Learn how to make the best Vegan Baked Ziti, a cheesy, meaty, and easy comfort food that’s ready in 1 hour! Enjoy it for weeknight family dinners or freeze and reheat it later on.
Craving more easy and cheesy vegan pasta dinners? You’ll also love my Vegan Baked Mac and Cheese, Vegan Manicotti, Pumpkin Pasta Bake, and Vegan Lasagna Soup.
This Vegan Baked Ziti Recipe was one of the very first recipes I posted on my blog! And after all these years, it’s still one of my favorite family dinners and most popular recipes. It doesn’t matter who I feed it to—my kids, extended family, or die-hard meat eaters—it always receives rave reviews from everyone who tries it.
I can almost guarantee that if you like vegan lasagna, you’ll love baked ziti. It’s also a dreamy vegan comfort food disguised as a baked pasta dish, except it’s easy to toss together and bake in about 1 hour. Those ooey gooey layers of pasta, vegan cashew cheese, marinara sauce, and vegan beef are too good to pass up!
A perfect weeknight dinner you can serve hot from the oven or freeze and reheat when company comes over unexpectedly, my creamy baked ziti is possibly the best recipe ever.
Why you’ll love this easy vegan baked ziti recipe
- It’s just SO easy! This baked ziti is just as good as my Vegan Lasagna but much easier to make. Just dump everything into a casserole dish, bake, and enjoy!
- Everything you need in a comforting dinner – Al dente ziti noodles are combined with vegan ground “beef,” homemade cashew cheese, and marinara sauce. What more could you need in a family-friendly comfort food?
- A perfect freezer meal for later – Freezing baked ziti is a breeze! This freezer meal always comes in handy when company comes over, for holiday dinners, and during busy weeknights.
How to make vegan baked ziti
Find the complete printable recipe with measurements below in the recipe card.
Blend the cashew cheese ingredients together until smooth and creamy.
Next, cook the pasta until al dente. Drain the noodles and add them to a prepared casserole dish.
Cook the vegan meat in a pan until it’s browned and cooked through.
Stir the cooked vegan meat and marinara sauce into the dish with the noodles until combined. Spoon the cashew cheese on top and stir it in a little bit.
Extra cheesy option: Combine the cashew cheese with my Homemade Vegan Ricotta for an extra cheesy ziti.
Bake the vegan ziti uncovered until it’s hot and bubbly. Garnish with fresh herbs and vegan parmesan, then enjoy!
Frequently asked questions
Yes, you can make this recipe gluten-free by using gluten-free pasta noodles. You might not be able to find gluten-free ziti, but a similar shape, like penne, will work just fine.
If you’re looking for a time-saving option, you can use a bag of non-dairy cheese shreds instead of the homemade cashew cheese. My Nut-Free Vegan Cheese Sauce would also be good here!
I like making this with Beyond Beef Crumbles best but any brand of vegan ground “beef” will work just as well. Impossible, Gardein, and even TVP that’s been rehydrated in broth are all good options. Sliced or chopped vegan sausages would also be tasty.
Once the leftover pasta bake has cooled, transfer it to individual airtight containers and refrigerate. The pasta will stay fresh for up to 4 days. To reheat, zap the leftovers in the microwave or warm them in a 350ºF oven or toaster oven.
Yes, vegan baked ziti freezes very well. After cooking the ziti and letting it cool completely, tightly cover the casserole dish with foil and freeze. When it’s time to eat, bake the ziti in a 350ºF oven for about 1 hour or until it’s warmed through.
Vegan Baked Ziti
Ingredients
Cashew Cheese
- 1 1/2 cups raw cashews
- 3/4 cup water
- 3 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
- 4 tablespoons nutritional yeast
- 1 garlic clove
- 1/2 teaspoon onion powder
- 1 teaspoon salt
The Rest
- 1 pound ziti pasta
- 24 ounces marinara sauce or more for extra-saucy!
- 16 ounces vegan ground beef Impossible/Beyond/or vegan sausages
- Optional: 2 cups vegan shredded mozzarella cheese + 1/4 cup vegan parmesan
- chopped fresh basil or parsley, for garnish
Instructions
- Prepare oven and dish: Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F and lightly grease a 9 x 13 inch casserole dish.
- Make the cheese sauce: Bring 3 cups of water to a boil (I use my tea kettle). Pour the hot water over the raw cashews and let soak for 5 minutes, or up to an hour. Drain the cashews and add to a high-powered blender along with the fresh water (¾ cup), lemon juice, nutritional yeast, garlic, onion powder and salt and blend until smooth and creamy. Set aside.
- Cook the pasta: Prepare pasta according to package instructions. You can cook the pasta while your cashews are soaking to save time. Drain the noodles and add to the casserole dish.
- Cook the vegan meat: Cook the vegan ground beef (or sliced sausages) in a pan until browned and cooked through.
- Combine in the baking dish: Pour the jar of marinara sauce and cooked vegan meat on top of the noodles and stir to combine. Spoon the cashew cheese on top of the pasta in large dollops. Stir it in just a little bit, leaving some pockets of cheese intact (you don’t want to mix it a lot, the cheese will become thicker as it bakes and taste incredible).
- Bake: If desired, sprinkle with some vegan mozzarella and/or parmesan. Bake, uncovered, for 25 minutes until hot and bubbly. Serve immediately, sprinkled with some fresh herbs for garnish.
Video
Notes
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Gluten Free: Use gluten free noodles that are a similar shape to ziti, such as gluten free Penne.
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Vegan Meat: I used Beyond beef, but you can use Impossible, Gardein, or even TVP that has been rehydrated. Vegan sausage also works, sliced or chopped.
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For a Veggie Variation: In a pan, saute a few cups of veggies such as zucchini, spinach, bell peppers and/or mushrooms. Stir into the pasta with the sauce.
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Storage and Reheating: Leftovers will keep in the refrigerator for about 4 days, making it a great meal prep for lunches. Simply reheat in the microwave until warm, or an oven-safe dish.
- Freezer: This dish can be frozen. Once cooked, let it cool completely, then cover tightly with foil and freeze. When ready to serve, bake at 350 degrees for an hour or until warm.
Nutrition
This was easy and a hit with the whole family, thanks for another delicious recipe.
You are welcome, Colleen! This is a recipe that our family enjoys as well! Thank you for sharing your awesome review! Wishing you happy cooking!