{"id":7691,"date":"2023-11-25T11:11:00","date_gmt":"2023-11-25T17:11:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/benpollock.com\/brick\/?p=7691"},"modified":"2023-11-25T12:10:02","modified_gmt":"2023-11-25T18:10:02","slug":"sheet-casserole","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/benpollock.com\/brick\/2023\/11\/sheet-casserole\/","title":{"rendered":"Full Casserole on a Sheet"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

One rule my wife and I have picked up for pot-luck suppers in our whole-food plant-based<\/a> decade is “bring an entree.” We vegans seem to live on sides and salads, but in a communal room with a table of platters, we look around and ask, “where’s the main dish for us?”<\/p>\n\n\n\n

We quickly figured out that if you want a meatless protein focus at a community meal, best to bring it yourself. We’ve brought a variety over the years, usually a favorite home entree, doubled.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The one we shared at a Friendsgiving<\/a> last Thursday was a hit. I had Googled earlier, seeking a complement to traditional Thanksgiving dishes. The concept of a casserole of sausage, green beans and potatoes kept grabbing my attention. Then I wondered about sheet-panning to intensify flavors. Herewith is an adaption of “Sheet Pan Sausage, Potatoes and Green Beans<\/a>” from BigDeliciousLife. It’s really ready in under an hour!<\/p>\n\n\n\n

A few notes at the top:<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Any kind of vegan sausage is fine, link or patty, even homemade<\/a>. For this potluck, I chose a package of Smoked Apple & Sage Plant-Based Sausage by Field Roast, from Walmart.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

I used Idaho russets this week as I had a sack of them, although the recipes found on Google preferred yellow (gold) or red taters. Thus any variety of potato will be great, using what you have on hand keeps this to a pantry meal.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Speaking of on hand, I keep a couple of bags of frozen string beans as a staple; I like the long, slender “fine” green beans, but the thicker “cut” variety has fans as well. Of course fresh is appealing, trimmed to your preference and parcooked \/ blanched \/ steamed 3-5 minutes to take the raw edge off. Canned beans are too mushy and gray.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

You need a baking pan<\/a> where the foods can be spread out to brown and roast, when if too crowded they simply will steam. One half-size sheet pan or two quarter-size sheet pans are perfect for the amounts here. There is no need for oil \u2014 minimal oil is a WFPB standard \u2014 except perhaps a small amount for flavor, especially if you line the pan(s) with parchment paper.<\/p>\n\n\n\n