This loaded zucchini breakfast casserole is a high-protein vegan breakfast bake. It layers golden zucchini, onion, hash browns, crusty bread, and savory tofu “custard.” The top bakes crisp and the middle stays soft and herby.

Zucchini and onion cook first, so they go into the dish golden instead of raw. The tofu custard blends smoothly with garlic, Dijon mustard, nutritional yeast, herbs, lemon juice, and optional kala namak. It pours over the bread, potatoes, and vegetables, then seeps into the layers before baking.

Read more: Tofu Scramble Breakfast Sandwiches

This recipe comes from Vegan Comfort Cooking by Melanie McDonald. You can assemble it the night before and bake it in the morning. Add vegan cheese on top, or mix in mushrooms, peppers, broccoli, cherry tomatoes, or vegan sausage. Serve it for brunch, holidays, or a bigger breakfast with coffee and fruit.

Reprinted with permission from Vegan Comfort Cooking by Melanie McDonald. Page Street Publishing Co. 2019. Photo credit: Melanie McDonald.

Whip up this easy loaded zucchini breakfast casserole

This vegan zucchini breakfast casserole turns tofu custard, hash browns, crusty bread, and golden vegetables into a hearty morning bake. It is high in plant protein, easy to prepare ahead, and useful for brunch, holidays, or breakfast with guests.

Loaded Zucchini Breakfast Casserole with tofu

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Servings

Ingredients

2 medium zucchini
1 tbsp olive oil or water
1 medium onion chopped finely
16 oz medium or firm tofu (no need to press it)
2 cloves garlic
2 tsp Dijon mustard
2 tbsp arrowroot powder or cornstarch
1 cup unsweetened nondairy milk
1 tsp salt reduce to ½ tsp if using kala namak
½ tsp freshly ground black pepper
2 tsp dried mixed herbs such as herbes de Provence or Italian seasoning
½ tsp red pepper flakes
¼ cup nutritional yeast
2 tbsp fresh lemon juice
1 tsp kala namak optional
1 cup vegan cheese divided (optional)
1 generous handful of fresh parsley chopped
4 heaping cups cubed plain, sourdough or flavored herby vegan bread (crusty bread that is slightly stale works best)
2 cups hash browns (shredded or cubes), or the same quantity of fresh potatoes, peeled and cut into 1⅛" (3-mm) cubes or grated with a food processor

Instructions

Cut the zucchini in half lengthwise—then cut each half in half lengthwise again. Cut each stick into 1⁄2-inch (1.3-cm)-thick chunks.
In a large skillet, heat the olive oil or water over medium-high heat. Add the onion and zucchini chunks, and cook for about 10 minutes, or until the onion and zucchini are starting to turn golden. If using water to sauté, you will need to add a few more drops throughout the cooking process to prevent sticking. Remove from the heat and set aside.
In a blender, combine the tofu, garlic, mustard, arrowroot powder, nondairy milk, salt, black pepper, herbs, red pepper flakes, nutritional yeast, lemon juice and kala namak, if using. If you are using the optional vegan cheese, you can add half of that, too, if you wish, or just save it all for sprinkling on the top. Blend until smooth; then add the parsley and stir to incorporate.
Preheat the oven to 375°F (190°C). Then, in a baking dish with at least a 21⁄2-quart (2.5-L) capacity, layer half of the bread chunks across the bottom. Top with half of the zucchini mixture, and then scatter with 1 cup (130 g) of the hash browns. Cover the hash browns with most of the remaining bread, reserving a handful of chunks to scatter on the top later. Add the rest of the zucchini mixture; then pour the tofu mixture over that. It might sit on the top, but you can help it out by poking with a spoon or knife all over to give it channels to run down. Let the tofu mixture mostly seep in (it might take a few minutes), and then push the top down all over with a spatula to compact everything. Scatter the remaining hash browns over the top and poke in the reserved bread cubes so they are mostly sticking out and can get crispy. At this point, if you want to add the remaining 1⁄2 cup (56 g) of cheese, scatter it over the top.
Bake for 40 to 45 minutes, or until a knife inserted into the middle comes out almost clean. If your dish is very shallow, it will cook a little more quickly; if it is really deep, it might take a little longer.
Alternatively, if you want to cook the casserole the next morning, do not bake after assembly but cover with plastic wrap and stash it away in the fridge. For best results when doing this, if you are using potatoes rather than hash browns, make sure that they are all submerged so their color doesn’t change overnight. Then, preheat the oven to 375°F (190°C) the next morning and bake, giving it an extra 5 minutes in the oven.

All sorts of veggies work well in this recipe. Cherry tomatoes, bell peppers, mushrooms, and broccoli are good additions. Vegan sausages are also great in it.

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