Cheesy Pasta Bake

This delicious vegan cheesy pasta bake with a creamy “cheese” sauce and a

delightfully crispy breadcrumb topping is a certified crowd-pleaser that’s super easy to make. You can prepare it several hours in advance and just keep it in the fridge for up to a day in advance and bake just before serving. So convenient, right? You can also easily double the recipe if desired.

Cheesy Pasta Bake [Vegan]

Ingredients

For the Cheese Sauce:

• 2 cups chopped potatoes (2 medium potatoes)
• 1 cup chopped carrot (1 medium carrot)
• 1/2 cup broken cashews
• 2 cups water
• 1-2 cloves of garlic, crushed
• 1 heaped tablespoon nutritional yeast extract (see note)
• 1-2 tablespoons apple cider vinegar (ACV)
• Salt, to taste
• Pepper powder, to taste
• Italian seasoning, to taste

For the Breadcrumb Topping:

• 5-6 medium brown/white bread slices (ensure the bread’s vegan)
• 1 heaped tablespoon nutritional yeast extract (see note)
• Salt, to taste
• Italian seasoning, to taste

For the Pasta Bake:

• 2 cups pasta, uncooked
• 1 cup steamed peas/corn/broccoli

 

Preparation

For the Breadcrumb Topping:

1. Preheat oven to 430°F. Roughly tear each bread slice into 6-8 pieces.
2. Spread the bread pieces on a baking tray and bake for 10-12 minutes until light golden brown. The baking time needed depends on the moisture content of the bread. So, check at 10 minutes and bake for a few more minutes if required.
3. Once cooled, transfer to a mixer jar along with nutritional yeast, salt, and Italian seasoning. Grind into a coarse powder. Store in an air-tight container in a cool place for up to a week.

For the Cheese Sauce:

1. In a pressure cooker, cook potato pieces, carrot pieces, and cashews with 2 cups of water over high heat for 4 whistles. Let it cool down.
2. Transfer the mixture to a grinder jar. Add 1-2 cloves of crushed garlic, 1 tablespoon nutritional yeast extract and 1 tablespoon ACV. Blend till smooth. Taste and add more ACV as required. Mix in the salt and spices.

For the Vegan Cheesy Pasta Bake:

1. Cook the pasta according to the instructions on the packet. Keep aside.
2. In a big mixing bowl, toss together the cooked pasta and steamed veggies with the cheese sauce. Add some plant milk if you find the sauce too thick. Taste and adjust the seasoning.
3. Transfer to a greased baking dish. Sprinkle liberally with the bread crumbs.
4. Bake in a pre-heated oven for 10 minutes at 200 degrees C (390 F). Serve hot!

https://www.onegreenplanet.org/vegan-recipe/cheesy-pasta-bake-vegan/