Vegan MoFo #14: Bulgur-Bean Bake

This was brilliant, gleaming, and beautiful as I stirred it up in the pan, and I was in love with the sight of it. Then Mr Pine Nut walked by and said, “That’s really pretty.” Then he added, “It looks gassy.”

Ha ha.

I have always loooooved lima beans. Not dried ones, not canned ones, but frozen ones. OMNOMNOM FROZEN LIMA BEANS. Well, frozen lima beans COOKED, that is. Anyway. Therefore this recipe looked really yummy to me.

In the end, though, it left me a little cold. Partly because the celery hadn’t been sauteed quite enough to suit my celerycrunchphobia, but mostly it just seemed not that spectacular. It was good enough that I’ll eat the rest of the pan, but I don’t know that I’ll make it again. BUT! If you want to try it, here’s the recipe.

This recipe was originally “Hamburger-Bean Bake”, found on page 33 of the 1978 Betty Crocker cookbook.

1 1/2 lb bulgur “beef” (about 2 cups’ worth; see the note for plain “beef” in this post)
1 1/2 c finely chopped onion
1/2 c chopped celery
1 tsp beaf or other beef-like seasoning
1/3 c boiling water
1 clove garlic, crushed
3/4 c tomato sauce
1 T lemon juice
3/4 tsp salt
1 lb frozen limas
1 15-oz can kidney beans, drained
2 T vegan bacon bits

Cook and stir burger, onions, and celery together until onions are tender.

Dissolve beeflike seasoning in boiling water. Add with garlic, tomato sauce, lemon juice, salt, and beans into burger mixture.

Pour into 8×8″ pan or 2-quart casserole. Cover and cook at 375 until hot and bubbly, about 30 minutes. Sprinkle fakey bacon on top to serve.