Vegetable casserole

Chell

Normally when I make a veggie casserole I cheat and use a packet mix for flavour, I don't have one in and I can't be bothered going to the shops.

I have swede, courgette, red pepper, onions, green/red lentils, carrots, fresh tomatoes aswell as tinned, various dried herbs/spices and other store cupboard type things. What can I use to make the sauce?

Thanks,
Chell

tim_n

stock, mixed dry herbs and veg. gravy?

Anne_Marie_2

Not sure what you are looking for here. What kind of packet mix do you usually use?
Possible suggestion is tinned tomatoes, some herbs(say oregano or thyme), depending on what you have available, some tomato puree, possibly a splash of my alternative for worcestershire sauce, which is mushroom ketchup - or if you're not a vegetarian, you can use worcestershire sauce. You can vary by adding some chilli or paprika for something a bit spicier.
If you want to make the sauce creamy, near the end of cooking - take some of the liquid out of the casserole, and add to some cream, yoghourt, creme fraiche or fromage frais, mix it together, and then add back to the casserole.
Hope this makes sense - am better at doing it than describing!

WeirdoMagnet

I'd fry up the onions, add a a bit of garlic, the rest of your chosen veg, pepper, bouillon/veg stock cube, herbs, water, bit of cornflour (dissolved in cold water, and then stirred into casserole to stop lumps) to thicken.

bulchy

I was going to say the same as Georgina, but minus the cornflour, I never seem to be able to get it right using cornflour. Maybe I'm too heavy handed it just never tastes right.
Sue

Chell

Thanks, yes we are veggie. I usually use one of the the powdered mixes for meat aslong as its marked as veggie such as Coq Au Vin or Chassaur mix. Actually I use half a mix and thicken it with corn flour. I have two toddlers so need to watch the salt content.

The creamy idea above sounds nice, I only have sour cream in the house though.

Debt_Free_Chick

chelltune wrote:

I have two toddlers so need to watch the salt content.

In which case, I would never use a packet mix :eek:

The Coq au Vin mix is essentially a wine based sauce - remember, that the alcohol content is largely burned off, but you probably don't want a home made wine based sauce for children.

The Chasseur is basically a tomato & herb sauce. I would replicate this by making a kind of vegetable pasta sauce. Start with onions & garlic, soften in oil. Add tinned toms & herbs and simmer down to a thick pulp. Add vegetables and cook through to required crispiness/tenderness then loosen the lot with some stock.

It shouldn't need any salt at all, but adults could add it when it's on the plate.

HTH

Anne_Marie_2

chelltune wrote:

Thanks, yes we are veggie. I usually use one of the the powdered mixes for meat aslong as its marked as veggie such as Coq Au Vin or Chassaur mix. Actually I use half a mix and thicken it with corn flour. I have two toddlers so need to watch the salt content.

The creamy idea above sounds nice, I only have sour cream in the house though.

Well give the sour cream a bash instead then - I never have sour cream, as it's a thing that local shops don't seem to stock, so I end up adding lemon juice and cream to any recipe that calls for it. Whether it's the same thing or not I have no idea, but it doesn't matter, it tastes okay.

You can use veggie stock cubes, also perhaps add a splash of wine - don't worry about the wee ones, cooking evaporates the alcohol, just gives a nice flavour to the sauce.
Obviously you can thicken up any sauce with your usual method of cornflour, or you can make up a roux (marg or butter and flour), as if making white sauce.