I’m the kind of person that can eat side dishes as my entire meal… they’re always better than the main dish! That’s exactly how I feel about this root vegetable gratin. It’s creamy and cheesy like gratin potatoes, but is packed with vibrant and rustic flavors you just can’t get from regular yellow potatoes. It’s made both gluten and dairy-free rather than the typical cheesy gratin potatoes, and is made absolutely delicious with creamy oat milk. This dish is so perfect for serving friends & family something hearty and warming during the holiday season.

Root Vegetable Gratin Ingredients

Beets: The first of the root vegetables that are used for this recipe are beets. I absolutely love beets, not only for their great source of nutrients, but for their earthy taste and beautiful pink color when baked. You’ll want to buy raw, uncooked beets for this recipe.

Sweet Potatoes: The second root vegetable you’ll need for the gratin recipe is sweet potato. Sweet potatoes compliment the beets really well and make for the perfect earthy, wholesome taste. If you’d like to use something different than beets or sweet potatoes, you could try any other root veggie like white potatoes or turnips as well.

Garlic: I basically refuse to write any savory recipe without some fresh minced garlic and this one is no different. Garlic cloves are used in the gratin for extra flavor and are first sautéed in oil before becoming the vegan cheesy sauce.

Oat Milk: The base of the vegan cheesy sauce which makes the root veggie gratin taste like a gratin is oat milk. Oat milk is an incredible substitute for cream because it is so creamy and delicious. I’ve made this recipe with both oat milk and cream and I can honestly say they are both so tasty.

Dairy-Free Mozzarella: I’ve tried out many different kinds of dairy-free cheeses and I have to say this Violife dairy-free mozzarella is probably my favorite. It melts right into the heated oat milk, helping the sauce become cheesy and thickened like it’s supposed to. Feel free to use any brand that you love.

Spices: The spices you’ll need for this recipe include salt, black pepper, thyme and rosemary. These are basic spices that I use in a lot of my fall and winter baked goods because they really do just taste like a warm, home cooked meal when put together. Feel free to add whatever else you may like as well.

If you try out this recipe, I want to know! Leave a comment with a star rating below if you love it. You can also snap a photo & tag @jenneatsgoood on INSTAGRAM. Your reviews help support this blog and make it possible for me to continue to create healthier recipes!

ROOT VEGETABLE GRATIN

Recipe by Jenn Lueke

5.0 from 2 votes

Servings

–

4-6

servings

Prep time

minutes

Cooking time

minutes

Cook Mode

Keep the screen of your device on

Ingredients

3 medium-sized beets, peeled
3 medium-sized sweet potatoes, peeled
2 tbsp avocado or olive oil
3 garlic cloves, minced
1 cup oat milk or vegan creamer
1 cup dairy-free shredded mozzarella
1 tsp salt
1/2 tsp black pepper
2 tsp fresh thyme, finely chopped
1 tsp fresh rosemary, finely chopped

Directions

Preheat oven to 400 degrees and line a baking dish with parchment paper or grease it with oil.
Prep the beets and sweet potatoes by washing and peeling them, then slice them into very thin slices – the thinner the better.
Once all of the beets and sweet potatoes are sliced, begin lining them up one on top of the other in the prepared baking dish. Depending on the size of your baking dish, make two to five rows of each vegetable.
In a small saucepan, bring the oil to the a simmer over medium heat on the stove. Add the minced garlic and sauté for about five minutes, until aromatic without burning.
Add the oat milk to the saucepan and bring to a simmer. Once heated, add in the dairy-free mozzarella and fold it in until fully melted. Season with salt and black pepper and remove from heat.
Pour the cheesy mixture on top of the pan lined with beets and sweet potatoes, covering everything evenly. Top with additional salt and black pepper if desired as well as the thyme and rosemary.
Bake for 45 minutes to one hour, until the dish is bubbly and the top is crisp. Let cool before serving or store in the refrigerator for up to four days.