Easy Vegan Baked Ziti With Mushrooms | Healthy Recipe - Elavegan (2024)

By Ela on 31. July, 2019 | 37 Comments. This post may contain affiliate links*. As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases.

An easy to make baked Ziti with mushrooms and homemade vegan cheese sauce! This recipe contains only simple ingredients and requires less than 20 minutes of prep time. Your family will love this healthy vegan comfort food.

Vegan Baked Ziti

I am sure you know how much I love all kind of casseroles/bakes. They are super comforting, easy to make, and taste delicious! Do you love vegan lasagna but fear it is too complicated to make? Try this vegan baked Ziti recipe which is equally delicious but much easier and quicker!

I love this baked Ziti recipe because of the following reasons:

1. It requires less than 20 min of prep time.
2. It’s 100% vegan (dairy-free).
3. It contains only simple ingredients.

What Is Baked Ziti?

As per Wikipedia: Baked ziti is a popular casserole made with ziti pasta and a Neapolitan-style tomato-based sauce characteristic of Italian-American cuisine. It is a form of pasta al forno.

Typically, the ziti are first boiled separately while a tomato sauce is prepared, which may include cheese, ground meat, sausage, mushrooms, peppers, onions, and more. The cooked and drained ziti are then combined with the sauce, which may be layered with additional varieties of cheeses, baked in the oven, and served hot.

Now before everyone (especially Italians) gets angry at me… Yes, I didn’t use Ziti noodles. I used “Penne” because I prefer eating gluten-free pasta and gluten-free Penne is easily available where I live! However, you can make this recipe with Ziti noodles or any kind of pasta (e.g. Rigatoni), of course! No big deal! 😀

How to Make A Vegan Baked Ziti?

You know, I always try to make my recipes as simple as possible and this one is no exception. I took 8 step-by-step photos for you, which you can see below. Here is what you need to do to make your vegan baked Ziti:

1. First, you need to cook the pasta and chop the mushrooms.
2. Fry mushrooms in the pan.
3. Prepare the flavorful marinara sauce and pour some of it into the casserole dish.
4. Add pasta to the casserole dish.
5. Top with mushrooms.
6. Add the remaining sauce,
7. And stir to combine.
8. Finally, top with the best homemade vegan cheese sauce and bake in the oven until perfection!

I promised you that it’s going to be super easy. There is really no excuse not to try this recipe. 🙂

Variations

I love making this baked Ziti with mushrooms because mushrooms will always remain my favorite. However, if you aren’t a mushroom fan, simply leave them out or replace them with one of the following ingredients:

• Zucchini
• Bell Pepper
• Tomatoes

I love that this baked Ziti is so versatile and easy to make!

Simple Baked Ziti Ingredients

You probably already have most (if not all) of the simple ingredients at home. Here is what you will need for this recipe:

• Ziti or Penne or Rigatoni noodles (regular or gluten-free)
• Marinara sauce
• Mushrooms
• Garlic
• Soy sauce
• Balsamic vinegar
• Plant-based milk
• Nutritional yeast flakes
• Tapioca flour
• Different spices

You can use store-bought vegan cheese instead of my homemade vegan cheese sauce of course. It takes only a few minutes to make and it doesn’t contain cashews. Another bonus is that you won’t need a blender or food processor! But if you already happen to have store-bought vegan cheese in your fridge, go ahead and use it. 🙂

Some Helpful Tips

• Prepare the marinara sauce ahead of time and store it in the fridge. It saves time and is more convenient.
• You can also cook the noodles ahead of time and keep them in the fridge until you are ready to assemble the casserole. I prefer it when the pasta is freshly cooked though!
• Don’t overcook the pasta otherwise, it will get mushy in the casserole dish!
• Use a broiler (if available) for the last 3-4 minutes of the baking time to achieve a nice browning.

This Vegan Baked Ziti is:

• Dairy-free
• Oil-free
• Relatively low-fat
• Creamy
• Satisfying
• Hearty
• Comforting
• Easy to make with simple ingredients
• Perfect for families with kids
• Much healthier than other baked Ziti recipes

Should you recreate this healthy vegan baked Ziti recipe, please leave a comment and rating below and don’t forget to tag me in your Instagram or Facebook post with @elavegan and #elavegan because I love to see your remakes! If you love casseroles definitely also check out the following recipes:

• Easy Broccoli Quinoa Casserole
• Vegan Shepherd’s Pie
• Cheesy Pasta Bake
• Creamy Potato Bake
• Vegan Moussaka

If you are using Pinterest, feel free to pin the following photo: