Vegan Baked Ziti with Cashew Cheese Sauce
Dec 2, 2020 (Last updated Jan 7, 2025) by Hannah Sunderani
Vegan Baked Ziti with Cashew Cheese Sauce
Say hello to this vegan baked ziti recipe! My family absolutely LOVED this recipe! It’s wholesome, filling and protein packed. Made with homemade cashew cheese sauce, and plant-based meat. It’s easy enough for a middle-of-the-week dinner, and gourmet enough for entertaining.
All-in-all, It’s a perfect vegan pasta dinner to please a crowd, and easy enough for a mid-week dinner. It’s ready in under an hour with a 25 minute bake time! Plus it makes perfect next day leftovers (that is, if you have any leftovers).
Hands down, this baked ziti is one of my favourite easy dinner dishes I’ve made to really please a crowd of picky eaters.
This baked ziti is:
- Vegan and dairy-free
- Easy to make
- Protein-packed
- Wholesome and comforting
- Crowd pleasing (a recipe for all types of eaters)
- Easy weeknight dinner
- Gourmet enough for entertaining
- Can easily be made gluten-free using GF pasta noodles
So, let me tell you exactly how to make this vegan pasta bake, so that you and your fam can enjoy it pronto!
Vegan Baked Ziti Recipe
Vegan Baked Ziti Tips & Notes
Making this baked ziti couldn’t be easier to do. Essentially, it’s helpful to think of the recipe in sections. Starting with making your pasta sauce, followed by the cashew cheese sauce, and then boiling the noodles. Each of these sections are simple and straight forward, and when combined it makes for a gorgeously comforting and drool-worthy dish that’s so much more than the individual elements alone.
To bake the Ziti, we will layer the sauce, noodles, and vegan cashew cheese in a casserole. Sprinkle it with store-bought vegan mozzarella (this is optional), and BAKE! See below on How to Make Vegan Baked Ziti for the step-by-step layering process.
Ziti Noodles
Making sure that you boil the noodles right is essential for a perfectly tasting vegan pasta bake.
Since we are baking the ziti, it’s important to slightly under boil the noodles as they will continue to cook in the oven.
(Keep in mind, the noodles here aren’t gluten-free. If you’re gluten-free you can swap the noodles for a glute-free version. Or, try my vegan lasagna recipe using zuchinni noodles!)
The time allotted for boiling ziti noodles depends on the brand you buy. My recommendation is to cook them just before they are al-dente. Look at the recommendation on the packet for cooking al-dente, and then cook 3 to 4 minutes under this. For example, if your packet recommends a 10 minutes cook time, then boil the ziti noodles for 6 to 7 minutes.
You can also substitute penne noodles for the ziti noodles in this recipe, if it’s easier to find at your grocery store. In fact, that’s exactly what I did in this recipe. The recipe works just the same.
If you’re interested, Wiki does a good job and explaining the difference between these two very similar pasta shapes. The Kitchn also tends to agree that both can be used with their All-Star Baked Ziti recipe.
Cashew Cheese
I absolutely LOVE the cashew cheese sauce in this recipe for a creamy and cheesy vegan baked ziti. It’s a simple recipe, made with cashews and nutritional yeast. In my opinion, it makes for a better tasting baked ziti than the classic dairy version that I remember from my childhood.
This cashew cheese is smooth, creamy, cheesy and full of umami flavour. It traps in the moisture keeping the noodles soft, and it beautifully offsets the tomato sauce for a rich and cheesy bake.
I have also finished this recipe by sprinkling it with store-bought vegan mozzarella. This is optional, but I really love that extra bit of cheesy topping for a traditional style baked ziti. For this recipe, I used Daiya mozzarella cheese. (Not sponsored, just really like this cheese).
the vegan “meat” and tomato sauce
Traditionally, baked ziti uses ground beef in the tomato sauce. For this recipe, I’ve opted in for plant-based ground to mimic the traditional baked ziti recipe. I recommend to use a brand like Lightlife or Beyond Meat. It’s texture and flavours is spot on, and works beautifully in this bake. Plus, it’s protein packed making this a dish that sticks with you.
If you prefer, you can still make this recipe by omitting the vegan meat entirely and keeping it “vegetarian style.” Or, substitute the plant-based ground for green or brown lentils.
How to make Vegan Baked Ziti (step-by-step)
Here is how you layer the ziti for baking:
- Add 1 1/2 cups of the vegan tomato sauce to a large casserole dish.
- Fill with the ziti noodles.
- Add the remaining tomato sauce.
- Drizzle with the cashew cheese.
- Sprinkle with the shredded vegan mozzarella cheese (I used Daiya brand)
- Bake at 350 uncovered for 25 mins.
Recipe FAQs:
You do not need to cover your ziti when baking. Bake time for this recipe is short (just 25 minutes) since the noodles are pre-boiled. Therefore the ziti will not burn when uncovered (and a lightly golden top is welcomed).
Yes! The cashew cheese sauce can be made up to 3 days in advance. Store in the fridge in an air-tight container.
If you are allergic to cashews you can substitute this recipe with raw and slivered almonds (without the brown outer skin). Or, to make the sauce nut-free you can substitute with hemp seeds. (Hemp seeds dp not need to be soaked before using in this sauce. Keep in mind it also changes the flavour profile, but it’s still very tasty!).
Yes, this cheese sauce can be made without nutritional yeast. It’s still delicious! However, nutritional yeast adds another level of cheesy flavour to the sauce.
Absolutely! I plant-based ground can be substituted with green or brown lentils for a more whole-foods option. Or try substituting with vegan sausage.
Yes! You can substitute with penne noodles in this recipe. The recipe works just the same with penne noodles.
This recipe will keep for up to 5 days. Store in the fridge in an air-tight container.
You can freeze this recipe after baking. Freshly cooked pasta doesn’t reheat to exactly the same texture, but it’s still very tasty. Re-heat in the oven from frozen at 350F/180C, covered with foil, for 20-25 minutes. Or reheat in the microwave until desired temperature.
Other recipes you might like
If you’re digging this pasta recipe, you might also like:
- Pumpkin Mac and Cheese
- Pesto Pasta
- Vegan Mushroom Stroganoff
- Vegan Alfredo Sauce
- Lentil Bolognese
- Vegan Zucchini Lasagna
- Eggplant and Lentil Meatballs
So there we have it! A gorgeous vegan baked ziti that you can confidently serve to a crowd of picky eaters, whether they’re vegan or not. My family absolutely loved this vegan baked ziti, and it’s definitely going to be a regular in our household. It’s also a great dish for entertaining, and a perfect dish to bring/serve at the Holidays. I really hope that you enjoy this vegan baked ziti as much as we did.
And, if you do make this recipe please let me know in the comments below what you think! I love hearing from you. And of course, tag me on Instagram with the hashtag #twospoons. Nothing makes me happier than to see your recreations.
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Vegan Baked Ziti with Cashew Cheese Sauce
Ingredients
Cashew Cheese
- 1 ½ cups raw cashews
- 1 cup water
- 2 cloves garlic
- ¼ cup nutritional yeast
- 3 tbsp lemon juice
- 2 tbsp arrowroot starch or tapioca starch, or corn starch
- 1 tsp onion powder
- ½ tsp sea salt
Pasta and everything else
- 2 tbsp olive oil
- 1 yellow onion finely chopped
- 2 red bell peppers finely chopped
- ¼ tsp sea salt
- 12 oz Plant-Based Ground such as Lightlife, Yves or Beyond Meat (or sub with cooked lentils)
- 23 fl oz tomato sauce
- 1 lb ziti noodles (or penne noodles)
- 1 3/4 cup vegan mozzarella cheese , shredded
Instructions
- Add the cashews to a small bowl and pour boiling water over top. Let sit for at least 30 minutes, then strain. (Optional to soak the cashews overnight).
- Drizzle the olive oil in a large deep skillet and bring to medium heat. Add the onion, bell peppers and sea salt. Cook until softened, about 10 mins. Add the plant-based ground and cook, stirring often until browned, about 5 mins. Pour in the tomato sauce and bring to a low simmer.
- Prepare the cashew cheese: in a high-speed blender add the cashews, water, garlic, nutritional yeast, lemon juice, tapioca starch, onion powder and salt. Blend until smooth and creamy.
- Pre-heat oven to 375F/190C. Bring a large pot of water to a boil and add the ziti noodles. Cook until almost al-dente, about 6 mins (they should be just undercooked as they will continue cooking in the oven). Strain and add back to the pot. Scoop 1 cup of the tomato sauce and mix to combine.
- Assemble the Ziti! Scoop 1 ½ cups of the tomato sauce into a large casserole dish (8×11 inches). Smooth with a spatula into an even layer. Next add the noodles, followed by the remaining tomato sauce, and finally drizzle with the cashew cheese to cover. To finish, sprinkle with the shredded cheese.
- Place a baking tray on the bottom rack to catch any overspill, if any, and bake for 25 minutes until the cheese is melted and golden around the edges.
Notes
Approvals
Nutrition
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My husband and I had the baked ziti for dinner this evening. It is a keeper—delicious!!! I wish I could give you more stars. Thank you, Hannah!
Oh my goodness thanks for the very kind review Sharon! SO glad you enjoyed the recipe!
Wow this is good!! My whole family loved it! I’m going to start making this dish regularly! I used a large sweet onion, but other than that, I followed the recipe to a T.
I highly recommend!
So glad that you enjoyed the recipe Krystal! We absolutely loved it too!!