25-Minute Vegan Baked Ziti Casserole with Cashew Cheese Sauce

This vegan baked ziti recipe is wholesome and filling, using cashew cheese sauce and plant-based ground -- a great meat alternative for vegans! It's easy enough for a middle-of-the-week dinner, and gourmet enough for entertaining.

Course Entree, Main Course

Cuisine American, Italian, North American, soy-free, sugar-free

Diet Vegan, Vegetarian

Prep Time 30

Cook Time 25

Total Time 55

Servings people

Calories 810kcal

Author Hannah Sunderani

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

US Customary - Metric

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 (8x11 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

This recipe uses vegan plant-based ground to mimic a classic baked ziti recipe. You can omit entirely for a more veggie style baked ziti or substitute with cooked lentils.

Nutrition information is a rough estimate.

Baked ziti will keep for 5 days, store in an air-tight container.

You can also freeze this baked ziti. 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.

Nutrition