egg-free pasta

Classic Spaghetti And Ziti

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There are baked pastas that are good. And then there are baked pastas like this Vegan Ziti — the kind that comes out of the oven with golden, bubbling edges and a cheese-pull that stops everyone in their tracks, with layer after layer of ziti tubes packed with a rich tomato sauce, creamy vegan ricotta, and a golden, melted cheese top that is so deeply satisfying and so completely over-the-top delicious that it has no business being entirely plant-based. This is that pasta. The one that converts skeptics. The one that you make when you need to feed a crowd and want every single person at the table to be happy. The one that disappears completely from the dish before anyone has thought about seconds.

This recipe builds a proper baked ziti from the ground up — a rich, herb-forward tomato sauce simmered until concentrated and deeply flavored, a homemade tofu-cashew ricotta that is creamy, slightly tangy, and astonishingly convincing, and a generous blanket of melted vegan mozzarella that goes golden and bubbling in the oven and delivers exactly the cheese experience that makes baked pasta one of the most beloved dishes in Italian-American cooking. Layered in a deep baking dish and baked until the top is golden and the sauce is bubbling up around the edges, this ziti is everything a baked pasta should be.

What makes this recipe so outstanding is the ricotta — blended with lemon, nutritional yeast, basil, and garlic into something that is genuinely creamy and subtly cheesy in exactly the way that makes baked ziti so comforting.

This recipe is 100% vegan, naturally dairy-free, feeds a crowd beautifully, reheats magnificently, and is one of those pasta dishes that makes everyone around the table completely content.

Recipe Information

Prep TimeCook TimeTotal TimeServingsCalories
20 mins50 mins70 mins6~580 kcal

Ingredients

For the Tomato Sauce

  • 3 tbsp olive oil
  • 1 large onion, finely diced
  • 4 cloves garlic, minced
  • 2 tbsp tomato paste
  • 2 cans (800g each) crushed tomatoes
  • 1 tsp dried oregano
  • 1 tsp dried basil
  • ½ tsp chilli flakes
  • 1 tsp sugar or maple syrup
  • Salt and black pepper to taste

For the Vegan Ricotta

  • 400g firm tofu, drained and pressed
  • ½ cup (70g) raw cashews, soaked in hot water for 30 minutes and drained
  • 3 tbsp nutritional yeast
  • 2 tbsp lemon juice
  • 1 tsp lemon zest
  • 2 cloves garlic
  • ½ cup (20g) fresh basil leaves
  • ¾ tsp salt
  • ¼ tsp black pepper

For the Pasta

  • 500g ziti or penne
  • Salt for pasta water

For Topping

  • 200g vegan mozzarella, shredded or torn
  • 2 tbsp vegan parmesan
  • Fresh basil to garnish
  • Extra virgin olive oil to drizzle

Instructions

  1. Make the tomato sauce. Heat the olive oil in a large saucepan over medium heat. Add the onion and cook for 8–10 minutes until soft and golden. Add the garlic and tomato paste and cook for 2 minutes until fragrant and the paste has darkened slightly. Pour in the crushed tomatoes, oregano, basil, chilli flakes, and sugar. Season with salt and pepper. Simmer uncovered for 20–25 minutes until the sauce is thick, rich, and deeply flavored. Taste and adjust seasoning.
  2. Make the vegan ricotta. Combine all ricotta ingredients in a food processor. Pulse until the mixture resembles a slightly chunky ricotta — you want some texture, not a completely smooth paste. Taste and adjust — more lemon for brightness, more nutritional yeast for cheesiness, more salt as needed.
  3. Cook the pasta. Bring a large pot of heavily salted water to a boil. Cook the ziti for 2 minutes less than the package instructions suggest — it will finish cooking in the oven. Reserve ½ cup of pasta water. Drain.
  4. Assemble. Preheat the oven to 375°F (190°C). Spread a thin layer of tomato sauce across the bottom of a large, deep baking dish (approximately 9×13 inches / 23x33cm). Add half the cooked ziti and spread into an even layer. Dollop half the ricotta over the pasta in large spoonfuls. Spoon half the remaining sauce over the ricotta. Add the remaining ziti, then the remaining ricotta in spoonfuls, then the remaining sauce. Top with shredded vegan mozzarella and vegan parmesan.
  5. Bake. Cover tightly with foil and bake for 20 minutes. Remove the foil and bake for a further 15–20 minutes until the cheese is golden and bubbling and the sauce is actively bubbling around the edges.
  6. Rest and serve. Allow to rest for 10 minutes before serving — this allows the layers to set slightly and makes serving much easier. Garnish with fresh basil and a drizzle of extra virgin olive oil. Serve directly from the dish.

Pro Tips

  • Undercook the pasta before baking — pasta that is cooked to al dente before baking will be overcooked and mushy after its time in the oven. Stop 2 minutes early and let the oven finish the job.
  • Make the sauce thick — a thin sauce will make the baked ziti watery and soupy. Simmer the sauce until it is visibly thickened and a spoon dragged through it leaves a clear line before adding it to the dish.
  • Use the ricotta in spoonfuls, not spread — dropping the ricotta in large dollops rather than spreading it creates distinct pockets of creamy ricotta throughout the finished dish rather than a uniform layer that disappears into the sauce.
  • Rest before serving — baked pasta needs 10 minutes to set after coming out of the oven. Cutting into it immediately makes it fall apart and pool in the dish.

The Story of Baked Ziti

Baked ziti is one of the defining dishes of Italian-American cooking — a category of food that is distinctly American in its exuberance and generosity while remaining grounded in the Italian tradition of pasta al forno (oven-baked pasta). Ziti is a long, tubular pasta whose name derives from the Neapolitan word for “bridegrooms” — it was traditionally served at wedding banquets in southern Italy. In Italian-American communities from the mid-twentieth century onward, baked ziti became the quintessential communal dish: easy to make in large quantities, crowd-pleasing to the point of universality, and deeply comforting in a way that speaks to the very best of home cooking. This vegan version carries that tradition forward with completely plant-based ingredients that honor the dish’s spirit of generosity and comfort.

Flavor Variations

  • Sausage-Style Baked Ziti: Add crumbled vegan Italian sausage to the tomato sauce for a heartier version with more protein and spiced depth.
  • Spinach and Ricotta Ziti: Fold two large handfuls of wilted, squeezed spinach into the ricotta mixture for a classic Italian-American spinach and ricotta combination.
  • Spicy Baked Ziti: Double the chilli flakes and add a teaspoon of calabrian chilli paste to the tomato sauce for a version with a proper kick.

Nutritional Highlights (Per Serving)

CaloriesProteinCarbsFiberFat
~580 kcal24g72g8g22g

Storage

  • Refrigerator: Store covered for up to 5 days. Reheat individual portions in the microwave or reheat the whole dish covered in foil in a 350°F (175°C) oven for 20 minutes.
  • Freezer: Freeze the fully assembled, unbaked ziti for up to 3 months — cover tightly with foil. Bake from frozen at 375°F for 60–70 minutes, removing the foil for the last 20 minutes. Or freeze the baked leftovers for up to 3 months and reheat covered.
  • Make ahead: Assemble the dish up to 24 hours ahead, cover, and refrigerate unbaked. Bake directly from the refrigerator, adding 10 extra minutes to the covered baking time.

Frequently Asked Questions

Can I use a different pasta shape?

Yes — penne, rigatoni, and mostaccioli all work beautifully as substitutes for ziti in a baked preparation. Any short, tubular pasta holds the sauce and ricotta well.

Can I make the ricotta nut-free?

Yes — replace the cashews with an extra 100g of pressed firm tofu and add an extra tablespoon of nutritional yeast. The texture will be slightly less creamy but still very good.

Why does my baked ziti come out dry?

Dry baked ziti is almost always caused by too little sauce — the pasta absorbs a significant amount of moisture during baking. Use all the sauce the recipe calls for and don’t be tempted to reduce it.

Tried this recipe? Leave a comment below and let us know how it turned out! Tag us on Instagram and Facebook — we love seeing your plant-powered creations. Looking for more addictive vegan snack and appetizer recipes? Browse all recipes on Easy Vegan Recipes — new recipes posted every single week!

July 31, 2022 by All Recipes Dinner 0

Cheesy Buttercup Squash Tortiglioni⁣

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There are pasta dishes that satisfy. And then there are pasta dishes like this Vegan Cheesy Buttercup Squash Tortiglioni — the kind that you pull from the oven golden and bubbling and smelling of roasted squash and nutmeg and caramelized edges, and carry to the table while everyone leans forward because whatever is in that dish is clearly extraordinary. This is that pasta. The one that makes buttercup squash into a silky, deeply savory cheese sauce that coats every ridge of every tortiglioni tube in a way that is so creamy, so rich, and so deeply satisfying that it becomes the pasta you make when autumn arrives and you want something that feels genuinely celebratory without requiring an unreasonable amount of effort.

This recipe roasts buttercup squash until it is caramelized and tender, then blends it with nutritional yeast, cashews, garlic, miso, and plant milk into a sauce that is simultaneously sweet and savory, rich and bright, with a depth of flavor that makes it taste far more complex than its ingredient list suggests. Tortiglioni — the thick, ridged tubes slightly larger than rigatoni — is the ideal pasta shape for this sauce: the ridges catch and hold the creamy squash sauce, the hollow centers fill with it, and every bite delivers the full, rich flavor of the sauce in a way that smoother pasta shapes simply cannot match.

What makes this recipe so outstanding is the roasting step — roasting the buttercup squash before blending it rather than simply steaming or boiling it concentrates its natural sugars, develops caramelized depth, and produces a sauce with a complexity that simply cannot be achieved with unroasted squash.

This recipe is 100% vegan, naturally dairy-free, ready in about an hour, and the kind of pasta that makes autumn feel like exactly the season it should be.

Recipe Information

Prep TimeCook TimeTotal TimeServingsCalories
15 mins45 mins60 mins4~520 kcal

Ingredients

For the Roasted Squash

  • 1 medium buttercup squash (about 900g), halved and deseeded
  • 1 whole head of garlic
  • 2 tbsp olive oil
  • Salt and black pepper

For the Cheesy Squash Sauce

  • Roasted squash flesh (from above, about 400g)
  • 6 cloves roasted garlic (from above)
  • ½ cup (70g) raw cashews, soaked in hot water for 30 minutes and drained
  • 1 cup (240ml) unsweetened plant milk
  • 3 tbsp nutritional yeast
  • 1 tbsp white miso paste
  • 1 tbsp lemon juice
  • ½ tsp smoked paprika
  • ¼ tsp nutmeg
  • Salt and white pepper to taste

For the Pasta

  • 400g (14oz) tortiglioni (or rigatoni)
  • 1 tbsp olive oil
  • 3 shallots, finely sliced
  • 1 tsp fresh thyme leaves
  • ½ cup (120ml) reserved pasta water
  • 30g vegan parmesan or breadcrumbs for topping
  • Fresh sage leaves, fried in olive oil to garnish

Instructions

  1. Roast the squash and garlic. Preheat the oven to 400°F (200°C). Place the squash halves cut-side up on a baking tray. Cut the top off the head of garlic to expose the cloves, drizzle with olive oil, wrap in foil, and place alongside the squash. Drizzle the squash with olive oil and season with salt and pepper. Roast for 40–45 minutes until the squash flesh is completely tender and caramelized at the edges. Allow to cool slightly.
  2. Cook the pasta. Bring a large pot of heavily salted water to a boil. Cook the tortiglioni according to package instructions until al dente. Reserve 1 cup of pasta water before draining.
  3. Make the sauce. Scoop the roasted squash flesh from the skin and squeeze the roasted garlic cloves from their papery shells. Place both in a high-speed blender along with the soaked and drained cashews, plant milk, nutritional yeast, miso, lemon juice, smoked paprika, and nutmeg. Blend on high for 2–3 minutes until completely smooth and silky. Taste and adjust seasoning — more nutritional yeast for cheesiness, more lemon for brightness, more miso for depth.
  4. Cook the shallots. Heat the olive oil in a large, wide pan over medium heat. Add the sliced shallots and thyme and cook for 8–10 minutes, stirring occasionally, until soft, golden, and caramelized.
  5. Combine. Pour the blended squash sauce into the pan with the shallots over low heat. Add the drained pasta and toss to coat, adding reserved pasta water a splash at a time until the sauce reaches a loose, creamy consistency that coats every piece of pasta. Taste and adjust seasoning.
  6. Finish and serve. Divide between bowls or transfer to a serving dish. Top with vegan parmesan or toasted breadcrumbs, crispy fried sage leaves, and a crack of black pepper. Serve immediately.

Pro Tips

  • Roast, do not steam or boil the squash — roasting concentrates the squash’s natural sugars and develops caramelization that creates a sauce with far more depth and complexity than any other cooking method.
  • Soak the cashews in hot water for at least 30 minutes — this is what produces the ultra-smooth, creamy sauce. Undersoaked cashews leave tiny grainy pieces that prevent the sauce from becoming truly silky.
  • Use pasta water generously — the starchy pasta water is what allows the thick squash sauce to coat every piece of pasta evenly without becoming gluey or clumping.
  • Fry fresh sage in olive oil until crispy — this takes 30 seconds and produces a garnish that is fragrant, crispy, and deeply savory in a way that elevates the finished dish significantly.

Why Buttercup Squash Makes the Best Pasta Sauce

Not all winter squashes are equal when it comes to sauce-making. Buttercup squash — a compact, dark green winter squash with a dense, dry, deeply orange flesh — has a significantly lower water content than butternut squash and a sweeter, nuttier, more complex flavor that produces a sauce with more body and more depth than butternut-based alternatives. Its flesh blends into an extraordinarily smooth, dense puree that needs less thickening and carries the flavors of nutritional yeast, miso, and garlic beautifully. If buttercup squash is unavailable, kabocha squash (Japanese pumpkin) is the closest substitute with a similarly dry, sweet flesh.

Flavor Variations

  • Spicy Squash Tortiglioni: Add a teaspoon of chilli flakes to the sauce and top with pickled jalapeños for a version with building heat that contrasts beautifully with the sweet squash.
  • Sage Brown Butter Squash Tortiglioni: Toss the pasta with vegan brown butter and extra fried sage before serving for a more classically Italian flavor profile.
  • Squash and Mushroom Tortiglioni: Add sautéed wild mushrooms to the finished pasta for an earthy, meaty dimension that pairs wonderfully with the sweet squash sauce.

Nutritional Highlights (Per Serving)

CaloriesProteinCarbsFiberFat
~520 kcal18g72g7g18g

Storage

  • Refrigerator: Store leftover pasta in an airtight container for up to 4 days. Reheat gently in a pan with a splash of plant milk or water to loosen the sauce, which thickens significantly when cold.
  • The squash sauce on its own: Keeps in a sealed jar in the refrigerator for up to 5 days or in the freezer for up to 3 months — make a double batch and freeze for a quick weeknight pasta sauce.

Frequently Asked Questions

Can I use butternut squash instead of buttercup?

Yes — butternut squash works well and is more widely available. The sauce will be slightly less dense and slightly less sweet, but still excellent. Kabocha squash is the closest in flavor and texture to buttercup.

Can I make this nut-free?

Yes — replace the cashews with ½ cup of silken tofu for a sauce that is still creamy and smooth without any nuts. The flavor will be slightly lighter but still very good.

Can I make the sauce ahead?

Yes — the squash sauce keeps in the refrigerator for up to 5 days and freezes beautifully. Make it ahead and simply cook the pasta fresh when needed.

Tried this recipe? Leave a comment below and let us know how it turned out! Tag us on Instagram and Facebook — we love seeing your plant-powered creations. Looking for more addictive vegan snack and appetizer recipes? Browse all recipes on Easy Vegan Recipes — new recipes posted every single week!

July 22, 2022 by All Recipes Dinner 0