Cheesy Vegan Cauliflower Pasta Bake
This cheesy vegan cauliflower pasta bake makes a tasty mouthful, with shell pasta, cauliflower florets and chunks of tomato submerged in a silky, cheesy cashew alfredo-like sauce. The pasta is topped with a mix of panko breadcrumbs and vegan cheese that turns crusty and golden in the oven.
Servings: 8 servings
Calories: 451kcal
Equipment
- 4-quart baking dish or large oven-safe saucepan or braiser.
Ingredients
- 1 pound pasta (I used small shell pasta. Regular sized shell pasta or any small pasta, including macaroni, penne, cappellini, casarecce and farfalle, would work well here. I'd stay away from very small pasta shapes like ditalini or orzo. If you are gluten-free use a gf pasta.)
- ½ cup raw cashews (use pumpkin seeds if nut-free)
- 2 cups vegetable stock (or water)
- 2 tablespoons nutritional yeast
- 1 teaspoon garlic powder
- 1 teaspoon onion powder
- 1 teaspoon dried oregano (or use 1 tablespoon fresh oregano)
- 1 medium head cauliflower (separated into small, bite-size florets)
- 3 large tomatoes (diced)
- ¼ packed cup fresh basil leaves
- ½ cup vegan parmesan
- 1 cup vegan cheddar cheese shreds
- Salt and ground black pepper to taste
For the crunchy topping
- ½ cup panko bread crumbs (or any breadcrumbs. Use gf breadcrumbs if gf)
- ½ teaspoon garlic powder
- ½ teaspoon onion powder
- ½ teaspoon dried oregano
- 2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
- ½ cup vegan cheddar cheese shreds
- Salt and ground black pepper to taste
Instructions
- Cook the pasta: Cook the pasta in a large pot of salted boiling water until halfway cooked. Don't cook it all the way because the pasta will continue to cook in the oven. Drain the pasta and reserve half a cup of the pasta water.
- Make the creamy sauce: While the pasta is cooking make the cashew sauce. Place the cashews in a blender with the vegetable stock or water, nutritional yeast, garlic powder, onion powder, oregano, salt and ground black pepper. Blend into a very smooth sauce.
- Make the savory topping: In a small bowl mix all the topping ingredients together. Set aside.
- Preheat the oven. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit/180 degrees Celsius.
- Put the pasta ingredients together: Place the cauliflower florets in a bowl with the tomatoes, basil, vegan parmesan, vegan cheddar cheese shreds, cashew sauce, and salt and ground black pepper to taste. Mix well.
- Pour into baking dish. You will need a four-quart baking dish for this. Coat it lightly with cooking spray, then pour the pasta into the dish. Cover with foil. I used my cast iron braiser, which has a lid, and I just covered the braiser with the lid.
- Bake the pasta. Bake for 25 minutes. Then remove the aluminum foil or lid and continue baking 25 more minutes. At the end of baking turn the broiler on and broil on high for 2-3 minutes so the topping turns very crusty and golden. Keep a close eye so it doesn't burn.
Notes
- You can add more veggies to this pasta bake but make sure you don't add any that express a lot of liquid because that will change up the ratio of pasta to water and you could end up with a watery casserole. Broccoli, Brussels sprouts, kale would all be great additions.
- For more protein you can stir in 28 oz of white beans or 14 oz of cubed, extra firm tofu. Adjust the seasoning if you add more ingredients and keep in mind that this is already quite a large quantity of cooked pasta.
- You can use gluten free pasta in this recipe. As with the regular wheat pasta make sure you undercook the gf pasta. You might also want to add an additional half cup water to soak up all the additional starch the gf pasta will release. Adjust the seasoning and add more salt and ground black pepper if needed.
- This is a meal in a single pot, so you don't really need a side. But with pasta bakes like these I often add a fresh, leafy side salad for a nice contrast.
- Make-ahead: You can put the various pasta elements, including the sauce and parm, together up to three days before baking and refrigerate. Also make sure you chop the cauliflower and refrigerate. If you make the pasta ahead, which you can, spray with some oil and mix so it doesn't stick, before refrigerating. You can also put the entire casserole together, cover with foil, and refrigerate for up to three days before baking. Or cover with freezer-safe wrap and freeze for up to three months. Bake and serve.
- Refrigerate: Pasta leftovers can be stored in the fridge for up to four days.
- Freeze: Freeze leftovers in an airtight container for up to four months.
Nutrition
Calories: 451kcal | Carbohydrates: 64g | Protein: 15g | Fat: 16g | Saturated Fat: 1g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 1g | Monounsaturated Fat: 5g | Potassium: 616mg | Fiber: 6g | Sugar: 6g | Vitamin A: 702IU | Vitamin C: 44mg | Calcium: 52mg | Iron: 2mg