Easy Baked Ziti
Ingredients
- 1 lb dried ziti
- SEITAN SAUSAGE TOMATO SAUCE
- 4 tsp olive oil, divided
- 13oz seitan sausage, crumbled
- 1 large yellow onion, finely diced
- 2 cloves garlic, minced
- 1 tsp salt
- 1 tsp dried basil
- 1 tsp dried oregano
- 1/2 tsp dried thyme
- 1/2 tsp garlic powder
- pinch of red pepper flakes
- 28 oz + 15 oz whole canned tomatoes, pulsed in blender
- MOZZARELLA SAUCE
- 1 cup cashews
- 1 cup water
- 1/2 cup melted coconut oil
- 1 tsp apple cider vinegar
- 1 clove garlic, peeled and smashed
- 2 tbsp tapioca starch
- 1 tbsp nutritional yeast
- 1 tsp salt
Preparation
Cook the pasta according to package directions, under cooking by 1-2 minas it will continue to cook in the oven. Strain and set aside
For sauce
Heat 2 tsp of oil in a pot over medium heat. Add the seitan sausage and cook until it's browning, ~3 min. Remove from the pan and set aside
Add the remaining 2 tsp of oil and add the onion with a pinch of salt. Sauté for 8-10 min until the onions are soft and lightly caramelized. As the onions cook, anything stuck to the bottom of the pan from cooking the sausage will lift up
Add the garlic, salt, herbs, and a pinch of red pepper flakes and cook for 1 min. Add the tomatoes and sausage, cover the pot and bring the sauce to a simmer. Turn the heat to low and cook for about 15 min
For mozzarella sauce
Add everything to a blender and blend until very smooth
Assemble and bake the ziti
Preheat the oven to 375 ºF
Toss the pasta with about half of the sausage tomato sauce
In a casserole dish, add a couple of spoonfuls of sauce to the bottom of the dish, then add about 1/3 of the pasta. Top with about half of the remaining tomato sauce, then pour about 1/4 cup of the mozzarella sauce over that
Repeat and layer the next third of the pasta, the remaining tomato sauce, and the next ~1/4 of the mozzarella sauce. Next, top with the last of the pasta then smother with the remaining mozzarella sauce
Put the casserole dish in the oven and bake for 25-30 min, or until the cheese sauce has browned. Optional: turn on the broiler at the end for 2-5 min for further browning
