Baked Ziti

The ultimate Vegan Baked Ziti recipe! Seriously soooo good. Warm, gooey, creamy and cheesy (but without any cream or cheese!) Easy to throw together too because you just throw everything for the
"ricotta" into your high speed blender. Non-vegans will love this ziti too! The vegan ricotta recipe is the same one I use for the Ricotta Pie found here.

Recipe:

Box of pasta of your choice (I usually do a whole wheat spiral kind)

1.5 to 2 jars tomato sauce (depending on how saucy you like it)

1 package extra firm tofu

1 1/2 T tahini

2 cloves garlic

3 T nutritional yeast

pinch of nutmeg

1 1/2 t. white miso

juice of half a lemon

pinch of salt and pepper

2T shallot

Two big handfuls spinach (optional) 

-Pre heat oven to 350*

-Spray 9"x13" baking dish with oil

-Cook pasta according to box directions

-While pasta is cooking, crumble tofu into high powered blender, then add the tahini, garlic, nutritional yeast, nutmeg, miso, lemon juice, salt, pepper and shallot. 

-Blend until combined but don't over process. 

-Mix tomato sauce with two handfuls spinach. Spoon about 1/2 cup of the sauce into the prepared baking dish and spread around.

-When pasta is done, drain. Spread half of the cooked pasta into the bottom of the baking dish.

-Scoop out half the ricotta mixture, 1 big spoonful at a time onto the pasta in the baking dish. place each scoop about an inch or two apart in three long rows over the pasta.

-Pour half the remaining tomato sauce into the baking dish. With the back of your spoon, spread the tomato sauce and the ricotta mixture a little bit over the pasta.

-Repeat with the remaining pasta, ricotta mixture and tomato sauce.

-Cover with tinfoil and bake at 350* for 30 min.

(serves 8 or gives your family great leftovers!)