Vegan gnocchi bake

Step 1

Dice shallots and two garlic cloves finely, grate or mince the third garlic clove and set aside for the bechamel.

Step 2

Heat up a cast iron skillet or a medium size pan on a low-medium heat. Add 2-3 tsp of olive oil and once the oil is warmed up, add shallots and diced garlic. Fry them off gently until fragrant and translucent, stirring often.

Step 3

Remove shallots and garlic from the skillet. Heat up another 2-3 tsp of oil in the skillet.

Step 4

Add the sliced mushrooms and fry them off gently, stirring frequently, until they are lightly browned and all the water has cooked out. Season the mushrooms with a generous amount of salt and pepper and some picked thyme leaves. Return shallots and garlic to the pan, mix well and set aside for later.

Step 5

Preheat the oven to 200° C / 390° F.

Step 6

Heat up 2 tbsp of olive oil in a medium size pot. Once the oil comes to temperature, whisk in flour. Allow the flour to cook off for a bit in the oil stirring with a wire whisk. The flour should bubble very gently and it will turn a little golden after a few seconds, but don't allow it to brown too much. Add in almond milk slowly, whisking the whole time, to create a béchamel sauce.

Step 7

Season the sauce with a grated garlic clove, miso, mustard, nutritional yeast, thyme leaves, salt, pepper and a good squeeze of lemon to cut through the richness. Taste and adjust the seasoning to your liking.

Step 8

Transfer the sauce to the skillet you used earlier (if you don't have a skillet you can use a baking dish instead), place raw gnocchi, cooked mushrooms, raw broccoli chopped small in the sauce. Top with grated vegan cheese (or puddles of homemade cashew one like I did), breadcrumbs, pine nuts and some more thyme leaves.

Step 9

Cover the skillet tightly with a piece of kitchen foil and allow it to bake uninterrupted for 15 minutes.

Step 10

After 15 minutes, take the foil off and bake for a further 20-25 minutes until everything is beautifully browned. Divide between bowls and enjoy immediately.