Vegan baked ziti with tofu ricotta
45 min · 42 g protein · 467 cals / serving
Bubbling, saucy baked pasta with pockets of creamy, lemony tofu ricotta, a meaty soy-mince marinara and plenty of spinach. Red lentil penne holds its bite in the oven, and the whole tray comes together while the oven heats.
Ingredients
- 14 oz red lentil penne (dry weight) red lentil pasta
Tofu ricotta
- 1 block (14 oz) prepared extra firm tofu, pressed 10 minutes, crumbled
- 1/4 cup nutritional yeast
- 2 tbsp lemon juice
- 2 cloves garlic
- 1 tsp dried basil
- 1/4 cup unsweetened soy milk
- 1/2 tsp salt
Sauce
- 2 cups textured vegetable protein (tvp), dry, dry soy mince (TVP)
- 1 1/2 cups water, boiling
- 1 jar (24 oz) marinara sauce
- 1 tsp dried oregano
- 1/2 tsp red pepper flakes
- 5 packed cups baby spinach, roughly chopped
Topping
- 2 tbsp nutritional yeast
Steps
- Heat the oven to 375°F. Boil the pasta in salted water for 2 minutes less than the packet says, then drain. It finishes cooking in the sauce.
- While the water heats and the pasta boils, press the tofu for 10 minutes, then put it in a food processor with the nutritional yeast, lemon juice, garlic, basil, soy milk and salt and pulse until it looks like ricotta: creamy with some texture, not a smooth purée.
- Pour the boiling water over the TVP in a large bowl and leave it 5 minutes to soak. Stir in the marinara, oregano, chili flakes and spinach, then fold in the pasta and half the tofu ricotta.
- Tip into a 23 × 33 cm (9 × 13-inch) baking dish, dot the rest of the ricotta over the top in spoonfuls and scatter with the nutritional yeast. Bake for 20 minutes, until bubbling at the edges and golden on the ricotta, and let it settle for a few minutes before serving.
Good to know
Can I use regular pasta?
Yes. Use 14 oz dry ziti or penne, boiled 2 minutes short. It is softer and more classic, and scores about 58 instead of 64 with less protein.
Can I make it ahead?
Assemble it, cover and refrigerate for up to a day, then bake 10 minutes longer from cold. Leftovers reheat covered in the oven or microwave.
Alternatives
Per
- Calories
- 105
- Protein
- (36%)
- 9 g
- Fat
- (15%)
- 2 g
- Carbohydrates
- (49%)
- 15 g
- of which sugar
- 2 g
- Fiber
- 4 g
- Sodium
- 161 mg
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Computed from the ingredients with our published formula, not yet kitchen-tested. General guidance, not medical advice. Talk to your prescriber. How
As written, 2804 kcal goes into the pot and 2838 g of ingredients comes out as about 2675 g of food: 105 kcal per 100 g. Cooking moves water and energy density is the score's biggest lever, so the dish is scored as cooked, not as an average of its parts. Every ingredient links to its food page, with the same data and score. The label's percentages are each macronutrient's share of the calories. The full formula.