This simple vegan pasta bake with tofu is a flavourful crowd-pleasing dish that is also great for an easy weeknight dinner! Made with a creamy and healthy tomato sauce and packed full of vegetables, this dish is so tasty that you'll be coming back for seconds. Gluten-free and oil-free.
Pasta is honestly a food I could never get bored of. You can eat it by itself with some sort of simple sauce and incorporate it into a whole range of recipes. Pasta salad, one-pot pasta, and so much more. Although, I have to admit that I don’t make pasta bake anywhere near quite as often as I should. Making vegan pasta bake, after all, is much easier than it seems. You quite literally put pasta and a bunch of other ingredients into a casserole dish with a delicious sauce and put it in the oven. That’s it!
Vegan pasta bake with tofu
I planned to make this recipe a while ago, but for some reason didn’t get round to it until a few days ago, and it turned out perfect after only two attempts.
Pasta is always such a hearty dish that vegans and non-vegans alike love, making it perfect for any weeknight dinner. If you're looking for a dish that any picky eaters in your family will love, this could be it. And it only takes around 45 minutes to make too, with a lot of that time being completely hands-off.
This healthy pasta bake is incredibly flavourful and creamy thanks to the addition of cashews to the sauce. It's also incredibly easy to make, from readily available ingredients!
Make tofu taste good
Tofu has a bit of a bad reputation with some people, because it can come across as a bit bland and flavourless. However, I've mentioned before that it's all about preparation and that it's one of my favourite ingredients given how versatile it is. Furthermore, tofu is a great source of vegan protein, which is why I often eat tofu-containing meals after my workouts.
And paradoxically because it's quite bland when plain, it does soak up the flavour of whatever you cook it in quite well and has a great, chewy texture. So, if you want to start incorporating more tofu into your diet, I would definitely recommend this easy pasta bake recipe as a starting point!
What's to love about this vegan pasta bake?
Pretty much everything! The outcome is...
- Savoury and incredibly flavourful.
- Creamy.
- Packed full of vegetables for a delicious way to get more of those into your diet.
- Easy to make and beginner-friendly.
- Gluten-free.
- Oil-free.
- Made with healthy ingredients.
- Great for meal prep.
How to make vegan pasta bake
Start off by cooking your pasta according to packaging instructions. The type of pasta you use is up to you, but I went for a gluten-free brown rice penne.
Meanwhile, add all the sauce ingredients to a blender or food processor, which are: drained and rinsed soaked cashews, tinned tomatoes, turmeric, cumin, nutritional yeast, tamari, onion, garlic and lemon juice. Blend until very smooth.
Once the pasta is cooked, drain and rinse it and transfer to a large mixing bowl. Combine with the tofu, eggplant, the sauce and plant based milk.
Then, transfer to a casserole dish and if you want to, sprinkle vegan cheese on top. Cook in a preheated oven at 200 degrees C/392 F for around 20-25 minutes, or longer if you want it crispier (just make sure that the pasta doesn't start to burn). Serve immediately, or store in the fridge for 3-4 days in an airtight container.
Tips and modifications
- If you want the tofu to be slightly crispier and chewier, bake it separately for around 10-15 minutes at 200 degrees C/392 F before adding to the pasta bake.
- Add any other veggies of your choice: zucchini and mushrooms work really well.
- If you don't like tofu, you can replace it with beans of your choice, such as chickpeas or butter beans.
More favourite vegan pasta recipes
- Smoky tofu eggplant pasta
- Tahini garlic pasta
- Chickpea pasta with mushrooms
- Nut-free creamy pasta with butter beans
- Kidney bean one pot pasta
Let me know in the comments: what's your favourite way to make pasta? If you give this vegan pasta bake a go, be sure to tag me on Instagram (@earthofmariaa) so I can see your creations!
Equipment
- Saucepan
- Blender or food processor
- Conventional oven
Ingredients
- 4 cups gluten-free pasta
- 1 ¼ cups cashews soak these overnight if not using a high speed blender
- 1 can chopped tomatoes
- 1 tsp turmeric
- 1 tsp cumin
- ¼ cup nutritional yeast
- 2 tbsp tamari
- 1 medium onion chopped
- 2 cloves garlic
- ½ lemon juice of
- 15 oz extra-firm tofu pressed for at least 10 minutes, if necessary
- 1 ½ cups aubergine chopped
- ½ cup plant based milk
- ¼ cup vegan cheese grated (optional)
Instructions
- Start off by cooking your pasta according to packaging instructions. The type of pasta you use is up to you, but I went for a gluten-free brown rice penne. Preheat the oven to 200 degrees C/392 F.
- Meanwhile, add all the sauce ingredients to a blender or food processor, which are: drained and rinsed soaked cashews, tinned tomatoes, turmeric, cumin, nutritional yeast, tamari, onion, garlic and lemon juice. Blend until very smooth.
- Once the pasta is cooked, drain and rinse it and transfer to a large mixing bowl. Combine with the tofu, eggplant, the sauce and plant based milk.
- Then, transfer to a casserole dish and if you want to, sprinkle vegan cheese on top. Bake in the preheated oven for around 20-25 minutes, or longer if you want it crispier (just make sure that the pasta doesn't start to burn). Serve immediately, or store in the fridge for 3-4 days in an airtight container.
Nutrition
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