Vegan Baked Rigatoni with Vegan Lentil Meat Sauce

vegan baked rigatoni in a white casserole

4.98 from 44 votes

Vegan Baked Rigatoni with Vegan Lentil Meat Sauce

Vegan Baked Rigatoni is an easy weeknight meal ! No pre-cooking the pasta, no precooking the lentils needed for This comforting one-dish pasta made with rigatoni, lentil bolognese and cheesy tofu mozzarella topping. Gluten free option, Nutfree option .

Prep Time5

Cook Time54

Total Time59

Course: Main Course

Cuisine: Italian

Keyword: baked rigatoni, vegan baked ziti, vegan pasta bake

Servings: servings

Author: Vegan Richa

Ingredients

For the pasta

1 lb Uncooked rigatoni or penne or ziti
28 oz jar of pasta sauce or marinara sauce or tomato basil sauce
1/3 cup dried split red lentils or 1/4 cup of red lentils + 1/4 cup of coarsely chopped walnut for best texture
1 tbsp balsamic vinegar
1 tsp italian seasoning Or mix of basil, oregano or thyme
2 cloves garlic minced
2 cups water

For the tofu mozzarella topping

7 oz firm tofu or silken tofu
1 tbsp olive oil
1/2 tsp garlic powder
1/2 tsp miso or 1 tbsp of nutritional yeast
3/4 tsp salt
1/4 tsp onion powder
1 tsp lemon juice
1/2 cup water
2 tsp flour

US Customary - Metric

Instructions

In 9 X 13 inch pan, add the pasta and distribute evenly. Add the pasta sauce, lentils, balsamic vinegar, Italian seasoning and water. And mix well. If the pasta sauce does not have enough salt, add some salt and mix really well and even it out with a spatula. Cover with foil and bake at 350F (180c ) for 50 minutes
For the tofu mozzarella, blend all the ingredients until smooth, taste and adjust salt and flavor and set aside. (For Soyfree, use my liquid cashew mozzarella)
Remove the pan from the oven and carefully remove the foil. Now pour the tofu mozzarella over the Pasta and put it back into the oven and broil it for 3-4 mins until browning, Add a drizzle of olive oil and pepper flakes and serve.

Video

Notes

You can add sautéed mushroom or veggies or spinach etc along with the pasta sauce for variation.
if you don't have Italian seasoning, use a mix of basil, oregano and thyme
Yes, the cheese mixture will be thin and runny. That’s ok. It will thicken in the oven.
add 1 cup more pasta sauce for saucier result. Different pasta brands and lentils can absorb moisture differently.
You can use nutritional yeast instead of miso paste.
For gluten-dree, substitute sturdy gluten-free pasta
to make soyfree mozzarella use my cashew mozzarella

Nutrition