This post may contain affiliate links. Read our disclaimer.
Vegan Baked Ziti is an easy weeknight meal. Ziti pasta mixes with plant-based beef, vegan cheese and marinara sauce to create a flavorful dish that’s ready in under 45 minutes!
This vegan baked ziti recipe is easy. So easy, that I’m almost embarrassed to call it a recipe! But you know what that means? It means that it’s incredibly simple to whip up during a busy work week.
While my vegan eggplant parmesan and my lentil bolognese are reader favorites, they’re a tad more time consuming and require a bit more prep work. Not this baked ziti! Though I kept it super minimal, I gave some to my family to eat and they raved about it, so I figured I’d share it.
Recipe features
- An easy pasta recipe that comes together in under 45 minutes total.
- This is a “cook once, eat twice” kind of recipe, meaning you should have some leftovers.
Ingredients
Pasta noodles – This is a baked ziti recipe, so ziti noodles are recommended but not required. Other good options are fusilli, cavatappi or penne.
“Beef” – Use your favorite plant-based meat alternative!
Seasoning – A combination of garlic cloves and Italian seasoning works best.
Marinara sauce – I love using arrabbiata sauce for extra flavor and a little spice, but opt for your favorite kind.
Cheese – I opted to only use vegan mozzarella cheese shreds. However, in the “Tips” section below, and in the “notes” section of the recipe card, I’m including an option for vegan ricotta cheese as well. You can also use grated vegan parmesan to sprinkle on top if you’d like.
Fresh herbs – Fresh basil or parsley works well to sprinkle on top of the baked dish.
Instructions
Step 1: Cook pasta. Start by cooking the pasta according to the package instructions, then drain and transfer to a casserole dish.
Step 2: Make the meat sauce. Next, cook the plant-based meat in a large skillet. Once cooked, add the garlic and Italian seasoning and sauté for 1 minute. Pour the marinara sauce over the meat and stir to combine.
Step 3: Bake. Pour the meat sauce over the pasta, then gently toss to combine. Sprinkle the cheese overtop, then bake in the oven at 375° for 25 minutes. Sprinkle with fresh herbs and/or vegan parmesan before serving and enjoy!
Tips and tricks
- Don’t overcook the pasta; otherwise, it’ll get mushy when it bakes.
- If the plant-based beef seems to be sticking to the skillet, add a tablespoon of olive oil.
- You can easily make this gluten free by using gluten free pasta, just be sure to follow the cook times on the package since they’ll be different than regular pasta.
- Add extra veggies to this by sautéing grape tomatoes and/or spinach and then adding them to the meat sauce.
Tip
Want to make this even cheesier? Make my simple vegan cashew cheese and dollop it overtop of the pasta before sprinkling the mozzarella cheese shreds on top. NOTE: the recipe makes a decent amount, so you’ll probably have some cashew cheese leftover.
Storage
Refrigerator: Store leftovers in a sealed container in the fridge for up to 3 days.
Freezer: If you plan on freezing this, I recommend waiting to add the cheese until you’re ready to eat it. Instead, bake without the cheese, then wait for it to cool before transferring to a freezer-safe bag. Thaw in the refrigerator overnight, then reheat in a skillet and sprinkle cheese on top (it should melt fairly quickly).
More easy vegan dinners
If you made this recipe, be sure to leave a comment and star rating below. Thanks!
Vegan Baked Ziti
Vegan Baked Ziti is an easy weeknight meal. Ziti pasta mixes with plant-based beef, vegan cheese and marinara sauce to create a flavorful dish that’s ready in under 45 minutes!
Servings:
Ingredients
- 1 lb. ziti noodles
- 1 lb. vegan ground beef
- 1 teaspoon italian seasoning
- 2 garlic cloves minced
- 25 oz. marinara sauce
- 1 ½ cups non-dairy shredded mozzarella cheese
- chopped parsley for garnish
- chopped basil for garnish
- vegan cashews cheese (optional)
Instructions
-
Preheat the oven to 375° F and grease a 9×13 baking dish with nonstick spray. Set aside.
-
Cook pasta according to package instructions; drain, then transfer the pasta to the prepared baking dish.
-
While the pasta cooks, cook the ground beef in a skillet until no longer pink, then add the Italian seasoning and garlic and saute for 1 minute.
-
Pour the marinara sauce into the skillet and stir until the “beef” is coated.Transfer mixture to the baking dish with the noodles, then stir until the noodles are covered in the meat sauce.
-
Sprinkle the shredded non-dairy mozzarella cheese on top, then bake in the oven for 25 minutes or until warmed through. Remove from the oven, sprinkle with fresh basil and/or parsley (optional) and enjoy!
Notes
*If you want this dish to be even cheesier, I recommend making a batch of my vegan cashew cheese. Once you have the cheese, dollop it over the pasta before sprinkling the vegan shredded cheese overtop and baking. Just know that the recipe makes a good amount of cashew cheese, so you may have some leftovers!
Nutrition
Serving: 1g | Calories: 408kcal | Carbohydrates: 48g | Protein: 23g | Fat: 17g | Saturated Fat: 7g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 1g | Monounsaturated Fat: 6g | Trans Fat: 1g | Cholesterol: 57mg | Sodium: 593mg | Potassium: 565mg | Fiber: 3g | Sugar: 5g | Vitamin A: 530IU | Vitamin C: 6mg | Calcium: 146mg | Iron: 3mg
