Recipe: Cashew Sauce Veggie Casserole
If you want a simple way to prepare Brussel Sprouts, just toss them in a little olive oil, sprinkle with salt, and roast. So good. But a holiday like Thanksgiving begs for something a little fancier and this easy Cashew Sauce Veggie Casserole is exactly that—a fancy treat but without the fancy calories. And it’s the perfect side for our Juicy Roast Turkey, along with our Garlic Mock Mashed Potatoes. And look for another vegetable recipe and a low-cal dessert coming next week.
Feel free to skip to the recipe at the bottom of this page but, as always, we have some helpful tips we discovered while preparing it. So keep reading!
First, the ingredients—which are Brussel sprouts, thyme, cashews, unsweetened almond milk and lemon juice. And, of course, salt and pepper.
Wondering why the cashews are soaking in water? Because the water softens the nuts, helping turn them into a creamy sauce in the blender. You’ll want to let them soak at least two hours but if you can plan ahead then put them in water the night before you make this recipe, as a longer soaking increases the digestibility of the cashews. I suggest refrigerating them during a longer soak.
Ready to prep and bake? Start with preheating your oven to 400 degrees and spraying a 2.5 quart baking pan with olive oil or cooking spray. Next trim your Brussel Sprouts and slice them in halves, they toss them in large bowl and sprinkle them with thyme, salt and pepper. Set that bowl aside while you make the cashew sauce.
Pro Tip: If you’re having trouble finding fresh Brussel sprouts—or if you simply aren’t a fan—this recipe can be made with another vegetable. I had some broccolini I wanted to try with the cashew sauce so split the sauce between both vegetables. Or fresh green beans might work well, although I would blanche them first to ensure they become tender in the baking time specified in this recipe.
The first step in making the sauce is to drain the water from the cashews. You don’t have to dry them completely since you’ll be adding water again during the creaming stage.
You’ll need a little lemon juice and fresh is always better so I recommend juicing a real lemon. Add the cashews, the lemon juice, one cup of water, some unsweetened almond milk, salt and pepper to a food processor or blender. Pulse or blend on high until the sauce looks creamy. It should be sauce creamy, not peanut butter creamy, so don’t be afraid to add a little more water if it’s needed. Add the sauce to your Brussel sprouts bowl and toss until the sprouts are evenly coated.
Pour your saucy sprout mix into your baking dish and bake for about 40 minutes, then test to check if sprouts are fork tender. Bake for a few more minutes if needed.
Both the Brussel Sprouts and Broccolini baked dishes are pictured here and honestly I can’t tell you which was more delicious. The cashew sauce formed a slightly crisp but still silky coating and elevated the vegetables above the everyday into a truly Thanksgiving-worthy dish. And at only 162 calories per serving (compared to cheesy Brussel sprouts 250 calories) it leaves more room in your calorie count for the pumpkin pie.
Pro Tip: A low-cal pumpkin pie recipe is coming before Thanksgiving!
