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This cheesy, wholesome, baked vegan pasta recipe is so straightforward to make and packed complete of tasty, nutritious components. It’s loaded with roasted veggies, gooey vegan cheese, and paired with a wealthy tomato sauce – it is a meal that the complete household will love!
Baked ziti (or if you like penne greater than ziti – baked penne pasta) is traditionally produced with white pasta and loaded with cheese, often meat, and really couple of vegetables — which tends to make it refined carb heaven, but not that terrific for you.
But why cannot a pasta bake be wholesome as well? My wholesome pasta bake is comforting, homey, amazingly flavorful, but so very good for you that you could actually consume it just about every day – fully guilt-cost-free. This is 1 of my favourite vegan recipes to prepare for my non-vegan close friends and household simply because they certainly like it, and do not even know it is vegan!
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The initial time I produced this my husband LOVED it – he mentioned it was hearty and couldn’t think it was vegan as well! This dish was inspired by a recipe I discovered from Giada De Laurentis – which is more like a conventional meatless baked ziti.
With a couple of easy swaps, my vegan baked ziti recipe is healthier and does not skimp on any of the flavors from the original!
???????????? Why This Recipe Works
- Vegan and Dairy-Free Pasta Bake
- Cheesy Without Cheese
- High in Fiber
- Low in Calories
- Low in Fat
- Perfect for the complete household!
- Simple to Make
- Great for meal prep, tastes even greater the next day!
- Best baked vegan pasta ever!
???? Ingredients
See the recipe card for comprehensive measurements and guidelines for this veggie baked ziti. You can also discover all of the components at your nearby grocery shop.
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Pasta: I utilized complete wheat pasta for added complete grains, but you can use any sort of pasta you like! Whole wheat, chickpea pasta, lentil pasta, or quinoa pasta would all taste terrific in this dairy cost-free pasta bake. Follow the package directions and make confident to cook the pasta al dente.
Fresh Veggies: I chose zucchini, cremini mushrooms, onions, red bell pepper, and peas, but this dish is so versatile you can add any mixture of vegetables you like!
Seasoning and Herbs: fresh basil, Italian seasoning, red pepper flakes
Vegan Cheese: I utilized vegan mozzarella, but you could use vegan parmesan cheese or any dairy-cost-free cheese you like. You can also nutritional yeast if you do not want to use vegan cheese.
Sauce: Use your favourite shop-purchased marinara sauce to save time! Just make confident it has no added sugar.
???? Variations
Change Up The Veggies: You can use any veggies you have on hand in this vegan pasta bake recipe! Try a mixture of your favourite vegetables – other sorts of squashes, broccoli, cauliflower, brussels sprouts, carrots, parsnips, asparagus, spinach, or artichokes would all work properly in this straightforward pasta bake!
Gluten Free Vegan Pasta Casserole: Use your favourite gluten-cost-free pasta as an alternative of the complete wheat pasta to make this baked vegan pasta gluten-cost-free! I like making use of a lentil or chickpea pasta to raise the protein in this dish. If you use a lentil/chickpea pasta, you want to cook it for half the time listed on the package (so if it calls for 9 minutes of cooking time, you want to cook it for about 5 minutes just before mixing it with the veggies/sauce/cheese and baking it).
Vegetarian Baked Ziti: You can quickly make this pasta bake vegetarian by making use of ziti pasta as an alternative of penne, and use normal mozzarella as an alternative of the vegan mozzarella!
???? How To Make Baked Vegan Pasta
Step 1: Chop all the veggies and preheat your oven to 450 degrees.
Step 2: On a baking sheet (or in a casserole dish/large pan), toss the peppers, zucchini, squash, mushrooms, and onions with olive oil, 1/2 teaspoon salt, 1/2 teaspoon pepper, and dried herbs. Roast till tender, about 15 minutes.
Step 3: Bring a significant pot of salted water to a boil over higher heat. Add the pasta, lessen to medium heat and cook for about 6 minutes. Don’t overcook your pasta! It will cook a second time in the oven, so you want to make confident the inside is nevertheless really hard. Drain and set aside.
Step 4: Once the veggies are done toss the drained pasta with the roasted vegetables, marinara sauce, cheeses, peas, 1/2 teaspoon salt, and 1/2 teaspoon pepper. If you utilized a significant casserole dish/pan to roast the veggies in, you can add the cooked pasta into that pan to mix the complete factor collectively (that is what I’d advocate!). Using a wooden spoon, gently mix, till all the pasta is coated with the sauce and the components are combined.
Step 5: Top the pasta with the remaining cheese (about 1/3 cup). The cheese turns this recipe into a super creamy vegan pasta bake!
Step 6: Bake till the top rated is golden and the cheese melts for about 25 minutes. Let it sit for 5-10 minutes just before serving. I like how gooey and bubbly the vegan cheese gets when it is all melted! The veggies are completely cooked, and the complete wheat pasta offers the dish a terrific nutty excellent. It’s a filling and balanced meal. If you’d like to add more protein, you can use lentil pasta.
❓Recipe FAQs
These easy wholesome swaps make this baked penne pasta decadent, and luxurious, but 1 serving has only 350 calories and 8.5 grams of fat! Here’s how to make baked penne pasta wholesome:
Use whole-wheat penne pasta, lentil pasta, or chickpea pasta for complete grain, higher fiber option to white pasta.
Tons of veggies: A mix of squashes, mushrooms, and peppers adds fiber and antioxidants to this dish. You can even add 4 cups of chopped infant spinach to your marinara sauce just before mixing it with the pasta to sneak in some added greens if you like!
Less Butter and Oil: 1.5 tbsp is all you want for flavor and a good caramelized excellent to the veggies
Less Cheese/Vegan Cheese: Eating wholesome and vegan does not imply you have to go without the need of cheese – and is it even a pasta bake without the need of it?! Using 1.5 cups of vegan cheese is lots and you nevertheless get that gooey, melted cheese crust on top rated!
This vegan ziti is so hearty and satisfying you could just serve it all on its personal! Feel cost-free to top rated with lemon juice, or a drizzle of balsamic vinegar, a sprinkle of black pepper, and fresh basil. For a slightly larger meal, serve with a easy green salad and garlic bread!
Refrigerator: Allow the leftover pasta bake to cool fully. You can cover the baking dish with plastic wrap or aluminum foil, or transfer it to an airtight container. The pasta will hold in the refrigerator for 3-4 days.
Freezer: Transfer the veggie pasta bake to a freezer-secure container. Write the contents and the date on the package. Keep in the freezer for up to 3 months.
Reheat: Place the pasta bake in a baking dish, and bake in the oven for 20-30 minutes at 450 F.
???? Expert Tips
- Make confident to use a significant, deep casserole dish for baking so that you can match almost everything into 1 dish!
- To save on cleanup, roast the veggies in the dish you are going to bake the pasta in.
- You can make this ahead of time – stick to the methods to step 5 in the recipe, then cover and hold in the fridge till prepared to cook later that day.
- Leftovers should really be kept in an airtight container in the fridge – they will final for up to 4 days and gently reheated in the microwave or oven. You can also freeze this recipe in an airtight container – it will hold for up to 3 months! To reheat from frozen, defrost in the microwave on low and then heat in the oven on 350 till warmed by way of.
- Don’t overcook your pasta. I advocate cooking it 50-60% of the time advisable on the package. It should really nevertheless be a tiny really hard inside when you drain it, and it will continue to cook whilst it is in the oven.
???? More Healthy Pasta Dishes!
???? Recipe Card
Baked Vegan Pasta
This cheesy, wholesome, Baked Vegan Pasta recipe is so straightforward to make and packed complete of tasty, nutritious components. Lightened up with roasted veggies, paired with a wealthy tomato sauce, it really is a meal that the complete household will love!
Servings: 8 servings
Calories: 350kcal
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Chop all the veggies and preheat your oven to 450 degrees
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On a baking sheet (or in a casserole dish/large pan), toss the peppers, zucchini, squash, mushrooms, and onions with olive oil, 1/2 teaspoon salt, 1/2 teaspoon pepper, and dried herbs. Roast till tender, about 15 minutes.
-
Bring a significant pot of salted water to a boil over higher heat. Add the pasta and cook for about 6 minutes. Don’t overcook your pasta! It will cook a second time in the oven, so you want to make confident the inside is nevertheless really hard. Drain and set aside.
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Once the veggies are carried out, toss the drained pasta with the roasted vegetables, marinara sauce, cheeses, peas, 1/2 teaspoon salt, and 1/2 teaspoon pepper. If you utilized a significant casserole dish/pan to roast the veggies in, you can just dump all of the more components (pasta and so forth.) into that pan to mix almost everything collectively (that is what I’d advocate!). Using a wooden spoon, gently mix, till all the pasta is coated with the sauce and the components are combined.
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Top the pasta with the remaining cheese (about 1/3 cup).
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Bake till top rated is golden and cheese melts, about 25 minutes. Let sit 5-10 minutes just before serving.
- Make confident to use a significant, deep casserole dish for baking so that you can match almost everything into 1 dish!
- To save on cleanup, roast the veggies in the dish you are going to bake the pasta in.
- You can make this ahead of time – stick to the methods to step 5 in the recipe, then cover and hold in the fridge till prepared to cook later that day.
- Leftovers should really be kept in an airtight container in the fridge – they will final for up to 4 days and gently reheated in the microwave or oven. You can also freeze this recipe in an airtight container – it will hold for up to 3 months! To reheat from frozen, defrost in the microwave on low and then heat in the oven on 350 till warmed by way of.
- Don’t overcook your pasta. I advocate cooking it for 50-60% of the time advisable on the package. It should really nevertheless be a tiny really hard inside when you drain it, and it will continue to cook whilst it is in the oven.
Adapted from FoodNetwork.com
Calories: 350kcal | Carbohydrates: 59.9g | Protein: 16.1g | Fat: 8.5g | Sodium: 551.2mg | Fiber: 10g | Sugar: 10.6g