1 small/medium Onion (chopped)
• 10-11 Garlic Gloves (coarsely chopped)
• 1/4-1/2 cup fresh Basil Leaves (chopped)
• 1/4-1/2 cup Green/Black Olives (sliced)
• Seasonings: Salt, Pepper, Dry Herb Mix, Chilli Flakes (to taste)
• 1/4 cup Olive Oil

White/Béchamel Sauce
• 4 tbsp All Purpose Flour
• 4 tbsp Vegan Butter/Olive Oil
• 2 cups Plain/Unsweetened Almond Milk
• Dry Herb Mix (to taste)
• Salt & Pepper (to taste)
• 3-5 tbsp Nutritional Yeast (optional)*
• 2 tsp Garlic Powder (optional)
• 2-3 tsp Truffle Oil (optional)
• 2-3 tbsp Vegan Cheese/Mozzarella (optional)

Garnish/Topping
• 10-11 Fresh Basil Leaves (whole)
• 3-5 tbsp Breadcrumbs (optional)
• 2 tbsp Vegan Cheese/Mozzarella (optional)

Method:
1. Preheat the oven to 200°C/400° F. Add all the vegetables (except the Olives & Basil leaves) to a baking dish/two baking dishes. I divided the veggies between two baking trays, so that all the vegetables can cook evenly & I roasted them in the oven at the same time. Add the olive oil & seasonings to the vegetables. Using your hands, coat the veggies with the oil & the seasonings. Make sure you really coat the vegetables well, getting into every nook & corner, so that all the veggies cook evenly, with oodles of flavour:) Put the baking trays in the oven & roast the veggies for about 30 minutes at 200°C/400° F.

2. While the veggies are roasting away, let’s get down to the White Sauce:) I just posted an easy Vegan White/Béchamel Sauce recipe last week (yes, it was a build up!), so you can refer to that recipe to make the White Sauce:) You can find the recipe here. In the Ingredients section above, I have just doubled the quantities of the White Sauce ingredients so that we can get 2 cups of the White Sauce instead of one. So don’t get confused when you see only half the ingredient quantities on the White Sauce Recipe page:) Just used the doubled quantities mentioned here & follow the exact same cooking method outlined:) After you have made the basic White Sauce, add Garlic Powder, Truffle Oil, Nutritional Yeast & Vegan Cheese (optional) to make a cheesy White Sauce Supreme:) Set aside the sauce for later.

3. Next, check on your veggies, once the oven timer goes off. They should be nice & brown in colour & roasted well to crispy deliciousness:) Combine all the veggies into one baking dish (they would have shrunk in size) & add the Olives, chopped Basil leaves & White Sauce. Combine all the ingredients well, coating all the veggies with the Béchamel deliciousness:) Time for my secret sauce, Taste. Tweak. Repeat:) Taste the veggie-sauce combination & check the seasoning. Add some more salt/seasoning, if needed.

4. Add the breadcrumbs/vegan cheese as a topping & place the dish back in oven & bake it for about 5-10 minutes at 150°C/300° F.

5. Once you take the dish out of the oven, the cheese should be melty & the breadcrumbs should be golden brown. Garnish the dish with fresh whole Basil Leaves. And voila, your Easy Vegan Bake, with Roasted Vegetables in Vegan Béchamel Sauce, is ready! Take it straight to the dinner table or the potluck spread & prepare to be showered with compliments for the chef:) Hearty. Wholesome. Delicious. Happy Eating:)

Notes:
*You can use any other vegetables of your choice:) I’ve used some of my favourite veggies, but I’m sure other vegetables, like Potatoes, Broccoli, Cauliflower, Spinach or Zucchini, will also taste delicious:) Also, feel free to halve or double the quantities of the recipe to make less/more, depending on the occasion & your guest list:)
*Nutritional Yeast (Nooch) is available at vegan friendly grocery stores & online on Amazon:) India folks, you can buy it here on Amazon India:)