vegan cheese: okay so i made a casserole (with pasta & peas, carrots, tempeh & vegan cheese). . . more like ATTEMPTED to make one. it came out like ****.! i guess i left it in the oven too long cuz it came out too crucnhy & UGH. :/ & it had NO flavor cuz i dunno how to add spices correctly or anything. well, i was just wondering if anyone had any recepies for a good simple casserole that a cooking dummy like ne can succeed in. LOL. or just any suggestions. i cooked it at 375 degrees for about 20 minutes. too much, too little.? .-. help. my dinner for the rest of the week will be tasteless cheesy ****. :b .!|||I don't have a casserole recipe, but I do have a crock pot recipe and hopefully you have one because the recipes from this site are delicious and I make them for my family at times. We aren't vegans, but we like getting away from met at times. I am giving you a vegan recipe because you didn't specify otherwise. I made this for my cousin who visits me for a week every summer and is vegan. She loved it. She also directed me to this site for recipes: http://www.savvyvegetarian.com/vegetaria鈥?/a> Jamaican Red Bean Stew Ingredients: 1 Tbsp extra virgin olive oil 2 cloves garlic, minced 2 cups sliced baby carrots 3 scallions, chopped 1 sweet potato, diced 1 (15 oz) can diced tomatoes, drained 2 tsp curry powder 1/2 tsp dried thyme 1/4 tsp red pepper flakes 1/4 tsp ground allspice Salt and freshly ground black pepper 2 (16 oz) cans dark red kidney beans, drained and rinsed* 1 cup unsweetened coconut milk 1 - 2 cups unsalted vegetable broth or water Optional: 1/4 tsp salt or to taste Savvy Vegetarian Facebook Page Directions: Pour the oil into a 4-quart slow cooker and set the cooker on high. Add the garlic and put the lid on the cooker while you prepare the rest of the ingredients To the cooker, add the carrots, scallions, sweet potato, and tomatoes. Stir in the curry powder, thyme, red pepper flakes, allspice, and salt and pepper to taste Add the beans, coconut milk, and broth Reduce heat, cover, and cook on low for 6 to 8 hours|||Buy hot sauce. Just buy it Srichacha sauce if possible.|||Salt and pepper are a minimum requirement. You might also try onion and garlic (or their dried counterparts onion powder and garlic powder). Many savory recipes like stews, casseroles, roasts and soups begin with onion in some form or another. Whether sauteed, carmelized, minced fine or thrown in as rings/slices, onion forms a flavor foundation upon which you can build. In place of salt, soy sauce can also be used if you're looking for an oriental twist on your dish. You might try some Italian seasoning (usually a combination of oregano, thyme, perhaps rosemary, tarragon and cilantro) to spice up your dish a bit. If you're not averse to using a chicken stock you could try adding a bit of that for flavor and moisture to make it less dry. Depending on how MUCH ingredients you had, 375 at 20 minutes sounds like it would result in undercooking, not overcooking. Did you cover it while it was baking? Perhaps 325-350 is all you really need. Try referencing a macaroni and cheese recipe for quantities, times and temps. It seems to me after reading your ingredient list again that you need some moisture in there. Either a vegetable stock, light broth, fish broth, maybe white/red miso, or SOMETHING, even water or soymilk. But it sounds like your pasta and tempeh is absorbing all the available liquid and turning your casserole into a somewhat dry brickbat.|||I know I'm going to get a ton of thumbs downs but it's hard to make vegan taste good. You need a ton of spices. If I were to make it I'd do this. Make sure the carrots, pasta and all your ingredients are already cooked since the tempeh and vegan cheese only needs to be warmed. If you over cook soy it tends to either mush or harden. So spices. It's best when used fresh. 1 tbs of oregano 1 tbs of rosemary 1 tsp of salt and pepper If you like spice like me 1 tsp of paprika garnish with chives As far as cooking I'd do 350 and check every few minutes till you can tell it's hot.