While I LOVE my baked rigatoni recipe and it makes so much food (the recipe is on my Clean Comfort Cookbook on my app), it can be a lot of veggie chopping! This is why I’ve created a simpler version of the recipe to make it a go to recipe on any day of the week with whatever veggies you have on hand. The best part is that it can be baked in a Pyrex or in a cast iron pan and it always hits the spot! It’s also vegan, dairy-free and gluten-free.
Easy Baked Pasta (V, DF, GF)
Prep time
Cook time
Total time
Author: Little Adapts By Jax
Serves: 6 servins
Ingredients
Vegan “Meat” Sauce
- 2 tbsp olive oil
- 1 32 oz jar marinara or tomato sauce
- 3 garlic cloves, minced
- ½ onion, diced
- 1 bell pepper, diced
- 1 cup of diced veggies of choice
- Black pepper + sea salt to taste
- ½ tsp red pepper flakes
Vegan Mozzarella
- 1 cup raw cashews (soaked overnight or at least 4 hours, then drained + rinsed) or hemp hearts
- 1 cup water
- ½ cup full fat coconut milk
- 1 tsp apple cider vinegar
- 1 clove garlic, minced3 tbspnutritional yeast
- S + P to taste
Additional Ingredients
- 1 box bean based pasta
- Optional: 2 cups raw spinach
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350° F and heat a large skillet on the stove. Add olive oil to the pan once it's heated.
- Add garlic + onions to the pan. Cook for about 5 minutes until onions have softened. Then add in peppers and veggies and cook for another 5 minutes.
- Add tomato sauce + spices. Mix and cover and reduce to a simmer and cook for about 10 minutes while you make everything else.
- While the sauce is simmering, bring water in a pot to a boil and cook pasta for only 5 minutes as it will continue to cook while baking in the oven. Rinse + drain once it’s done and throw into a big mixing bowl.
- Throw all of the vegan mozzarella ingredients into a blender or food processor and blend until it is a liquid. Don’t worry if it’s runny as it will thicken in the oven when it bakes!
- Add the tomato sauce + raw spinach to the large mixing bowl with the pasta and toss until well combined.
- Add half the pasta mixture to a medium/large Pyrex dish or cast iron pan. Then pour half of the vegan mozzarella sauce over the pasta mixture. Add the rest of the pasta and then top of the rest of the vegan mozzarella sauce on top.
- Bake for about 20-25 minutes until golden brown. Broil for a maximum of 2 minutes if you want it extra crispy!
- Let it cool for about 5-10 minutes and you can eat it solo or serve with a side salad for extra veggies. Store covered in the fridge for up to 2 weeks and you can freeze half for a few months. Enjoy!
Enjoy!
With Health + Happiness Always,
Jax
PS – Want to take your health to the next level? Join the Little Adapts By Jax App for all your nutrition, fitness, stress management + sleep needs to finally have the healthy + happy lifestyle you’ve always dreamed of 🙂
