My mom always had a few recipes that she’d make all the time when I was growing up. There was Cheesy Beef Casserole, which is pretty self-explanatory. Cheese. Buddig Beef. Potatoes. Toast. And then there was Chicken a la King, the only way I’d ever eat peas (even if I’d pick the chicken out). But one of the recipes that always stands out in my memories is Shipwreck.
Shipwreck, my mom told me, was named such because it was all that people had to eat after their ships wrecked. Naturally, anytime my mom would make it, I’d imagine Pilgrims on a tropical island, cans of Campbell’s soup and baked beans in hand, preparing to make a casserole over a camp fire. I had an active imagination, you see. (I also had two imaginary friends named Joy and Field–Joy after the dish soap and Field after Marshall Fields. Incidentally, Field looked exactly like Joyce DeWitt from Three’s Company.)
Anyway! When I did a vegetarian casserole challenge with Valerie from Eclecticisms, I challenged her to make a vegetarian shipwreck casserole. It sounded so good and brought back so many warm and fuzzy memories that I just had to try to make it myself. The credit for this recipe goes to Valerie (with a few slight adjustments from yours truly), and you can read about her experience making it here.
I know this recipe sounds a little bit bizarre, but trust me, it’s really good. (You do trust me, right?) My husband, not a fan of baked beans, was really skeptical but I converted him.
A vegetarian version of Shipwreck Casserole, made with crumbled tempeh in place of ground beef.
Ingredients
- 1 tbsp. olive oil
- 1 yellow onion, chopped
- 2 (8-ounce) packages tempeh, crumbled
- salt + pepper to taste
- cooking spray or oil mister
- 2 large baking potatoes, thinly sliced
- 1-14 oz. can of vegetarian baked beans
- 1-10 oz. can of condensed tomato soup
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 375 degrees.
- Heat oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Saute onions until softened and just beginning to brown, about 8 minutes, stirring often. Add tempeh and cook until golden brown. Season with salt and pepper to taste.
- Spray a 9 x 11 baking dish with cooking spray or oil and layer potatoes on the bottom, overlapping. Season with salt and pepper to taste.
- Cover potatoes with tempeh mixture. Top tempeh layer with baked beans and top baked beans with tomato soup.
- Bake uncovered for about 1 hour, or until browned.
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I have to admit, I was skeptical too, but it's sooo good!
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I have never heard of this before – meatless or otherwise. Your vision of Pilgrims with canned soups is hilarious!
I've never heard of this – sounds interesting!
I'd never heard of Ship Wreck before. I made it your way tonight for dinner and I'm wondering if I did something wrong with the soup portion. It looked very unappetizing. I served it upside down to hide the "soup sheet" and everyone ate it. My middle son asked for thirds. Maybe I should've thinned the soup with water? Hmmmm. I took pictures so I may share on my blog.
OK … I put this together tonight. The components taste good so I’m hoping for excellent results. I covered and put in fridge and will cook tomorrow night. I know, it’s 100 plus degrees in Dallas in August but I was intrigued – we’ll eat it in the cool kitchen with a fan on
I don’t see where you recommended a temperature for the oven. 350 degrees F?
Ack, I’m sorry about that! When I transitioned my recipes over to ZipList, I must have deleted the oven temperature. It’s 375 degrees.
I hope you like it! I know it sounds a little strange, but I swear it’s good!
This was better than I expected! It’s not very pretty but it tastes good
. I think next time I will use half a can of tomato soup and half BBQ or maybe marinara. Thank you for sharing!
No, it’s not pretty at all! LOL! But I’m glad you liked it.
One more question (sorry) did you drain your baked beans? Your results look more dry than mine. Thanks!
No, I didn’t drain the baked beans. It could be a difference in brand? I’ve noticed that some baked beans are soupier than others…
Making this tonight and may dare to put some pepperjack Daiya cheese shreds on top… will let you know!
I hope it turned out well!