Vegan Baked Ziti

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!

Course dinner

Cuisine Italian

Keyword dairy free baked ziti, healthy baked ziti, vegan baked ziti

Prep Time 3

Cook Time 25

Total Time 28

Servings

Calories 484kcal

Author Samantha Rowland

Cost $8.03 Recipe/$2.02 Serving

Ingredients

8 oz chickpea or lentil pasta, ziti or penne shaped $2.99
1.5 cups cooked green lentils $0.56

Homemade Pasta Sauce

1 medium white onion, chopped $0.33
2 cloves garlic, chopped $0.16
1 tbsp. tomato paste $0.08
1 tbsp. balsamic vinegar $0.31
28 oz. tomato puree or crushed tomatoes $1.75
1 tbsp Italian seasoning $0.30
1 tsp. garlic powder $0.10
1 tsp. sea salt $0.05

Creamy Cashew Sauce

1/2 cup cashews, soaked $0.93
1/3 cup water $0.00
1/2 tsp. sea salt $0.03
1/4 tsp. garlic powder $0.03

Instructions

Add water to a large pot and put over high heat to bring to a boil for the pasta. Preheat oven to 425F.
Soak cashews: pour boiling water over cashews in a bowl Let them soak at least 5 minutes.
Preheat a large skillet. 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. Add cooked lentils to pasta sauce. 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.
Make the cashew sauce: drain the cashews from the soaking liquid. Add cashews, fresh water, salt and garlic powder to blender. Blend on high 1-2 minutes.
Spoon 2-3 large spoonful's of pasta sauce into the bottom of an 8x8 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

Be sure to use a casserole dish that can handle high heat (from the broiler), don't use glass it can shatter. You can also use your largest cast iron skillet.
This recipe was written using chickpea pasta which comes in 8 ounce boxes. If you are using a full pound of pasta, double the ingredients and use a 9x13 dish instead.
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 – pour 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.

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 it 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.

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