I love serving something that is warm and comforting to my significant other for a day like valentines’ day. A dish that is great for that is a baked ziti with a few tweaks to make it more nutritious without sacrificing taste. For instance, I replace cows base cheeses with a plant based cheese that has zero cholesterol and half the calories. Lastly, I like using lentil or chickpea based pasta instead of traditional Semolina based pasta because not only because it tends to be lower in calories but it also adds a hit of protein that most eating a mostly plant based diet are desperately searching for.
Note: Nutritional information above has been estimated. Results may vary. Information is provided for convenience and does not constitute professional nutritional advice.
Ingredients
(10 Servings)
- 16 ounces of dry lentil or chickpea based ziti pasta
- 1 onion, chopped
- 16 ounces seitan grounds
- 2 (26 ounce) jars spaghetti sauce
- 6 ounces vegan ricotta cheese
- 1 1/2 cups vegan plain yogurt
- 6 ounces vegan mozzarella cheese, shredded
- 2 tablespoons grated Parmesan cheese
Instructions
- Bring a large pot of lightly salted water to a boil. Add ziti pasta, and cook until al dente, about 8 minutes; drain.
- In a large skillet, brown onion and store bought seitan crumble over medium heat. Add spaghetti sauce, and simmer 15 minutes.
- Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Layer a 9x13 inch baking dish with vegan butter. Layer as follows: 1/2 of the ziti, vegan ricotta cheese, vegan plain yogurt, 1/2 sauce mixture, remaining ziti, vegan mozzarella cheese and remaining sauce mixture. Top with grated vegan Parmesan cheese.
- Bake for 30 minutes in the preheated oven, or until cheeses are melted.
- Serve with sauteed kale, broccoli, roasted brussels sprouts or a good salad.