Vegan Baked Ziti

May 14, 2009

Ingredients (use vegan versions):

* 1 lb. whole wheat ziti, cooked and drained
* Ricotta:
* 1 pkg. firm or extra firm regular tofu
* appx. 1/2 cup shredded vegan mozzarella
* 1/4 cup parsley, rinsed and chopped fine
* 1/2 teaspoon salt
* Sauce:
* 1 jar vegan tomato sauce (about 3 cups if using your own)
* 3/4 cup vegan ground “beef” (optional)
* 1 small onion
* Topping:
* 1/4 vegan breadcrumbs, optional
* 1/4 cup shredded vegan mozzarella

Directions:

Preheat oven to 350.

Cook the ziti according to directions;
drain well and return to cooking pot.

“Ricotta”:

Blend tofu in a blender or food
processor until completely smooth;
remove to large mixing bowl. Add
parsley, salt, and 1/2 cup of the
shredded cheese. Mix well with a
spoon.

Sauce:

Meanwhile, chop the onion and sautee
in a deep pan (if you’re using some
vegan ground beef, add it now and
allow to brown slightly; I prefer
Gimme Lean). Add jar of sauce and
simmer for a few minutes, just to let
the flavors combine, and to allow the
ground beef to break up, if you’re
using it.

Once it’s warmed through, add about
1/3 of the sauce to the ziti, and then
mix in the tofu “ricotta.” Stir it in
well — the ziti should be coated with
the tofu mixture, and kind of “pink”
from the sauce. Place ziti in a
casserole dish, top with the remaining
sauce & shredded cheese. If you like,
you can top it all off with some
italian breadcrumbs (breadcrumbs mixed
with a tiny bit of oregano, basil, and
garlic powder). If you have a lid for
your casserole dish, put it on;
otherwise, use a little aluminum foil
over the top. Bake for about 35-45
minutes, until bubbly; then remove the
lid or tin foil and bake for an extra
5-10 minutes, until the vegan cheese /
breadcrumb topping is nice and golden
brown.