This hearty vegetarian casserole is loaded with brown rice, sweet onions, and smoky Swiss cheese. Yum!
I've said it before and I'll say it again: I LOVE CASSEROLES! I grew up on a steady diet of cheesy and/or creamy casseroles, so they will always hold a soft spot in my heart.
Since I try to eat (somewhat) healthy now, I don't eat casseroles as often as I used to, and when I do make them, I try to create lighter versions of my all time favorites.
This sweet onion casserole recipe is adapted from an old fashioned onion casserole that I loved as a kid. I made a few little changes - rather than using white rice, I substituted brown. Not only does this make the casserole more nutritious, but it's a little bit heartier too. And instead of using gruyere cheese, I used a smoked Swiss cheese. The casserole smelled so good while it was cooking and it tasted even better when it was done.
I think this is now one of my new favorite vegetarian casserole recipes!
More Tasty Vegetarian Casseroles
And if you love this vegetarian sweet onion casserole, be sure to check out these other reader favorites:
📖 Recipe
Ingredients
- cooking spray or oil mister
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 4 cups Vidalia onions, or other sweet onion, about 1 ¾ pounds, chopped
- ½ cup brown rice, cooked according to package directions
- ⅓ cup Milk, I used 2% reduced fat
- ½ cup smoked Swiss cheese, shredded
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- ¼ teaspoon Black Pepper
- ⅛ teaspoon allspice
- ⅓ cup parmesan cheese, shredded
- 2 tablespoon fresh parsley, chopped
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 325 degrees Fahrenheit. Spray 8-inch square glass or ceramic baking dish with cooking spray.
- Heat a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add oil; swirl to coat. Add onion; saute 5 minutes or until tender. Transfer to large bowl.
- Stir rice and next 5 ingredients (through allspice) into onions. Spoon onion mixture into baking dish. Sprinkle with Parmesan cheese. Cover with foil and bake at 325 degrees for 30 minutes. Uncover and broil for an additional 5 minutes, or until cheese begins to brown. Top with parsley.
Jamie (Thrifty Veggie Mama) says
I saw this one and thought it looked interesting. I might have to try it now! I love Cooking Light magazine!
The Type A Housewife says
I do too! It's one of my favorite cooking magazines and even a lot of the meat recipes are easily adapted to veggie versions.
Grumpy Grateful Mom says
I'll bet this smells phenomenal. I'd love to make this, except I'd have to replace the onions with hash browns. I'm crazy like that. 🙂
The Type A Housewife says
Oh, I love hash brown casserole. I bet that would taste good with the smoked Swiss too. 🙂
Kelly says
Yum! My daughter loves raw onions and cheese - I wonder if I could talk her into eating this?!
The Type A Housewife says
It's so hilarious that Cakes loves raw onions of all things. 🙂 Maybe you could undercook this and she'll eat it?
Brenda Williams says
Thank you for this recipe. I can't wait to try it.
The Type A Housewife says
I hope you like it! And really, I think any cheese would be good in this--cheddar would work well too.
Emily says
MMM....yummy! I'm making this one soon. Maybe for the BBQ I just found out we've been invited to tonight.
Thanks so much for linking up with my {new} Whip it up Wednesday handmade party! Hope you'll participate next week, too!
The Type A Housewife says
Oh, this is the perfect kind of thing to bring to potlucks. 🙂 I'm going to be out of town next week, so I probably won't have the chance to link up, but I will try to remember the week after!
Rachel R. says
I finally got around to making this the other day. My husband was wary but actually went back for seconds. I stuck with the gruyere since I already had that on hand from the french onion soup I made. I'll have to try more of your vegetarian options 🙂
The Type A Housewife says
My husband is not a casserole fan, but he liked this one too. Glad you enjoyed it! That's always good to hear. 🙂
Heather says
would you freeze this before or after cooking it completely? Thanks!
Kiersten says
Although this recipe was linked Once A Month Mom, I've never frozen it myself, so I'm not sure (maybe someone there could answer?). I'm thinking that after cooking it would probably be best...
Erin says
I made this tonight and my daughter and I gobbled it up. Delicious! I used shredded mozzarella and smoked gouda cheese and doubled the brown rice. I will definitely make this again. Thanks for the recipe.
Kiersten says
Thanks for letting me know--I'm so glad you enjoyed it!
Kathleen says
I made this last night with Havarti and Montazzio cheese (that's what I had on hand). The flavor was great, but next time I think I will double the rice and add chopped pecans or walnuts for texture. Thanks for posting this recipe!
Kiersten says
Glad you enjoyed it! 🙂
Elizabeth says
I love this casserole! It's become one of my favorites to make on the weekend and eat throughout the week because it keeps so well. I have started adding shredded potatoes and canned mushrooms to it so that it goes a bit farther and is heartier. Love it! Thanks!
Kiersten says
I'm glad you like it! I love the idea of adding potatoes and mushrooms too! 🙂
Jon says
This recipe is amazing. I went to a casserole competition party and won first place! I used smoked gouda. I added a 1/2 cup extra of rice, and went heavy on the cheese (duh!) Very easy to make.
Kiersten Frase says
I'm glad you enjoy the recipe and congratulations on the win! 🙂
Diane says
We've made this twice in four days! Definitely better right out of the oven. My husband went crazy over it! We couldn't find smoked Swiss, so we used the Gruyere. Thanks for the recipe!
Kiersten Frase says
Thank you for your comment--I'm glad you've enjoyed the recipe! 🙂
Justin says
I've been trying to eat better (i.e. cook more of my own meals) which includes going meatless once in awhile. This is a winner! Realized I had no smoked cheese, but regular gouda did the trick.