It is cold here in my part of the world, so I am craving hearty meals that will keep me warm and cozy. This Tofu Ricotta Pasta Bake quickly became a family favorite and for a good reason! It is easy to make, yet super tasty, and perfect for any occasion.
Thanks to the tofu, which is the main ingredient used in the ricotta filling, this dish is also filling, and full of plant protein. The homemade Tofu Ricotta is the star of this dish, it is quick and easy to prepare and you can make a bigger batch of it to keep in the fridge over the next couple of days. It works great as a spread on toast or even as a dip with crackers or chips.
Why you'll love this Tofu Ricotta Pasta Bake:
This dish is not only easy to put together and super tasty, it is also a great meal to bring to any get-togethers you have with your friends or family. It has similar flavors and textures that everyone is, most likely, already familiar with so this is a guaranteed dish to impress non-vegan people in your life as well. I mean, who doesn't love pasta filled with creamy ricotta, topped with more beautifully melted, vegan, cheese?! I'm telling you, you just can't go wrong with this one! It tastes like you spent hours in the kitchen prepping it when in reality the actual time of putting this recipe together shouldn't take you more than 20 minutes, the rest of the magic happens in the oven!
Ingredients:
tofu ricotta:
300g firm tofu
3 cloves of garlic, finely minced
1/4 cup nutritional yeast
1 tsbp neutral oil
juice of half a lemon
2 tsp each dry parsley, oregano, basil
salt & pepper to taste
other ingredients:
314g store-bought marinara sauce
6 lasagne pasta sheets
1 tsp dry parsley, oregano, basil
150g / roughly 1 cup grated vegan cheese
Instructions:
Fill a large pot with water, cover with a lid, and let it come to a boil. Once boiling, add a generous pinch of salt and cook the pasta sheets until al dente. Drain and rinse the pasta sheets under cold water, then set aside. Since we're going to bake it, it's important that you don't overcook the lasagne pasta sheets.
In the meantime, prepare the tofu ricotta. In a blender or food processor blend the tofu, neutral oil, salt & pepper, dry herbs, lemon juice, nutritional yeast, and garlic until smooth. Stopping to scrape the sides off as needed.
To start building the pasta bake, pour the store-bought marinara sauce, mixed with 1 tsp of each dry herb, into a shallow oven-safe baking dish.
Next, add about 2 heaping tablespoons of the tofu ricotta you just made onto the middle of a cooked lasagna pasta sheet, fold one end over the filling, then roll it up. Place it seam-side down into the baking dish with the marinara sauce. Repeat until you have used up all the pasta and tofu ricotta.
Sprinkle the grated vegan cheese on top and bake for 30-35 minutes. To help the cheese melt, you can cover the baking dish with aluminum foil for about 15 minutes of the baking time.
Serve warm and enjoy!
Notes:
Swap the lasagna pasta sheets for shell pasta and use that as a boats for the tofu ricotta filling.
Don't like tofu? No worries, soak some cashews overnight, or in boiling water for at least 30 minutes, and use that as the base for the vegan ricotta filling.
Feel free to use some baby spinach to either the filling or the marinara sauce to make this dish a bit more balanced.
Did you make this recipe? Don't forget to tag me on Instagram @plantiful_life_ and leave a comment below!
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