Let's do an easy, creamy, veggie-filled pasta night with this No-Boil Vegan Baked Ziti! It has gluten-free pasta, a vegan creamy sauce, and the perfect combination of Italian flavors. Everyone's gonna love it!
I get so happy when I have a weeknight recipe that's nutritious, easy and total comfort food! Pasta totally falls into all those categories for me, and this No-Boil Vegan Baked Ziti recipe has a creamy tomato-based sauce and tons of fresh veggies that make it perfect. It's loosely based on my Vegan No-Boil Pasta Bake, which my whole family loves.
This is one of those weeknight meals that comes together in minutes, it's filling, and it's so, so tasty. This recipe is also filled with fresh and nutritious veggies: onion, zucchini, bell pepper, and spinach.
I think this dish works really well by itself as a one-pot meal, no sides needed, since it's filled with veggies...don't you love it when that happens? Less dishes, less mess, one and done!
The Best Gluten-Free Pasta
I really love the brand Jovial for gluten-free pasta options. They have almost every pasta shape, and they cook to a perfect al dente just like normal pasta! If you aren't sensitive to gluten, you can use regular pasta and this recipe will turn out just as good.
How to Make Pasta Without Boiling
This is the absolute easiest way to make pasta. You don't have to boil water or spend any time over the stove to get it done! You'll put dry pasta (yep, right out of the package!) into a baking dish with marinara and water, cover it tightly, and it gets perfectly cooked in the oven. It's seriously a weeknight miracle meal!
Creamy Vegan Pasta Sauce
This No-Boil Vegan Baked Ziti has a rich a creamy sauce made without any dairy products. It's full of flavor and so much easier than you may think! I used my Homemade Vegan Cashew Cream and Easy Vegan Mozzarella to make this cheesy, creamy, and so indulgent. Learn all about How (and Why!) to Soak Cashews in this post!
This No-Boil Vegan Baked Ziti is gluten-free, vegan, and free of refined sugars. It's a dish for everyone! If you make it, please drop a review below and let me know how you liked it, and tag me on Instagram, too!
More Pasta Recipes
Vegan No-Boil Pasta Bake
Easy One-Pot Pasta
One-Skillet Baked Butternut Squash Pasta with Sage
Chunky Tomato Basil Spaghetti
Vegan Baked Feta Pasta
Pasta Fresca
Grilled Veggie Pesto Pasta
Vegan Chickpea Bolognese Pasta
Spaghetti Aglio e Olio
No-Boil Vegan Baked Ziti - One Dish!
- Total Time: 1 hour
- Yield: 6-8 1x
- Diet: Vegan
Description
No-Boil Vegan Baked Ziti is filled with fresh veggies and a creamy vegan sauce that all comes together in minutes!
Ingredients
- 12 ounces dry ziti pasta (gluten-free if desired)
- 28 ounces jarred marinara sauce (I like Rao’s the best)
- 1 cup filtered water
- ½ large red onion, diced
- optional: 1 medium zucchini, finely diced
- optional: 1 medium red bell pepper, stem and seeds removed, finely diced
- 4. large cloves garlic, minced
- 1.5 teaspoons fine salt
- ½ teaspoon ground black pepper
- ½ teaspoon garlic powder
- pinch of red pepper flakes
- 1 batch homemade vegan cashew cream (Learn all about How (and Why!) to Soak Cashews in this post)
- optional: 2 large handfuls fresh baby spinach
- 1 batch homemade vegan mozzarella cheese
- 1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
- optional: ½ cup vegan parmesan cheese
- garnish options: fresh parsley and/or fresh basil
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 400 degrees Fahrenheit. Grease a 13 x 9-inch rectangular baking dish and set aside.
- Place dry pasta, marinara sauce, water, onion, garlic, zucchini, bell pepper and spices in the baking dish and stir well to incorporate.
- Cover the baking dish tightly with aluminum foil and bake on the middle rack of the oven for 40 minutes.
- Remove from oven and remove the aluminum foil. Stir in the vegan cashew cream and spinach while still hot. Add mozzarella cheese overtop and drizzle 1 tablespoon olive oil overtop the cheese. Next, sprinkle generously with vegan parmesan cheese. Bake uncovered for 10-15 minutes until golden and bubbly. Broil the last two minutes if desired but watch closely to avoid burning.
- Serve immediately. Garnish with fresh herbs if desired.
- Store leftovers in an airtight container in your refrigerator for up to five days.
Equipment
13 x 9-inch rectangular baking dish
Buy Now →- Prep Time: 10
- Cook Time: 50
- Category: Entree
- Method: Oven
- Cuisine: Italian
Lisa says
This is the best recipe, thank you so much for sharing! We’ve had it on repeat, so easy and delicious!
Elaine Gordon says
Thank you so much, Lisa! I am so happy to hear you enjoy this one! Thanks for the five star rating too! Best, Elaine
Karen Finkelstein says
Wow, this recipe is so delicious!! I made it exactly as suggested and highly recommend adding the optional veggies—they cook down and you don’t even notice them. Bonus is that this dish is even better the next day!! Super easy and the entire family loved it…even my picky meat eating hubby!
Elaine Gordon says
Thank you so much, Karen! I'm so happy to hear you and your family enjoyed this one! I agree the veggies really do cook down and become unnoticeable! Thank you so much for the five star review too! Best, Elaine
Heidi says
I made this tonight for dinner. It was delicious. We especially enjoyed the mozzarella sauce. I made the sweet potato muffins into a cake tonight also. Thanks for the excellent recipes. It is much appreciated.
Elaine Gordon says
Thank you so much, Heidi! I'm so happy to hear you enjoyed this one and the sweet potato muffins too! All the best, Elaine
S says
So good! I added mushrooms, used gluten free pasta, and regular mozzarella on top. Love how simple yet delicious this is!
S says
I also added all the optional veggies
Elaine Gordon says
Thank you so much, S! So happy to hear you enjoyed this one so much! Best, Elaine
Virginia says
Looking forward to making this today for friends. I don't have time to soak cashews, but bought vegan ricotta. Would you prepare the same way with vegan ricotta?
Elaine Gordon says
Hi, Virginia! I am probably too late here but yes you could prepare the same way - great idea for the sub! LMK how it turned out please 🙂
If you are ever short on time you could do the quick soak method for the cashews with boiling water: https://www.eatingbyelaine.com/how-and-why-to-soak-cashews-properly-overnight-and-quick-soak-method/ - and if you have a high speed blender you could skip this step if you have zero time.
Hope you and your friends enjoyed this dish! Best, Elaine
Andrea says
This has become a staple in our house! Since we're not vegan, we use regular dairy mozzarella to top, but otherwise keep the recipe as-is. It always makes enough for a second dinner, too. We've made it for different meat-loving family members and everyone -- adults and kids alike -- have raved about it! Once you get the hang of the cashew cream, it's really easy to do.
Elaine Gordon says
Andrea, this absolutely made my day! I love that this recipe has become a staple in your home and that it works so well for your family (and even the meat-lovers!). The cashew cream is such a game-changer, right? Thank you so much for the glowing review and for taking the time to share your experience—I'm so grateful! 💛