Vegan Lentil Pasta Bake Recipe | GF

As I’ve said what feels like a million times now, I don’t eat vegan cheese. Most of the time that isn’t a problem, but every now and then a dish just needs something cheesy. And this lentil pasta bake recipe is one of them. Last time I shared a pasta bake recipe I got around this by making a chesesy flavoured crust rather than a creamy option. This time, I’m trying to opt for something a little more traditional.  

I’m not going to lie, I started this recipe not having a clue whether this plan would work. But the results were promising! I soaked some cashews and blended them with some Oatly cream and nutritional yeast in the hope that when it cooked, the creaminess would resemble a cheesy layer. Now, obviously the texture isn’t the same as using cheese, but it does taste cheesy and it has a creamy texture and the top layer does start to brown and bubble a bit like cheese. Close enough? It was good enough for what I was hoping for.  

I don’t eat vegan cheese because of the coconut in the majority of it. If you don’t have issues with that and want to add some vegan cheese on this anyway, I’d still add the cashew cream layer then add some vegan cheese on top of that.  

Recipe Changes? 

The first time I made this I used a rectangle dish and covered the full thing with my cashew cheese mix. Tasted great, but not the most aesthetically pleasing it all. To make it slightly more photo friendly, I made it with half the cashew cheese and dropped it in little circles the next time. It looks better, and it’s a lower fat option for people trying to reduce their intake. The nutritional information listed below is for the full recipe with a fully covered cheesy layer.  

Tastes good – but unattractive.

Nutritional Information 

This dish contains green lentils and I used some lentil pasta too, so this is a fairly high protein dish at 18g per serving. In terms of vitamins and minerals, this dish provides around 20% of the daily recommended amount of iron, two thirds of your daily vitamin C and three quarters of your vitamin A.  

Lentils are also high in B vitamins, this dish provides 20% of your daily B6 and over 40% of your daily B1.  

Vegan Lentil Pasta Bake Recipe 

This dish is a great family dinner option. It’s easy to prep and doesn’t require too much attention, it can easily be prepped in advance and stored in the fridge for later. Or, if you’re in a hurry, you could always just eat the lentil pasta layer and save the bake part for another day.  

This recipe is gluten free, soy free, dairy free and vegan. 

5 from 2 votes

Print

Vegan Lentil Pasta Bake Recipe

Course Main Course

Cuisine Italian

Keyword Lentil Pasta Bake Recipe, Vegan Pasta Bake Recipe

Prep Time 5 minutes

Cook Time 1 hour 15 minutes

Total Time 1 hour 20 minutes

Servings 5

Calories 373 kcal

Ingredients

• 1 red onion
• 3 cloves garlic
• 1 red or orange pepper
• 70 g chestnut mushrooms
• 1 fresh chili
• 1 tsp dried oregano
• 1 tbsp fresh basil leaves chopped
• ½ cup green lentils
• 1 ½ cups tomato & herb stock
• 1 can chopped tomatoes
• 40 g sundried tomatoes
• 200 g red lentil penne or other pasta of choice
• 1 cup cashews pre-soaked for at least 4 hours
• 1 cup vegan cream I used Oatly single
• 4 –6 tbsp nutritional yeast

Instructions

1. Heat the oil in a large saucepan and add the onions, chilli and garlic, cook on a low heat for 5 minutes.
2. Add pepper and mushrooms and cook gently for a further 5-7 mins until everything has softened. Stir in the lentils, chopped tomatoes, herbs and stock. Bring to a simmer, then cook for 35 mins until the lentils are tender – splash in water if you need. Add the sundried tomatoes and start cooking your pasta as per packet instructions.
3. Once the pasta is ready, drain and stir it into the lentil sauce pan, then pour into a baking dish.
4. Blend together the drained pre-soaked cashews, cream and nutritional yeast. Add some black pepper then pour evenly over the top of the baking dish.
5. Place in the centre of the oven for approximately 30 minutes until the cashew layer is turning golden and the bottom layer is bubbling.

Serve and enjoy!

Recipe Notes

I used 4tbsp of nutritional yeast for a light hint of the cheesy flavour, add the extra if you’d prefer a stronger taste.

Are you a fan of classic dishes like a pasta bake? Would you be interested in trying the alternative cashew layer?  

Until tomorrow, 

Sophie 

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