THIS WAS SOOOO GOOD! Seriously, one of the most delicious things I’ve had and much better than what I remember non-vegan baked ziti was. I got this recipe from Nora Cooks Vegan and I’m so glad I tried it out. It was a higher fat meal than I usually make from the fat from the cashews, even though I cut them by a third, and from the Rao’s marinara, but it was worth it for an every once in a while delish dish. I think the only changes I made were using whole wheat penne, a cup of raw cashews, and Rao’s sauce. I added sautéed baby Bellas and spinach to mine as well. I topped it with Violife vegan Parmesan instead of the cashew based vegan parm she used. It was creamy flavorful, and still got the delicious crust on top which is my favorite part. I think next time I would cut back even more on the cashews and use 1/2 cup of them. I also used dried basil and oregano in the cashew cheese mixture.

Original Recipe- https://www.noracooks.com/vegan-baked-ziti/

I highly recommend it!

My Version with Sausage

1 pack Beyond Meat Hot Italian Sausages, browned in a pan and sliced

1 box whole grain penne, cooked al dente

1 bag spinach

10 oz baby Bella mushrooms, sliced

1.5 jars Rao’s Marinara and save the other half for topping

Violife parm for topping

Cashew Cream

1/4 cup cashews, soaked in hot water

Juice of one lemon

2 tbsp nutritional yeast

1 tsp garlic minced

1/4 cup water

Salt and pepper to taste

Blend in high powered blender until smooth.

1. Preheat oven to 375* and sauté mushrooms and spinach until tender.

2. Combine cooked pasta, sausage, spinach, mushrooms, sauce and cashew cream.

3. Add to a sprayed 9×13 dish and add any extra sauce and cover with foil.

4. Bake for 40 minutes and then uncover for the last 10-15.

5. Take out and shave Violife vegan parm on top and add basil if you want. Yum!