Our Vegan Pasta Bake is packed with vegetables, topped with our favorite vegan cheese and baked to perfection. It makes for a perfect weeknight dinner that freezes and stores very well. Leftovers, anyone?
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🥗 Why We Love This Recipe
- Easy, nourishing, family-friendly weeknight dinner: Vegetables + plant-based protein-rich lentils + pasta + vegan cheese = the perfect balanced meal. It's filling but it's much more than just carbs.
- Easy to customize: You can treat this pasta bake like a pizza. If half of your family is vegan, and half isn't--like ours--you can easily top half of the bake with vegan cheese and the other half with regular cheese.
- Leftovers for days: This recipe freezes and reheats extremely well, so you can store and enjoy later in the week, month, or year.
🥘 Ingredients
Here are the key ingredients you'll need to make this vegan pasta bake:
📋 Ingredient Notes
- What kind of pasta should I use?: We used a gluten free rotini, but the beauty of this recipe is that any pasta that's not long thin noodles will work well in this recipe. It's a perfect way to use up all the pasta sitting in the pantry! Just be sure to check the cooking instructions on the package for your pasta and don't forget to add a large pinch of salt to the cooking water.
- Sauce: You can try your hand at our vegan bolognese sauce, our classic marinara, or go with a store bought brand. No judgment here. We think something on the chunkier side with pieces of veggies adds heartiness and freshness to the dish.
- Vegan cheese: In this vegan pasta bake, we opt for a vegan shredded parmesan and a soft vegan mozzarella. Our favorite vegan parmesans are from Follow Your Heart (we seriously use up 1+ boxes a week) and VioLife. The Follow Your Heart shredded parmesan (which we used here) is particularly well-suited for high temps. It melts well and gets a bit crispy on top, just like regular cheese. So good! When it comes to soft vegan mozzarella, you can't go wrong with Miyoko's. It's cashew-based and fermented, so there's a ton of flavor without any weird additives. It melts beautifully on this pasta and adds so much creaminess.
- Italian seasoning: this dried herb blend makes it easy to add flavor to this pasta bake without having to open and measure several different dried herbs. If you don't have any of the blend, you can also use 1 teaspoon each of dried basil, parsley and oregano instead.
- Lentils: it's best to use green or brown lentils here, which hold up well in the sauce. Don't use yellow or red lentils, which will be too mushy in this pasta bake.
🔪 Step-by-step Instructions
Prep: Cook lentils according to package directions and preheat oven to 375˚F.
Cook pasta according to package directions. We always cook our pasta in salted water (at least 1 teaspoon of salt) to season it properly.
(1) Heat olive oil in a large sauté pan over medium heat. Add onion and sauté for 5-7 minutes, until softened. Add garlic and mushrooms and continue cooking for a few minutes, until the mushrooms cook down.
(2) Add dried herbs, salt and pepper to sauté pan and stir well. Add spinach and parsley, then add diced tomatoes, cooked lentils, marinara, 2 tablespoon vegan parmesan and ½ cup shredded mozzarella. Stir well and let cook down for a few minutes, until pasta is finished cooking.
(3) Add cooked pasta and stir well. Pour into a 9 x 11 baking dish and spread into an even layer.
(4) Top with remaining vegan cheese and sliced soft mozzarella. You can add as much as you want!
(5) Bake for 15-20 minutes, until cheese is melty and slightly browned.
Optional: garnish with fresh basil and extra red pepper flakes.
💭 Expert Tips and FAQs
- Cooking for two? You may want to halve this recipe. This vegan pasta bake is meant to serve a family of 4 or more and still have leftovers. If you're just making it for one or two people, cut everything in half, or just make sure you're prepared for lots of leftovers (which is never a bad thing!).
- Storage: store leftovers in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to one week.
- Freezer storage: let the pasta cool completely, then transfer to a freezer safe container and freeze for up to 6 months. Let thaw in the refrigerator overnight before you plan to serve.
- Reheating: this vegan pasta bake reheats well in the microwave. Since there's so much sauce, it keeps the pasta from drying out. If you're reheating the entire baking dish, you can do so in a 350˚F oven until warmed through.
The best way to get perfectly melty vegan cheese on top of this pasta bake is to cover the baking dish with a lid or aluminum foil while baking. Most vegan cheeses don't melt well without a bit of steam and they tend to dry out if you leave in the oven for too long. This vegan pasta bake only needs about 20 minutes in the oven to get perfectly melty and delicious!
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Vegan Pasta Bake
- Total Time: 55 minutes
- Yield: 8 servings 1x
- Diet: Vegan
Description
Our Vegan Pasta Bake is packed with vegetables, topped with our favorite vegan cheese and baked to perfection. It makes for a perfect weeknight dinner that freezes and stores very well. Leftovers, anyone?
Ingredients
- 12 oz pasta of choice (we used GF elbows), cooked according to package directions
- 1 cup dry green lentils, cooked according to package directions
- 2 tbsp olive oil
- 1 medium yellow onion, diced
- 1 tbsp minced garlic
- 2 cups button mushrooms, diced
- 1 tbsp Italian seasoning blend
- ¾ tsp kosher salt
- ½ tsp ground pepper
- 4 cups baby spinach
- ⅓ cup fresh parsley, chopped well
- 1 can diced tomatoes
- 25 oz marinara sauce of choice
- ¾ cup vegan parmesan cheese, divided
- 1 cup shredded vegan mozzarella cheese
- Soft vegan mozzarella for topping (optional)
Instructions
- Cook lentils according to package directions.
- Preheat oven to 375˚ F.
- Cook pasta according to package directions.
- Heat olive oil in a large sauté pan over medium heat and add diced onion. Sauté for 5-7 minutes, until onions are translucent. Add in garlic and mushrooms and cook down for additional 5 minutes, stirring often.
- Add dried herbs, salt and pepper to sauté pan and stir well. Add spinach and parsley, then add tomatoes, cooked lentils, marinara, 2 tablespoon vegan parmesan and ½ cup shredded mozzarella. Stir well and let cook down for a few minutes, until pasta is finished cooking.
- Add cooked pasta and stir well to coat. Pour into a 9 x 11 baking dish and spread into an even layer.
- Top with remaining vegan cheese and sliced soft mozzarella (optional, but adds creaminess and extra flavor).
- Cover the baking dish with a lid or aluminum foil and bake for 15-20 minutes, until cheese is melty. Optional: garnish with fresh basil and red pepper flakes.
Notes
Lentils: it's best to use green or brown lentils here, which hold up well in the sauce. Don't use yellow or red lentils, which will be too mushy in this pasta bake.
Italian seasoning: if you don't have any, sub with 1 teaspoon each of dried basil, parsley and oregano.
Cooking for two? You may want to halve this recipe. This vegan pasta bake is meant to serve a family of 4 or more and still have leftovers. If you're just making it for one or two people, cut everything in half, or just make sure you're prepared for lots of leftovers (which is never a bad thing!).
Storage: store leftovers in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to one week.
Freezer storage: let the pasta cool completely, then transfer to a freezer safe container and freeze for up to 6 months. Let thaw in the refrigerator overnight before you plan to serve.
Reheating: this vegan pasta bake reheats well in the microwave. Since there's so much sauce, it keeps the pasta from drying out. If you're reheating the entire baking dish, you can do so in a 350˚F oven until warmed through.
- Prep Time: 35 minutes
- Cook Time: 20 minutes
- Category: Dinner
- Method: Oven
- Cuisine: Pasta
Nutrition
- Serving Size:
- Calories: 569
- Sugar: 23.4 g
- Sodium: 2162 mg
- Fat: 18.5 g
- Carbohydrates: 83.9 g
- Fiber: 14.9 g
- Protein: 21.1 g
gina says
Excellent sauce recipe! Thanks so much. I'll make this again, maybe even just for the pasta sauce. I made the vegan pasta bake with gluten free Andeandream turmeric pasta - fantastic!
Sarah says
This is such an easy weeknight recipe and it´s such a good one to prep and have for lunch the following days. Will make it again for sure!
Alicia says
This is the best vegan pasta bake I’ve ever made and I’m so happy to have come across your recipe. I’m vegan and always looking for things to make for my non-vegan family. The only thing I did different was I did not have the package of mozzarella to top it off so I used vegan provolone and that was very good. I can’t wait to try it with the Miyokos vegan Mozzarella and some fresh basil next time!
LeftHandedNursePractitioner says
Recipe looks great! I’m gonna try it with a little twist- I’m going to use jumbo shell pasta and fill them with lentil mushroom, and cheese mixture ( also, may need a small amount of ricotta) in the shell . Sure would like to hear your. thoughts. Thanks, LeftHandedNursePractitioner
Lexi says
That sounds amazing, great idea!
Heidi says
In the oven now. Smells and looks great. One thing that is missing from the directions is when and how to add the lentils. I actually added them as a layer in between plus added shredded mozzarella on top. Can’t wait to try!
Lexi says
Heidi, thanks so much for bringing that to my attention! My apologies – they should have gone in the pan with the tomato sauce, but I hope it still turned out okay for you!
Claire | The Simple, Sweet Life says
Your vegan pasta bake looks absolutely delicious! I've really been making an effort to include more plant-based meals in our diet and I bet we wouldn't even miss the fact that this doesn't have meat, dairy, or any of those other animal-based products we typically eat. Can't wait to give it a try!
Eden | Sweet Tea and Thyme says
I’m always trying to find new vegan recipes to make my best friend. She’s going to love this!
Rebecca Blackwell says
I'll be honest - one of the reasons I avoid many vegan recipes is because I love cheese so very much. So, every time I see a recipe that uses a "vegan" cheese, I think it can't be very good. Well, my bad, because this is delicious. I sought out the vegan cheese you recommended and, as you said it would be, it's delicious. Thank you so much for not only a great recipe, but a great product recommendation!
Irina says
What was the cheese that was recommended? I can’t seem to find it
Lexi says
In this vegan pasta bake, we opt for a vegan shredded parmesan and a soft vegan mozzarella. Our favorite vegan parmesans are from Follow Your Heart (we seriously use up 1+ boxes a week) and VioLife. The Follow Your Heart shredded parmesan (which we used here) is particularly well-suited for high temps. It melts well and gets a bit crispy on top, just like regular cheese. So good! When it comes to soft vegan mozzarella, you can't go wrong with Miyoko's. It's cashew-based and fermented, so there's a ton of flavor without any weird additives. It melts beautifully on this pasta and adds so much creaminess.
SHANIKA says
I always love a good Pasta Bake and I love that you chose to use mushrooms and lentils in this! Super easy and it looks amazing!
Sharon says
This vegan pasta bake looks like serious comfort food. I like that it's vegan too so I can make this when I have guests that adhere to a vegan diet.
Sophie says
Your recipes are so practical and amazing. Thanks for sharing this.
Amanda says
I'm definitely putting this pasta bake on repeat for the fall! It's so robust and cozy -- perfect comfort food.
Eva says
I love baked pasta casseroles. Thank you for this recipe, good to have in case you need to make it for a vegan guest!
Jess says
What a deliciously beautiful pasta dish! I love the combination of flavors and that its vegan!!! I can’t wait to try! YUM!
Jacqui Debono says
This is the perfect recipe for all the produce coming to an end in the garden, plus I still have tons of basil and herbs growing! We are trying to increase our meat-free meals, so this is perfect!
Neli says
Such a scrumptious vegan meal - perfect comfort food for colder days. With all these delicious & healthy ingredients I bet it tastes fantastic! I will have to try it soon!