• Skip to primary navigation
  • Skip to main content
  • Skip to primary sidebar
  • Skip to footer
Plant-Based Cooking
  • Start Here
    • Introduction
    • What is a Plant-Based Diet?
    • Freebies
    • 12 Tips for Starting
    • Got Questions?
    • Meal Planning Myths
    • Nutrition Needs
    • Plant-Based Myths
    • Stock Your Pantry
    • Tools, Tips and Freebies
    • Uncommon Ingredients
    • What to Expect
    • Why Eat Plants?
  • Recipes
    • 12 Most Popular
    • Appetizers
    • Beverages
    • Breakfast
    • Desserts
    • Gluten-Free
    • Holiday Recipes
    • Main Dishes
    • Plantricious
    • Recipe Roundups
    • Salads & Dressings
    • Sandwiches
    • Sauces & Condiments
    • Side Dishes
    • Snacks
    • Soups & Stews
  • Articles
    • All Articles
    • Cooking Tips
    • Food Facts
    • Getting Started
    • Interviews
    • Meal Planning
    • Nutrition
    • Reader Questions
    • Staying Motivated
    • Success Stories
  • Freebies
    • Subscribe
    • Resource List
    • Freebie Articles
    • Freebie Login
  • Shop
    • Books
    • Cookbooks/Recipes
    • Kitchen Essentials
    • Pantry Essentials
  • About
    • About PB Cooking
    • About Diane
    • Diane’s Health Journey
    • Contact
  • Cookbook
Home » Cheezy Veggie Divan

Cheezy Veggie Divan

May 25, 2017 By Diane Smith 20 Comments

Disclosure: This post may contain affiliate links. As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases.
PinterestFacebook
Jump to Recipe

Chicken Divan was one of those meals that I’d often make for dinner before I stopped eating meat. It’s traditionally made with broccoli and a béchamel sauce that includes butter, cream, sherry, and added cheese. But this plant-based (no cheese) Cheezy Veggie Divan is much healthier and loved by all who have tried it.

Veggie Divan

It’s origination, and the name came from the Divan Parisienne Restaurant in the New York Chatham Hotel. It was served as the signature dish in the early twentieth century.

Then, at some point, I’m not sure when, maybe in the 60’s, it morphed into a dish that used Cambell’s Cream of Chicken Soup and mayonnaise. Not the healthiest version!

The great thing about this dish is that it contains white beans, which add protein. And we know how good beans are for us, right? Watch this video from nutritionfacts.org, “Why We Should Eat More Beans.”

Veggie Divan

Be sure to try these veggie-packed dinner dishes:

  • Creamy Noodle-less Zucchini, Tomato Lasagna
  • Crustless Broccoli Sun-Dried Tomato Quiche
  • Easy Chana Masala With Chickpeas & Yams
  • Eggplant Szechuan-Style with Peppers & Mushrooms
  • Moroccan Stew with Kale

This dish uses the same delicious veggies—broccoli, carrots, and cauliflower. I almost always have those on hand, but you can add any kind you like. Even potatoes would be good.

Divan Ingredients

This dish is great for leftovers. I served it with quinoa. The lovely cheesy color comes from roasted red peppers.

Enjoy this easy dish with just a few steps

This recipe is quite simple to accomplish. Start by steaming your veggies until crisp-tender. While they’re steaming and the oven is preheating you can start your cheese sauce.

Veggies for Divan

Make your cheese sauce by adding the beans, roasted red peppers, nutritional yeast, lemon juice, tahini, mustard, and spices to the blender. Blend until smooth. To reach the right consistency, add a little bit of vegetable broth (tablespoon at a time).

Add your steamed veggies to the prepared baking pan, then pour the “cheese” mixture on top. Cover with foil and bake for 30 minutes or so. This is perfect served with a side of quinoa or brown rice!

I’d love to hear your feedback in the comments below for this Cheezy Veggie Divan recipe! If you have a photo, post it on my Facebook page, tag me using the hashtag #plantbasedcooking in your caption, and I won’t miss it! Inspired by “The Ultimate Uncheese Cookbook” by Jo Stepaniak.

This recipe is Certified Plantricious because it meets the following guidelines.

"Cooking with Certified Plantricious Guidelines" seal

The Trusted Seal for
Plant-Based Nutrition

  • Must be whole food plant-based, contains no animal products
  • May be minimally processed
  • No added oil
  • No added sugars
  • No artificial additives or preservatives
  • Sodium (mg) to Calories ratio, 1 ≤ 1
  • Total Fiber to Calories, 2g ≥ 100 calories

 

Veggie Divan
Print Recipe
3.73 from 48 votes
Save Saved!

Cheezy Veggie Divan

This "cheezy" sauce is made with super, good-for-you cannellini beans and red roasted peppers. Great for a crowd or a weeknight meal.
Prep Time20 minutes mins
Total Time20 minutes mins
Servings: 6 people

Equipment

  • Cutting board
  • Knife
  • Colander
  • Measuring Cups and Spoons
  • Ceramic Bakeware
  • Steamer Basket
  • Stainless Steel Pot Set
  • High-Speed Blender
  • Spatula Set

Ingredients

  • 1 head broccoli cut into bite-sized pieces
  • 1/2 head cauliflower cut into bite-sized pieces
  • 4 carrots peeled, sliced into 3/4 pieces
  • 1 large onion cubed

Cheesy Sauce

  • 1 (15-oz.) can white cannellini beans drained and rinsed (or 2 cups prepared from scratch)
  • 1/2 cup jarred roasted red peppers packed in water, drained (or homemade)
  • 1/3 cup nutritional yeast
  • 4 tbsp fresh lemon juice
  • 2 tbsp tahini
  • 1 tsp yellow mustard
  • 1/2 tsp salt (optional)
  • 1/2 tsp garlic powder
  • 1/2 tsp onion powder
  • 1 1/2 cups homemade vegetable broth or low-sodium brand, divided
Prevent your screen from going dark

Instructions

  • Preheat oven to 350°F. Spray the bottom of a 9 x 12″ baking pan with non-stick spray and set aside.
  • Steam broccoli, cauliflower, carrots, and onion in a large pot over boiling water or in a steamer basket until crisp-tender. Place into your prepared baking pan.
  • Prepare the cheese sauce by placing the beans, roasted red peppers, nutritional yeast, lemon juice, tahini, mustard, spices, and 1/2 cup vegetable broth in a blender.
  • Blend until very smooth adding a little vegetable broth to thin and make it easier to remove.
  • Scrap the cheese sauce from the blender into a large pan over medium heat. Reuse your steaming pan if that works. Add the veggie broth.
  • Mix carefully with a whisk until the sauce is smooth and liquid is incorporated together with the cheese sauce. Let heat through.
  • Pour the sauce over the veggies and move them around a little to make sure the sauce covers them. Cover with foil and bake for 30 minutes or until heated through.
  • Serve with your choice of grain.

Notes

Salt not included

Nutrition

Nutrition Facts
Cheezy Veggie Divan
Amount per Serving
Calories
140
% Daily Value*
Fat
 
3.6
g
6
%
Saturated Fat
 
0.5
g
3
%
Cholesterol
 
0
mg
0
%
Sodium
 
121.2
mg
5
%
Carbohydrates
 
22.3
g
7
%
Fiber
 
7
g
29
%
Sugar
 
6.4
g
7
%
Protein
 
7.5
g
15
%
Vitamin A
 
1250
IU
25
%
Vitamin C
 
120.5
mg
146
%
Calcium
 
80
mg
8
%
Iron
 
2
mg
11
%
* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2000 calorie diet.
The nutrition information is a rough estimate. Values will vary based on variables like specific brand or type of product used. To obtain the most accurate representation, it’s recommended that you calculate your own with the actual amount and type of ingredient used.
Tried this recipe?Tag @PlantBasedCooking on Intagram!
PinterestFacebook

Reader Interactions

Comments

  1. Marina Fairfield

    May 26, 2017 at 11:01 am

    What can I substitute for the tahini in your divan recipe?

    Reply
    • Diane Smith

      May 26, 2017 at 11:23 am

      I would say that you could just leave the tahini out of the recipe. It’s not a very strong flavor with all of the other ingredients and I don’t think it would affect it much.

      Reply
  2. Ian White

    July 2, 2017 at 11:55 pm

    Just tried this out and it was great. I switched out the onion powder for chili powder because it’s what I had available and I added extra broccoli instead of Cauliflower. It tastes good and was really simple to make.

    Reply
    • Diane Smith

      July 3, 2017 at 9:34 am

      So glad you enjoyed it and are thinking creatively when it comes to spices!

      Reply
  3. Jo

    July 5, 2017 at 5:55 am

    Where can i get nutritional yeast? I live in sydney, Australia and have never heard of it.

    Reply
    • Diane Smith

      July 5, 2017 at 9:40 am

      Hi, I just read that it can be called Savoury Yeast in Australia so that may help. You should be able to purchase it in most health food stores. If you can’t find it in a store like Go Vita or Mrs. Flannery’s, you could purchase it online. There may be other online resources, but here’s one: http://www.veganonline.com.au/groceries/pantry/lotus-savoury-yeast-flakes-200g

      Reply
  4. Audrell Beloved

    August 10, 2017 at 3:56 pm

    Sooooo, I just made this. And I’m taking it to a pot luck. I like the flavor…Lets see what the meat eaters think… 🙂 Thanks for the idea.

    Reply
    • Diane Smith

      August 10, 2017 at 6:16 pm

      You’re welcome. They can be a tough lot. Hope it goes well. ????

      Reply
  5. Danielle

    February 3, 2018 at 7:46 pm

    Just made this and absolutely delicious!!!!! Saving this recipe for sure. After trying it, it would be easy to add things to do and make into different meals. THANKS!

    Reply
    • Diane Smith

      February 3, 2018 at 8:08 pm

      Hey Danielle, thanks for the feedback and I’m so glad you enjoyed the divan. I’d love to hear how to make it into different meals.

      Reply
  6. Alison

    February 11, 2018 at 2:41 pm

    Hi, can you freeze this please?

    Reply
    • Diane Smith

      February 12, 2018 at 3:25 pm

      Hi Alison, I don’t see why you couldn’t. The only thing I’d worry about is freezer burn. I haven’t heard of freezer paper, but there was a suggestion I found, “Too much air in the container will cause freezer burn, so if there’s a lot of empty space at the top of the container, fill it with crumpled freezer paper. Cover the pan or dish first with plastic wrap, and then overlay that with heavyweight aluminum foil.”

      Reply
  7. DEE

    February 16, 2018 at 4:58 pm

    This is delicious!!!!! The whole family loved it and had no idea it was plant based. Definitely making again and again

    Reply
    • Diane Smith

      February 16, 2018 at 6:23 pm

      Thanks so much for letting me know! And, I’m so happy all of the family loved it! Here’s to eating plant-based!

      Reply
  8. Le-Anne

    May 18, 2018 at 11:19 pm

    OMG…made this substituting medium tofu for beans as I only had blackbeans …the sauce is sooo delicious and I didn’t reheat it before adding over veggies…left out the capsicum…didn’t have any BUT this tasted so close to French onion dip!!! I am going to try this sauce without the extra water and see what happens 🙂 Beautifully baked too..served with creamy mashed potatoes…YUM

    Reply
    • Diane Smith

      May 19, 2018 at 9:49 am

      I’m so glad you enjoyed it! And I like that you’re willing to experiment when all of the ingredients aren’t available. I love the idea of serving this with creamy mashed potatoes, too. I’m going to have to try your version soon as you’re making me hungry.

      Reply
  9. Linda Wenger

    April 16, 2020 at 12:56 pm

    Really want to try this recipe. Only have purple cauliflower? What are your thoughts?
    Thank you

    Reply
    • Diane Smith

      April 16, 2020 at 2:30 pm

      Hey Linda, I say, why not. Although it may stand out a little from the rest of the veg, it’ll still be delicious. Now I’m thinking, I’d like to eat more purple cauliflower. It has more of the antioxidant anthocyanin which gives it it’s color, and that’s a good thing. 🙂

      Reply
  10. Natasha Dunda

    August 24, 2022 at 6:36 pm

    2 stars
    This was edible, but the flavors just weren’t there. Highly disappointing.

    Reply
    • Diane Smith

      August 25, 2022 at 12:03 pm

      Hey Natasha, I understand that the recipe was disappointing for you. I’m not sure what diet you’re used to, but this can happen if you’re just getting started eating a whole food, plant-based diet…especially if you’re used to eating cheese. Most of the recipes on this site conform to low salt, processed oil, and sugar and therefore could be less appealing at the start until tastebuds get used to this way of eating. That said, I hope you would try upping some of the spices and experimenting for your own taste. As you can see from the positive comments, people have enjoyed the recipe.

      Reply
3.73 from 48 votes (47 ratings without comment)

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Recipe Rating




Primary Sidebar

Get Social

Plant Based Cooking on Facebook   Plant Based Cooking on Instagram   Plant Based Cooking on Pinterest   Plant Based Cooking on Twitter   Plant Based Cooking on YouTube

Meet Diane

WELCOME TO PLANT-BASED COOKING

Hi! I'm Diane, and I'd love to help you live a plant-based lifestyle with steps, tools and actions for disease reversal, weight loss and renewed vitality. I hope to make your journey easier. Click here to read more.

Top 50 Vegan Blogs of 2025

Graduate Badge

Sign Up Intro

Join my list and get your free checklist, “8 Plant-Based Meal Planning Mistakes and How to Avoid Them” plus a helpful bonus meal planning worksheet.

Leadpages signup button

 

Join me on Facebook

Plant-Based Cooking on Facebook Like Sign Up Plant-Based CoOoking on Facebook

Christmas

See More →

New Year’s Day

See More →

Game Day

Positive Thought

How to Create Plant-Based Affirmations That Work

Dried Herbs

How to Store and Refresh Herbs

A Quick Guide to Making Veggie Bowls

20 Vegan Plant-Based Casserole Recipes

Plant-Based Casserole Roundup

Photo of Broccoli, Cabbage, Brussels Sprouts

The Power of Green Foods in Your Diet

Plant-Based Meat words surrounded by fake meats

The Pros and Cons of Fake Vegan Meat

Spiralized Zucchini, Sweet Potatoes, and Beets

How to Make Veggie Noodles

Hands cooking stir fry with wooden spoon.

How to Make a Recipe Plant-Based

Roasted Potatoes

Roasting Vegetables without Oil

Valentine’s Day

See More →

St. Patrick’s Day

See More →

Easter

Positive Thought

How to Create Plant-Based Affirmations That Work

Dried Herbs

How to Store and Refresh Herbs

A Quick Guide to Making Veggie Bowls

20 Vegan Plant-Based Casserole Recipes

Plant-Based Casserole Roundup

Photo of Broccoli, Cabbage, Brussels Sprouts

The Power of Green Foods in Your Diet

Plant-Based Meat words surrounded by fake meats

The Pros and Cons of Fake Vegan Meat

Spiralized Zucchini, Sweet Potatoes, and Beets

How to Make Veggie Noodles

Hands cooking stir fry with wooden spoon.

How to Make a Recipe Plant-Based

Roasted Potatoes

Roasting Vegetables without Oil

Cinco de Mayo

See More →

Mother’s Day

See More →

Memorial Day

See More →

Father’s Day

See More →

Fourth of July

See More →

Labor Day

See More →

Halloween

See More →

Thanksgiving

Hanukkah

See More →

Footer

Instagram

Pinterest

            Plant Based Cooking on YouTube

Disclosure and Privacy Policy

Recent Articles

Positive Thought

How to Create Plant-Based Affirmations That Work

Dried Herbs

How to Store and Refresh Herbs

A Quick Guide to Making Veggie Bowls

Contact: diane@plantbasedcooking.com

Copyright © 2021 Plant Based Cooking

Rate This Recipe

Your vote:




A rating is required
A name is required
An email is required

Recipe Ratings without Comment

Something went wrong. Please try again.