Vegan Baked Ziti is an easy weeknight meal! This comforting pasta dish is made with cooked ziti noodles, marinara sauce, cashew cheese and optional vegan “meat”. Gluten free & Nut free options.
This recipe was one of the first I ever posted to my website nearly 3 years ago. It remains one of my most popular recipes for a reason, and always receives rave reviews from everyone who tries it!
I decided to give it a fresh look with new photos, as well as improved instructions, but the recipe itself is unchanged from the original.
You’re going to love this Vegan Baked Ziti! It’s perfect to make when company comes over, a holiday dinner, or just a busy weeknight because it’s SO EASY.
Plus! It can be made gluten free if needed, whole grain or nut free. You can top the whole thing with some non-dairy cheese shreds, and add vegan ground “meat” to the dish if desired.
How to make Vegan Baked Ziti, step by step
- Add cooked ziti noodles to a lightly greased casserole dish, then pour a jar of marinara sauce over the noodles. If adding vegan ground “meat”, add it now as well. Stir a little bit.
- Make the cashew cheese, then add it to the pasta. Stir lightly, but not too much, leaving pockets of cheese throughout.
- Optional: Top with a bag of non-dairy cheese shreds, I used Daiya mozzarella.
- Bake, uncovered for 25 minutes until hot. Sprinkle with chopped parsley, if desired.
Special Tips & Substitutions
- Gluten Free: Use gluten free pasta. You might not be able to find ziti, but a similar shape will work just fine.
- Nut Free: For a totally nut free option, use a bag of non-dairy cheese shreds instead of the homemade cashew cheese. Make sure your cheese isn’t made of nuts though! I do this sometimes just to save time.
- Vegan “Meat”: Use a few cups (2-2 1/2 cups, or one bag) of vegan ground “beef” such as Gardein, Beyond Beef or another brand. You could also add a few sliced vegan italian sausages (I love Field Roast brand). I don’t cook them first, just add to the pasta and sauce frozen or cold.
- Instead of topping with mozzarella non-dairy cheese, sprinkle with Vegan Parmesan instead.
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Want more Vegan Pasta Recipes?
- The Best Vegan Lasagna
- Spaghetti and Vegan Meatballs
- Vegan Mushroom Stroganoff
- The Best Vegan Mac and Cheese
Vegan Baked Ziti
Vegan Baked Ziti is an easy weeknight meal! This comforting pasta dish is made with cooked ziti noodles, marinara sauce, cashew cheese and optional vegan "meat". Gluten free & Nut free options.
Ingredients
Cashew Cheese
- 1 1/2 cups raw cashews
- 3/4 cup water
- juice from 1 large lemon (2-3 tablespoons)
- 4 tablespoons nutritional yeast
- 1 garlic clove
- 1/2 teaspoon onion powder
- 1 teaspoon salt
The Rest
- 1 pound ziti noodles gluten free if needed
- 25 ounces marinara sauce ( 1 jar)
- 2 1/2 cups vegan ground "beef" OR 2-3 sliced vegan sausages, optional
- 1 bag non-dairy mozzarella cheese shreds, optional for topping
- Optional: Vegan Parmesan
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 375 degrees F. Lightly grease a 9 x 13 inch casserole dish.
- Make the Cashew Cheese sauce: Soak the cashews in boiling hot water for at least 5 minutes. Drain the cashews and add them to a high powered blender along with the water, lemon juice, nutritional yeast, garlic, onion powder and salt. Blend until smooth, scraping the sides down as needed. Set aside.
- Prepare pasta according to package instructions. You can cook the pasta while your cashews are soaking to save time. Drain the noodles and add to casserole dish.
- Pour the marinara sauce and "meat", if using, on top of the noodles and stir to combine.
- Spoon the cashew cheese on top of noodle/sauce mixture and stir gently, leaving pockets of cheese intact.
- Sprinkle with non-dairy mozzarella cheese shreds OR about 1/2 cup of Vegan Parmesan.
- Bake, uncovered, for 25 minutes until hot throughout.
- Serve immediately and enjoy!
Notes
- Gluten Free: Use gluten free noodles that are a similar shape to ziti, such as Penne.
- Nut Free: Substitute a bag of non-dairy cheese shreds (check ingredients to ensure nut free) for the Cashew Cheese.
- If you don't care for nutritional yeast, you may leave it out of the cheese.
- My favorite brands of vegan ground beef are Gardein or Beyond Beef crumbles. I like Field Roast brand Italian sausages for this recipe as well.
- This dish can be frozen. Once cooked, let it cool completely, then cover tightly with foil and freeze. When ready to serve, bake at 350 degrees for an hour or until warm.
- Leftovers will keep in the refrigerator for about 4 days, making it a great meal prep for lunches.
Nutrition
Serving: 1serving | Calories: 405kcal | Carbohydrates: 56g | Protein: 17g | Fat: 13g | Saturated Fat: 3g | Cholesterol: 4mg | Sodium: 863mg | Potassium: 660mg | Fiber: 5g | Sugar: 7g | Vitamin A: 432IU | Vitamin C: 6mg | Calcium: 106mg | Iron: 4mg
Did you make this recipe?Mention @nora_cooks_vegan_ or tag #noracooks!
Looking forward to making this!!
Question: I’d like to bump the veggie content by adding some cauliflower/broccoli/onions to the dish. Do you think these could be added raw and stirred in with the pasta and sauce step and come out done after baking? I feel like maybe no but wondering if you ever tried that. Thanks!
I have added veggies before but I do cook them first, the exception being spinach, which wilts so quickly you could add it right in. I would cook them first on the stovetop before adding to the dish and baking. Hope that helps, thanks!
Thank you! I actually made it last night and threw in pan of roasted veggies (cauli, broc, carrots) then sautted some onions and canned lentils to use as the “meat”. It turned out really well!! That cheese sauce… wow. My non vegan coworker tasted my lunch left overs today and asked for the recipe! SO good, thank you!!
Made this last night. My husband told me to just make pasta and not worry with the cheese sauce etc… Until he tasted it……YUM!!! Another fab recipe from the best vegan cooking site around. Thank you. Making chocolate doughnuts next.
Wow, thanks for the wonderful comment! I’m so glad you both enjoyed it.
My 3 year old loves this meal and so do I!! It’s definitely my weekday go to! Thanks ? Also, the cashew cheese is so much smoother now that I’ve gotten a Vitamix.
You’re welcome! I’m glad you all love it!
Super delicious just like all of your recipes! My picky 9 year old loved it as well as my non vegan mother, She asked for seconds. It made enough for 4 of us and we have left for tomorrow.
That’s so great! I’m glad everyone liked it.
This is my new favorite thing to eat. The cashew cream sauce made it. I’m going to try that recipe as a substitute for cream cheese and sour cream in another favorite recipe… Mushroom stroganoff. Betting it will be delicious, too. So happy to have found this recipe. I will make it often
It’s really yummy, I have a hard time not licking the blender when I make it haha! Thank you.
I’m extremely new to cooking and eating dairy free so the cashew cheese seems like it will be difficult for me to make as I am quite a dummy in the kitchen. Is there cashew cheese you can buy or can you just do daiya throughout?
You could definitely just use daiya or another store bought vegan cheese instead, just mix a bag throughout the pasta. Thank you and best of luck!
Can this be prepared a day in advance and baked the next day?
Yes, that would work.
Would the tofu crumbles in your chili recipe work for the “meat” in this recipe?
Yes, they would work well in this recipe!
This is seriously amazing! We added a bit more tomato sauce because we like our pasta saucy, but even my omnivorous husband loved it and said I should made it for the next family meal with the in-laws. Delicious. ?
Thanks for the high praise! I’m glad you both loved it.
Very delicious dish!! It was easy to make and didn’t take much time! Thanks for this. ☺
You’re welcome! Glad it was delish.
Just a quick question, the recipe calls for one pound of pasta. That’s one pound cooked, right? Haha thanks
It’s one pound of dried pasta (16oz package). Hope that helps!
This is by far my favorite vegan recipe. I make it once a week because it’s quick and so, so delicious. My meat-eating husband, family, and friends all love it as well. I haven’t deviated from the original recipe, it’s perfect as is. Thank you for creating this amazing dish!
This is a go to recipe in my house. When I’m short on time or cashews, I just add daiya mozzarella shreds. Also add vegan ground “beef” with the sauce. My brother and dad are big meat eaters but happily devour this when I make it. Thank you for making a vegan diet delicious and easy!
Sounds amazing with the vegan ground “beef”! I love your shortcut with daiya too, it would definitely work!
I have made this a few times. I sometimes add in a package of “beef” crumbles by Boca. It is very hardy and fools the meat eaters.
Someone asked me the other day who my favorite redhead is and I would have to say Nora Taylor is on the top of that list (minus my immediate friends). This recipe is sort of the pinnacle of Nora’s simplicity and taste that has really changed my kitchen for the better. It’s super accessible for anyone who hasn’t cooked vegan before, and it’s so delightful that if you serve it to anyone and they stick their tongue out in disgust you know that you simply need to stop associating with that person. Nora’s recipes are on our table at least once a week, and I highly recommend this dish as a place to start for anyone new to Nora Cooks.
P.S. I literally have never soaked my cashews overnight. Boiling seems to work just fine in this recipe and other cashew cheese recipes we make at home. Glad to have received this hot tip from Nora.
I’m so glad I tried this recipe. It came out absolutely perfect!
This is incredible! I’ve made it multiple times and it always comes out fantastic. I love that this can easily be made ahead and kept in the fridge until you’re ready to pop it in the oven. A great dish to serve for guests, or make ahead and bring over for someone. I initially made to bring to a friend who had just had a baby and it was a hit with them. It tastes, it is surprisingly easy and reasonable to put together. The only thing I changed, is that I sautéed onion, garlic, diced carrots, chopped asparagus, and some fresh spinach and Some vegan sausage crumbles, and mixed that into the pasta and marinara sauce.
My family loves this! We like to cook some beyond meat ground to add with marinara sauce, and its delicious and easy!
Sounds great, I’m so glad you enjoy it!
So good!!! We make it on a regular basis. We sub ziti for shells bit it is a fabulous recipe!!
Thank you, I’m so glad it’s a regular for you!
This was a big hit in our house!! I am the only vegan in the household, but everyone agreed it was delicious and that it should be made again and again. I cooked up some mushrooms and onions separately to add to mine which was great. Everyone else ate as is. Thank you for this recipe!!
Thank you! I’m so glad everyone liked it!
Thanks for the suggestion on the onions and mushrooms… For me, but put it over the top. Absolutely delicious.
Fabulous! By association, I am a part-time vegan/vegetarian, my daughters are full-time. I don’t usually comment, but when worth mentioning, this recipe was amazing. This recipe surpassed the flavor, texture, creaminess, and richness of its non-plant based counter part. I have my own tomato sauce recipe, which is insanely delicious and added Beyond Meat Italian sausage, which added another dimension to the flavor profile. Thank you so much for making a meat eater appreciate plant based eating. I fully recommend this to all types of eaters.
P.S. The vegan cheese sauce and parmesan are worth the effort to make, they are almost identical to the real thing.
I’m so happy you enjoyed this recipe so much! Thanks for taking the time to comment.
This is a delicious pasta recipe. We’ve already made it multiple times since discovering this recipe including serving it to my non vegan (one could say fairly anti vegan) relatives when they came to visit and they all agreed it was delicious!
Nora, THANK YOU SO MUCH!!!! I read a few of the comments above and I couldn’t agree more. Veganism was the best choice I have ever made, the only thing I miss is cheese. I am Italian so a lot of my culture is cheese and cream-heavy dishes. This is an AMAZING substitute, it is actually wayyyyy better than the ziti my grandma makes (although I will never tell her!!!!). USER BEWARE this is addictive and has caused me and my fiance (a vegetarian who eats dairy) to almost eat an entire pound of pasta on several occasions!!
I would also like to add, I sometimes don’t bake this. I also sometimes don’t add red sauce. I have made this as a cream dish with peas, spinach and a vegan “bacon” I make from tofu to act like a pancetta.
Vegans, vegetarians and non-vegs love love this dish. beyond grateful for this and the rest of your fab recipes, can’t wait to try more.
You are so welcome! I’m so happy you are enjoying the vegan ziti. Thank you!
Thank you for this delish dish, it is a wow for everyone who has sat down to dinner with us!
I’m so glad you have enjoyed the ziti, thank you! It’s one of my family’s favorites.
So good! Made it tonight and the family loved it. Just went back to veganism and this recipe will be a regular for me!