Aug 13 2009

Vegan Baked Ziti

by Daniel

Baked Ziti

When I was a wee lad my mom would make delicious tofu lasagna.  I have tried to make it myself but I just don’t have the patience.  This stuff is similarly satisfying but seems like less work to me.  Try it out and let me know what you think!

First you need to make the cheesy filling:

Recipe: Italian Tofu Ricotta Filling

Ingredients

  • 1 Pkg of firm Tofu (drained)
  • 1/3 c. raw cashews
  • 1 T. lemon juice
  • 1/2 t. sea salt
  • 1/2 t. dried basil
  • 1/2 t. dried oregano
  • 1/2 t. garlic powder
  • 1/8 t. dried thyme

Instructions

  1. Put the cashews in your food processor and grind into a fine powder.
  2. Add the tofu and all remaining ingredients.
  3. Blend until smooth.

Preparation time (duration): 5-10 mins

Next you’ll need to make the breadcrumb topping.  This adds a nice satisfying crispy layer on top of the dish.

Recipe: Cheesy Breadcrumb Casserole Topping

Ingredients

  • 1/2 c. panko bread crumbs
  • 1/4 c. nutritional yeast
  • 1/2 t. sea salt
  • 2 T. olive oil

Instructions

  1. Place all ingredients in a small bowl.
  2. Stir until evenly distributed.

Preparation time (duration): 3 mins

Now for the final assembly.  Here’s where we see it all come together.  For the pasta you can use any large, tubular pasta.  I personally prefer rigatoni to ziti.  For the sauce I used a vegan, off the shelf tomato basil sauce.

Recipe: Baked Ziti

Ingredients

  • 1 lb. rigatoni pasta
  • 2 1/2 c. – 3 1/2 c. tomato pasta sauce
  • Italian Tofu Ricotta Filling recipe from above
  • Cheesy Breadcrumb Casserole Topping recipe from above

Instructions

  1. Preheat the oven to 400.
  2. Spray or grease a 9 by 13 glass casserole pan.
  3. Boil pasta until firm (al dente) according to instructions on box.
  4. Drain pasta and put it in the casserole dish.
  5. Add sauce and stir until pasta coated.
  6. Gently fold in Tofu Ricotta Filling leaving nice chunks of cheesy goodness.
  7. Sprinkle breadcrumb mix on top.
  8. Cover with foil and bake 25 minutes.
  9. Uncover and bake until top is golden brown. (5-10 minutes)

Cooking time (duration): 35 mins

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