Easy Baked Ziti with Vegan Ricotta

Recipe:

Servings: 4

Total time: 40-60 minutes

For the ricotta:

• 1/2 block firm tofu

• 1/2 cup raw almonds soaked in hot water* (can sub cashews)

• 2 tbs nutritional yeast

• 1/4 tsp salt

• 1/2 tsp garlic powder

• Juice of 1 lemon

For the Pasta:

• 1 package penne pasta ( I used lentil pasta)

• 1 jar of red pasta sauce

• Veggies of choice* (I used 1 large eggplant)

• Vegan mozzarella shreds for topping (optional)

1. Preheat oven to 375°F. Cook pasta al dente according to package.

2. While the pasta is cooking, make the ricotta by combining all ingredients in a blender or food processor and blending until smooth.

3. Dice and sauté veggies. Add the pasta sauce to the cooked veggies.

4. Assemble the baked ziti in a large casserole dish by first adding a thin layer of the pasta sauce to the bottom, then add half of the pasta on top. Next evenly distribute the ricotta overtop of the pasta. Add another layer of sauce and then the remaining pasta. Finally add the remaining sauce and top with mozzarella shreds.

5. Bake for 20-30 minutes, until cheese has melted and top starts to brown a little. Enjoy!

Notes:

*I soaked my almonds in hot water for several hours and removed the skins before making the ricotta. The skins easily peel off after they have been soaked. If using cashews than you don't necessarily need to soak them, the texture just won't be as smooth.

*You can use whatever veggies you like or you could add ground veggie meat. I diced a large eggplant into small pieces and sautéed it in some oil until soft.

Baked ziti is basically just a lazier way to make lasagna, but tastes just as good! This recipe takes a little bit more time than most of my other ones but I think it would be a nice meal to make for guests or a dinner party. I honestly just made it for myself and have been eating it throughout the week so you could also consider it a meal prep meal. This recipe is a bit healthier than regular baked ziti because the ricotta is just tofu and almonds so it has a good amount of protein and zero cholesterol. And if you really want to make it hearty then use chickpea or lentil pasta which is packed with protein as well. The mozzarella on top is optional, and you could replace it with a homemade vegan parmesan which is pretty easy to whip up as well. All you would need to do is blend some cashews or almonds with nutritional yeast, salt, and garlic powder. I love making parmesan that way to sprinkle onto different meals. Comment down below if you try this recipe and what you did or would do differently!