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Vegan Baked Ziti
$8.03 Recipe/$2.02 Serving
Vegan baked ziti is so easy to make, ready in 30 minutes and perfect for weeknight meals. This healthy dairy free baked ziti is packed with flavor and has a creamy cashew topping, making it the ultimate comfort food!
Add water to a large pot and put over high heat to bring to a boil for the pasta. Preheat oven to 425F.
Add water to an electric kettle and turn on. Once boiling, pour water over cashews for soaking. Let them soak at least 5 minutes.
Preheat a large skillet over medium heat.
Finely chop the onion and 2 clove of garlic. When the skillet is hot, add the onions.
Cook the onions for 3-4 minutes, stirring occasionally. When onions are almost done, add garlic and cook 1-2 minutes.
Add tomato paste, Italian seasoning, salt and garlic powder to the cooked onions in the skillet. Turn to low heat.
Once tomato paste is well incorporated in the onions, add the can of tomato puree and balsamic vinegar. Stir well and cook over very low heat.
When water is boiling for pasta, add pinch of salt and the pasta. Cook for 1-2 minutes less than what the instructions on the box indicate.
While pasta is cooking, drain the cashews and add cashews, fresh water, salt and garlic powder to blender. Blend on high 1-2 minutes.
Add cooked lentils to pasta sauce and turn off heat. Stir well.
Once pasta is done cooking, drain it in a colander.
Spoon 2-3 large spoonfuls of pasta sauce into the bottom of the casserole dish. Next add the cooked pasta and the rest of the pasta sauce on top. Stir well.
Once all the pasta is coated in sauce, flatten down the pasta in the casserole dish. Pour the cashew cream over top and smooth out with back of a spoon or spatula.
Bake in a 425F oven for 10 minutes. Immediately turn on the broiler and broil for 3-3:30 until the top starts to get golden brown. Serve hot.
Notes
Top tips
This recipe uses chickpea pasta (Banza) which comes in 8 ounce boxes, so if you are using a full pound of pasta, you will want to double the sauce and cashew cheese sauce ingredients as well.
If you are using canned diced tomatoes, drain off some of the liquid in the can before quickly blending, otherwise the sauce may be too watery.
Be sure to cook the pasta 1-2 minutes less than the box instructs, as it will continue to cook in the oven as well or the pasta will get mushy in the oven.
Time saving tip: Don't have time to make your own marinara? Use a jar of your favorite store bought!
How to soak cashews
Cover in boiling water – bring water to a boil (I use an electric kettle) then pour the boiling water over the cashews in a bowl or glass. Allow the cashews to soak at least 5 minutes. The longer they can soak, the softer they get.
Microwave – add just enough water to cover the cashews and microwave 2-3 minutes. Allow the cashews to sit in the microwave 5 minutes before carefully removing them (use oven mitts) to discard the water.
Stove top – bring water and cashews to a boil and allow it to boil 1-2 minutes. Allow cashews to rest in the hot water for at least 5 minutes before draining the cashews.
Countertop – the easiest way to soak cashews it to add water to a cup with the cashews and allow them to soak 6-8 hours (or more).
How to make vegan baked ziti in advance:Make the entire dish the up to 48 hours before, store it covered with foil in the fridge. When you are ready to serve, pop in oven covered in foil at 425F for 25 minutes, remove foil and broil 3-3:30 minutes.How to freeze baked ziti before baking:Fully assemble the baked ziti, allow it to cool completely in the fridge then move it to the freezer to freeze up to 3 months. I recommend that you use a foil baking pan for this, as you will be out a casserole dish if the ziti is in the freezer for months. Be sure to cover the ziti in foil then plastic wrap to ensure it doesn’t get freezer burn.When ready to serve, remove the plastic wrap and put the ziti in a 375F preheated oven for 1 hour. After 1 hour, remove the foil cover and turn the oven to broil. Broil for 3-3:30 until the top is brown.How to make this nut free:
Hemp hearts (no soaking needed) – hemp hearts have a little grassier flavor, so I recommend increasing the garlic powder to ½ to ¾ teaspoon to help offset that grassier flavor.
Raw sunflower seeds or pepitas (will need soaking just like the cashews) – sunflower seeds or pepitas will have a slightly different flavor but if you cannot tolerate cashews, this is a good option.
White beans – white beans can be used to make a creamy sauce. If you want to use a can of white beans, I would increase the water to ¾ cup.
Storing leftovers
Fridge: Leftover vegan baked ziti can be store in the fridge in a well-sealed container for up to 5 days, making it perfect for leftovers! Serve leftovers for lunch or dinner!
Reheat leftover ziti in the microwave 1:30 -2 minutes or in the oven 375F for 10-12 minutes.
Freezer: Freeze leftover baked ziti for up to 3 months. Be sure to label the ziti with the name, date and use by date. I like to spoon the leftovers into Soupercubes so I can freeze individual servings at a time. Once frozen, transfer the cubes into a freezer safe bag and freeze 3 months.
Nutrition Information
Nutrition Facts
Amount per Serving
Calories
484
Fat
11
g
Carbohydrates
79
g
Fiber
21
g
Sugar
19
g
Protein
29
g
Where does nutrition info come from? Nutrition facts are provided as a courtesy, sourced from the USDA Food Database.
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