EASY VEGAN BAKED ZITI
This
delicious vegan baked ziti with seitan sausage and an easy homemade mozzarella
sauce is your classic childhood comfort made vegan!
Ingredients
Cashew
Cheese
- 3/4 cup water
- 1 garlic clove
- 4 tablespoons nutritional yeast
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1/2 teaspoon onion powder
- 1 1/2 cups raw cashews
- juice from 1 large lemon (2-3 tablespoons)
The Rest
- 25 ounces marinara sauce ( 1 jar)
- 1 bag non-dairy mozzarella cheese shreds, optional for topping
- 1 pound ziti noodles gluten free if needed
- 2 1/2 cups vegan ground "beef" OR 2-3 sliced vegan sausages, optional
Optional:
- Vegan Parmesan
Instructions
First, preheat
oven to 375 degrees F. Lightly grease a 9 x 13 inch pan.
Then, make
the cashew cheese sauce: Soak the cashews in hot boiling water for at least 5
minutes. Drain the cashews and add them to a high power blender with the water,
lemon juice, nutritional yeast, garlic, onion powder and salt. Mix until
smooth, scraping the sides if necessary. Put aside.
Prepare the
pasta according to the directions on the package. You can cook the pasta while
your cashews are soaking to save time. Drain the noodles and add to the gratin
dish.
Pour
marinara sauce and "meat", if using, over noodles and stir to combine.
Pour the
cashew cheese over the noodle / sauce mixture and stir gently, leaving the
cheese pockets intact.
Sprinkle
with pieces of non-dairy mozzarella cheese OR about 1/2 cup vegan parmesan.
Bake,
uncovered, for 25 minutes until heated through.
Happy
Cooking Time.
