Allergens: vegan, gluten free, nut free, sugar free

Makes: 6 large servings

Prep time: 30 minutes

Cook time: 1 hour

This recipe is comforting in a trendy-chic kind of way. And it looks impressive but it’s the farthest thing from difficult to make.

It’s also the perfect recipe to make on a Sunday, so you can have the leftovers on Monday.

This pasta is perfect for any crowd … meat eaters or not. Anyone will love this dish and no one will know the layered ricotta is actually made from tofu.

Pictured here with vegan parmesan cheese and a basic homemade pesto. But if you want to make this recipe even easier, store bought pesto works just as well. Get fancy and serve it with some garlic bread too!

Vegan Pesto Pasta Bake Recipe

Ingredients

1. 1 340g box of pasta (I used gluten free penne but any similar shaped pasta would work)
2. 1 white or yellow onion
3. 3 cloves of garlic
4. 2 cups chopped mushrooms
5. 4 cubes frozen, defrosted spinach
6. 1 jar of your favourite store bought pesto or about 2 cups of any homemade variety  
7. 1/3 cup breadcrumbs (I used gluten free breadcrumbs)
8. 2 tablespoons olive oil
9. 1 tablespoon Italian seasoning
10. 1 teaspoon cayenne pepper
11. Salt and pepper to taste
12. Vegan parmesan cheese (optional)
13. 1 batch of vegan tofu ricotta
    1. 1 package medium firm tofu
    1. 2 tablespoons olive oil
    1. ¼ cup plant milk (I used oat milk but almond milk also works)
    1. 2 tablespoons white miso paste
    1. 2 tablespoons nutritional yeast
    1. 1 clove of garlic
    1. 1 tablespoon lemon juice
    1. 1 tablespoon Italian spice mix
    1. Salt and pepper to taste

Instructions

1. Cook pasta al dente as per package instructions.
2. Pre-heat oven to 350F.
3. Make the tofu ricotta:
   1. Place all of the above tofu ricotta ingredients in a high speed blender and pulse until a smooth and ricotta-like texture forms.
4. Sauté the onion, garlic, mushrooms and spinach in olive oil in a large pan. Then add the Italian seasoning, cayenne pepper, salt and pepper.
5. Once fragrant add the pesto and cooked pasta to the pan.
6. Pour 1/3 of the pasta pesto mixture into a greased standard sized casserole dish. Then add 1/3 of the tofu ricotta on top. Continue until you have used up all the pasta and tofu ricotta.
7. Top the pasta bake with breadcrumbs and the optional vegan parmesan cheese.
8. Bake the pasta bake for 25 minutes uncovered. Then broil it for 2 minutes to get a nice slightly golden coating. And enjoy!   

Alana Walter

Alana Walter is a food aficionado. Her passion for cooking and baking started at a young age. Being celiac and plant based presents Alana with a unique opportunity to look at food in a different way. But her “free-from” food is the furthest thing from boring. Her goal is to break down the barriers people have towards cooking with dietary restrictions. Alana is one of the co-founders of ThoughtNotion.