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Layered Hungarian potato casserole is my ultimate comfort food.
One of the national dishes of Hungary, Rakott Krumpli, this traditional casserole is originally made with sausage, hard boiled eggs and tons of sour cream. But not this, not here, not today. My version is vegan, oil-free and as satisfying as it could get. This awesome veganized comforting dish of potato slices, tofu eggs and kidney bean sausage in a creamy cashew sauce makes the most delicious main dish accompanied with pickles or a big bowl of green salad. This savoury bake is a true comfort food, which is also easy to prepare and budget-friendly.
If you read my blog regularly, you may know that I’m not a fan of Hungarian food. Not at all. However, there are some dishes (usually with potatoes), I am absolutely in love with and could eat anytime of the year. And whenever I’m able to undetectably veganize one of those recipes, I’m just the happiest girl in the world!
I grew up eating this potato casserole all the time, it was a staple recipe in my family. We ate it probably once a week, and even after I moved out of my parents’ house, I still made this dish regularly. So it was kind of heartbreaking when I gave up dairy and eggs and had to say goodbye to this dish. I remember when I told my mom I’m going vegan, the first thing she said was oh, no, it means you won’t even eat a good ‘rakott krumpli’ anymore? I gave her my casual angry vegan speech, something about the cruelty of the food and how could somebody choose a good dish over saving others’ lives, but deep inside I was truly sad and felt like my life is not going to be the same anymore without this dish. Anyways, I have accepted my faith and removed my dear potato casserole from the menu.
But then a few weeks ago I made a recipe with tofu hard boiled eggs and realised that this ‘egg’ is meant to be in this Hungarian potato casserole. On the next lazy weekend we finally made this dish and it was kinda perfect. Not even kinda….It was PERFECT! And since that, in the past 10 days we ate this dish almost every single day. Because it’s that good!
I first didn’t plan to post this recipe here, but after I posted this picture on Instagram and in some what-i-ate-today Facebook groups, too many of you have asked for the recipe not to share it with you. So here it is, enjoy!
Though this dish takes a little bit longer to make than my usual recipes, it definitely worth a try. Plus actually it’s still a very simple recipe. However, if you feel very very lazy, you could simplify the recipe. Use store-bought soy or oat cream/yogurt/sour cream instead of the cashew sour cream, and use your favourite veggie sausage or even veggie ground meat, or simply omit that part. I actually never had this dish with sausage before, and it’s pretty good like that too. But if you are not lazy and even feel extra motivated, make cultured sour cream (it’s crazy good!). Simply replace half of the water with rejuvelac in the sour cream recipe, and let it ‘age’ for 2-3 days before making the recipe. Also if you feel like you’d go for a very authentic version, sauté the onions for the bean sausage on vegan lard or butter. The original Hungarian dish is pretty greasy, so if that’s what you prefer, go for it! In the last few months I try to avoid using oils as much as possible, so I made mine oil-free.
If you try this recipe, let me know! I would highly appreciate if you could leave a comment and rate it. Also don’t forget to take a picture and tag it on Instagram (use the hashtag #greenevi) or post it on Facebook! I love seeing what you come up with! ♥︎
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Hungarian Potato Casserole
- Total Time: 1 hour 15 mins
- Yield: 4-6 1x
Ingredients
- 1 kg/2.2 lbs potatoes
For the tofu eggs
- 250 g/9 oz firm tofu
- 1 tbsp black salt
- 2 tbsp apple cider vinegar
- 1 cup of water
For the sour cream
- 2 cups of cashews, preferably soaked
- 1 lemon, juice
- 1 tbsp nutritional yeast
- 2/3 cup of water
- salt, pepper
For the sausage crumble
- 2 onions
- 1 can of kidney beans
- 2 tbsp tomato paste
- 1 tbsp hot paprika paste
- 2 tsp liquid smoke
- 1 tbsp oregano
- 1,5 tsp marjoram
- 1,5 tsp smoked paprika
- 2 tsp garlic powder
- 0,5 tsp red pepper flakes
- salt, pepper
Instructions
- For the tofu egg combine black salt, vinegar and water in a bowl. Cut tofu into small pieces and place in the marinade. Let it marinade for at least 1 hour, but preferably overnight.
- Cook potatoes in a sauce pan for about 20 minutes or until just tender. Drain, then cool a bit, and cut into thick slices.
- Add cashews, lemon juice, nutritional yeast, water, salt and pepper to a blender and blend until completely smooth.
- For the sausage crumble chop onions finely and sauté in a nonstick skillet over medium heat for 5-10 minutes, until they turn translucent. Add 1 to 2 tablespoons of water at a time to prevent sticking. Add drained beans and mash with a potato masher to a coarse texture.
- Add the rest of the ingredients with about 1/3 cup of water and cook for about 5 more minutes. Keep stirring until the mixture has the desired consistency. I like it very dry and crumbly, but you can keep it a bit more moist.
- To assemble layer one-third of potatoes in a casserole dish, top with half the tofu eggs and a few teaspoons of the sausage mix. I only used about half of the bean mixture for the whole recipe, but feel free to use more if you prefer. The leftover makes a great bread spread Spoon over one-third of the sour cream, then repeat with potatoes, tofu eggs, bean mixture and sour cream. Finish with the remaining potatoes and sour cream.
- Bake at 200°C/400°F for 30 minutes or until golden. Serve with pickles. Enjoy!
- Prep Time: 15 mins
- Cook Time: 1 hour
- Category: Main
- Cuisine: Vegan
Erre várok egy hete! Holnapi vacsink tuti ez lesz 🙂
Huhúúúúú, nagyon remelém, hogy ízleni fog 🙂
This is an awesome recipe! It sounds so delicious. Even down to the pickles on the side. Total comfort food and so unique. You’ve done an amazing job of veganizing it. If I wasn’t going on vacation on Saturday and trying to run our food down I would be buying the ingredients to make it. Pinning to try when I get back!
Thank you so much, Mel! Those pickles are absolute must for me 😀
Hope you’ll have an amazing vacation!!
It sounds and looks like a very comforting and delicious dish. That bean sausage is definitely something I should try too.
Thanks, Angie!
It’s really my favourite comforting dish, it makes me happy no matter what 😀
So hearty and spot on!! You know I love my potatoes, so in any and every dish I know I’ll love it!
Thanks, Rebecca!
Potatoes are simply the best <3
Yay, finally! The rakott krumpli recipe everyone’s been waiting for! ;-D Thanks for sharing it with us!
Looks delicious, and my interest is piqued by that bean sausage crumble, sounds interesting, can’t wait to try it! I’ve always loved how flavourful, hearty and comforting this dish was, and it seems your recipe will meet all these criteria + it’s also healthy and vegan, perfect!
Thank you, Stella!
It’s definitely one of the most comforting dishes I can think of, maybe mainly because it has all the great memories of my childhood 😉
The sausage crumble is so good, I think you’ll love it! I use it in many dishes whenever I’m lazy to make a proper seitan sausage and don’t want to buy pre-made ones. Beans are so hearty and liquid smoke makes everything meaty 😀
What is liquid smoke and where can i buy it (in Budapest)?
Hi Dalma,
Liquid smoke has a lovely, deep, smokey flavour and it pretty much replicates the flavour of smoked meat. That’s what gives the beans that classic Hungarian sausage taste.
Unfortunately I’m not sure where to buy it in BP, but I think you’d find it in shops like Culinaris or maybe in online shops. If you can’t find it, you could use smoked salt or smoked paprika instead, but those don’t taste that strong 😉
This Hungarian potato casserole looks so good, it’s not even funny. It always astounded me that you are able to create thess amazing dishes that are not only vegan, but oil-free. Goodness, E! I can almost taste the delicious cashew cream and tofu eggs from here! Btw, I love your new styling toys! (well, new to me at least!) That plate… *happy sigh* “Casual angry vegan speech”: Lolol. And look at you now! Isn’t it the most amazing thing to finally get something back that you truly felt you were bereft without? 🙂 Yeah, we can just go ahead and drop the “kinda” and move straight to PERFECT. I, like you, LOVE potatoes. So if you could just move a few thousand miles or so closer to me… I would be knocking on your door for this Rakott Krumpli. And mispronouncing it like crazy (with my mouth full, of course). Pinning, of course! Have a great weekend, my friend. xo
Thank you so much, Demeter 🙂
Potatoes are just the best food ever! With or without oil, I want all the potato dishes in the world 😀
I imagine you’d visit me and we would eat potatoes together until we are full and can’t move anymore at all, then you’d take out of the freezer one of your super cool popsicles and we decide, who cares, we will just eat until we are full/die! Life and friendship goals <3
Of course, E! You always downplay your cooking skills, but I beg to differ. 😉 I mean, have you tasted the stuff you cook? AMAZING. Oh, girl, I could eat them every which way! I am really liking the sound of that plan. Plus, dessert goes into a different compartment in the stomach…or something. 😉 #LifeGoals + #FriendshipGoals 4-eva!! Yep, I HAD to use that spelling. 😉 <3 P.S. Can't wait til your next post! 🙂
Perfect spelling, Demeter! 😀
I am laughing so hard 😀 😀
And eva!! ???? ????
I got a tiny heart attack for a second. I thought you called me on my real name. Which is actually Eva 😀 😀 😀
Everything you make looks so inviting and delicious! Love this casserole. What a stunning looking casserole, Evi. Cashew cream and tofu eggs are just wow! Love how healthy and delicious this is.
Thank you so much, Anu <3
This sounds interesting. I was lucky enough to be visiting a lovely Hungarian family five years ago and ever since I love Hungarian cuisine. Never heard of this dish though.
Can you tell me what’s black salt and where could I buy it? I also live in Germany.
I would love to try this food 🙂
Thanks, Chris!
Black salt has a very distinctive sulphurous taste and smell, just like eggs, so it’s a great seasoning to imitate eggs.
Here in Germany you can find it in every “Biomarkt” or health food store, but you can also find it in small ethnic shops, often under the name Kala Namak.
Let me know if you try the recipe 🙂
Hey Evi! This post made me crave potatoes so much, it looks so good, just my type of thing. I’m intolerant to them now but they used to be my favourite food! I love black salt too it’s such a wonderful ingredient 🙂
Thanks, Amy!
I’m sorry to hear your are intolerant to potatoes. What about sweet potatoes? Can you eat them? 🙂
I made this for dinner tonight, and it was absolutely phenomenal. This recipe will definitely be a regular in my kitchen.
Hi Claudia, I’m so glad you liked the recipe (and for reminding me to make this on the weekend :D)!
Thanks for providing a good dairy free casserole recipe. I have to say something though; I understand where you are coming from with your veganism. But giving your mom a speech about how you are morally superior to her for not eating animals is false logic, considering the slave labor used to produce your fruits, vegetables, nuts, and other delicious animal-free ingredients (coffee, sugar, bananas, mangos, berries, peaches, and cashews are just a few examples of foods imported from the third world where workers are severely mistreated and underpaid, or farmed by underpaid Mexican immigrants in the US). I agree with not supporting horrible practices of animal agriculture, and you can actually help the fight against animal cruelty by spending your money on well sourced meat by local farmers who treat their animals right. This will shift the balance of power away from massive factory farms and put it back in the hands of the local ranchers who can do better for their animals and the environment. I’m not trying to change your eating habits, I just think that it is hypocritical to deem yourself morally righteous when you are contributing to slave labour. Just food for thought.
Hi Ramiel,
Thank you so much for your comment! It is a very important topic you brought up, and something I’m also concerned about. I feel like a lot of vegans think that once you ditch animal products it means your food is automatically cruelty-free. But it’s definitely not the case, there are inhumane practices in the animal-free section as well. I personally always make sure I purchase fair trade coffee, chocolate, cashews, bananas, etc., it’s so important that we all do!
I also totally agree with you about supporting local farmers, however I still don’t feel we should consume animal products when there are plant options available too. In my opinion the best thing we can do (both for the environment and our animal friends) is buying local, seasonal produce, that doesn’t involve slave labour.
Anyway, thanks again for your comment, it was a great reminder for me to not only advocate against (nonhuman) animal cruelty, but also against human cruelty! 🙂
PS: I definitely don’t feel morally superior because of my lifestyle, I just mentioned this conversation, because funnily I still talk with my mom sometimes as a teenager 😀
https://www.dol.gov/ilab/reports/pdf/tvpra_report2014.pdf
I made this last night, and it was DELICIOUS!!! The ONLY thing I would change is that it was a little dry, next time I think I will add some non dairy milk or add a creamy sauce when baking. The tofu “eggs” were amazing ! Will definitely make again.
Hi Mariam,
I’m so happy to hear you liked the recipe!
Yes, this casserole is actually a bit dry, Hungarian foods are usually not that ‘saucy’ 😀
But a bit of creamy sauce or milk will definitely help with that, or you can simply double the cashew cream in the recipe.
This recipe is delicious! I made this on a Tuesday and I’m still enjoying it all the way thru Friday. I think it has gotten even better as the week progressed. Do you have any more recipes like this one that are savory and satisfying?
Hi Elizabeth, I’m so glad to hear you like the recipe 🙂
I have a total savory tooth, so most of my recipes are savory, you can browse them here.
If you like Hungarian style recipes, you could try my Hungarian potato pasta recipe, my Hungarian Stuffed Cabbage, or my Vegan Hungarian Paprika Potato Stew.
Besides these, my favorite satisfying recipes are probably these:
Lemon Miso Pasta with Spinach
Mushroom Stroganoff
Lemon and Walnut Crusted Tempeh
Olive and Artichoke Tart
Gnocchi Puttanesca
Loaded Potato Skins
Let me know if you try any of these 😉
This was delicious, the pickles are a must 😋❤️
I’m so happy you liked it 🙂
This is heavenly-I made it for a potluck and several people who thought they would not like it, adored it! My mother used to make rakott krumpli when I was a kid (Hungarian great grandmother) and this is much better. Thank you.
I’m so so so happy this recipe was a success at the potluck!
But I hope you didn’t tell your mom you liked this more than her version, my mother would kill me if I’d tell her something like that 😀
My mother has been dead for about 20 years so no worries on that front. I just emailed the recipe to my sister who said she had just been thinking about my mother’s rakott krumpli last week! She is also vegan so I think she’ll try it. I’m making it for another potluck tomorrow.
Grr, sorry, I’m such a dumbass 🙄
Anyway, I really hope your sister will like it too, and that it will be successful at the other potluck as well!
Hi there, do you add the marinade from the tofu to the dish or drain the marinade? Thanks so much : ) xxx
Hi! You just discard the marinade. Though I usually simply take out the tofu pieces with a spoon, so they are not fully drained. 🙂
Can you freeze this? If so, at what step in the recipe?
Hi Sarah,
I wouldn’t recommend freezing this dish. Unfortunately potatoes can’t handle it very well, the texture is really bad after thawing.
You can meal prep this dish though, and prepare it a few days ahead. It usually keeps for up to 5 days in the fridge after assembling, before baking.