Vegetarians and omnivores alike will enjoy this easy to make, hearty and nutritious asparagus mushroom potato casserole. It is low in fat, easy to throw together and comes with a rich and creamy herb sauce.
This creamy asparagus mushroom potato casserole is a delicious vegetarian dinner idea, great as a family meal or party food. This nutritious dish is easy to prepare, cooks in less than 30 minutes and is perfect for sharing.
Creamy casseroles tend to be associated with lots of calories and generally pretty unhealthy food. Like most people I love comfort food but I don't believe it has to be unhealthy. All you have to do is make a few healthy swaps.
I used my basic 3-ingredient white sauce recipe in this dish, which takes minutes to put together. I adapted this sauce by adding a bit of naturally low in fat, tangy fromage frais as well as fresh herbs for added flavour. This rich and creamy sauce contains only about 2 tablespoons of butter and is made using low fat milk.
Asparagus and mushrooms
Both of these ingredients are super nutritious and make a delicious trio with the potatoes. They add texture, flavour as well colour into the simple casserole. The mushrooms are quickly browned to release more flavour before adding into the casserole. I have used this method of preparing mushrooms in several other recipes including healthy mushroom pasta, mushroom sour cream sauce as well as turkey wellington.
The asparagus, on the other hand, can be added into the casserole uncooked. It will cook to perfection with the rest of the ingredients in the oven. You might also like salmon leek pasta bake with asparagus where I used a similar method of preparing asparagus.
How to make asparagus mushroom casserole: step-by-step
1. Boil the potatoes in salted water with the bay leaf. Strain and place in your casserole dish.
2. Fry the mushrooms for a few minutes over a high heat until lightly browned.
3. Scatter the mushrooms over the potatoes.
4. Place the asparagus over the top and season well. Set aside.
5. To make the sauce melt the butter in a saucepan. Add the flour and whisk until smooth. Pour in some of the milk, increase the heat and whisk until the sauce thickens.
Add the rest of the milk and continue whisking until the sauce starts bubbling up.
Add the fromage frais and remove from the heat. Stir in the chopped herbs and season to taste.
6. Pour the sauce over the casserole, scatter the grated cheese and drizzle with a little oil.
7. Bake for 20-25 minutes in the centre of the oven. Remove from the oven and serve.
Top tips and FAQs
- The asparagus tips shouldn't be too thin or too thick so go for something in the middle. This is to ensure that after 25 minutes in the oven they are cooked but still crunchy (very thin asparagus might be too tender and very thick tips might still be tough).
- As the potatoes don't get mashed in this casserole I recommend choosing potatoes that hold their shape well in cooking. Such as salad potatoes. Waxy potatoes, such as Charlotte or Anya are good options, while Maris Piper, Marabel or Rooster work better in mashed potato dishes. If you live in North America Yukon Gold would be a good choice (Russet or Idaho wouldn't).
- I used chives and parsley but you could just go with one or the other, or omit herbs altogether.
- Best served immediately.
You might also like
- Vegetarian Sausage Pie with Mushrooms & Sweet Potato
- Creamy Lemon Chicken Potato Bake (Healthy)
- Healthy Creamy Leftover Salmon and Potato Bake
Check out also this collection of over 12 healthy vegetarian pasta meals.
Keep in touch!
Have you made this vegetarian casserole? I'd love to know how it turned out for you. Let me know in the comments below, thanks!
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Recipe
Creamy Asparagus Mushroom Potato Casserole
Equipment
- Medium sized casserole dish, approx. 6cm/2½in deep
Ingredients
- 1.65 pounds (750 g) potatoes peeled, halved or quartered
- 7.05 ounces (200 g) asparagus chopped
- 12.35 ounces (350 g) mushrooms wiped, roughly chopped
- 3 tablespoons chives and parsley each, finely chopped (more for serving)
- 2 tablespoons (25 g) butter
- 2⅓ tablespoons (20 g) corn flour/cornstarch
- 1 cup+2tsp (250 ml) semi-skimmed milk/low fat milk
- ⅓ cup (40 g) mature cheddar cheese coarsely grated
- 3 tablespoons fromage frais/fromage blanc or low fat sour cream
- Sea salt and white pepper to taste
- 1 bay leaf
- Olive oil for drizzling
Instructions
- Peel the potatoes, cut into similar size pieces (halves or quarters) and boil in salted water with the bay leaf until tender but take care not to overcook them. Place in a medium casserole dish and set aside.
- Preheat the oven to 400 F/ 200 C/ gas mark 6.
- Heat up a large non-stick pan and fry the mushrooms for 3-4 minutes over a high heat until lightly browned, stirring once or twice. Scatter the mushrooms along with the chopped asparagus over the potatoes. Season.
- To make the herb sauce, in a saucepan melt the butter over a low heat, add the flour and whisk until the mixture is smooth. Add some of the milk, increase the heat and continue whisking until the mixture has thickened. Add the rest of the milk and continue whisking until the sauce starts bubbling up. Add the fromage frais and remove from the heat. Stir in the herbs, season to taste and pour over the casserole.
- Sprinkle the grated cheddar over the whole thing, drizzle with a little olive oil and bake for 20-25 minutes. Remove from the oven and serve immediately.
Notes
- The asparagus tips shouldn't be too thin or too thick so go for something in the middle. This is to ensure that after 25 minutes in the oven they are cooked but still crunchy (very thin asparagus might be too tender and very thick tips might still be tough).
- As the potatoes don't get mashed in this casserole I recommend choosing potatoes that hold their shape well in cooking. Such as salad potatoes. Waxy potatoes, such as Charlotte or Anya are good options, while Maris Piper, Marabel or Rooster work better in mashed potato dishes. If you live in North America Yukon Gold would be a good choice (Russet or Idaho wouldn't).
- I used chives and parsley but you could just go with one or the other, or omit herbs altogether.
- Best served immediately.
Nutrition
*Nutritional information is automatically generated and should be considered as an estimate.
**A note about baking: If using a fan-assisted oven refer to your appliance's instructions and adjust the temperature accordingly.
Hilda Frost says
i have made this casserole about 6-7 times already. i love casseroles in general and this one is probably one of my favorites 🙂
Monika says
So good to hear that, thanks!
Kathy says
Deeeeelicious! I made one substitution in this lovely dish as I did not have fromage frais..I subbed gorgonzola. It was fabulous! Thank you for such a tasty side dish to my unbreaded chicken tenders that I sauteed in the same skillet that I browned the mushrooms. No extra clean up! I used parsley and the green part of a scallion in the sauce.
Will absolutely make this again!
Monika says
You are welcome! Glad you liked it, gorgonzola sounds delicious in this recipe. And serving it with chicken is perfect. Thank you for your feedback:)
Michelle says
This recipe was a keeper. I made it vegan by substituting vegan cheese, vegan butter, and using coconut milk. My husband raves about it and he is an omnivore. I also added 1 tsp of sea salt to the sauce and used button mushrooms. Plus no chives and 1tbsp of dried parsley.
Monika says
Fantastic! I must try your vegan version.
Dan says
I just pulled this out of the oven for lunch! It was delicious! Definitely a winner, will make again.
Monika says
Glad you enjoyed it:)