Vegan Alfredo Pasta Bake

5 from 25 votes

Creamy, cheesy, warming Vegan Alfredo Pasta Bake. Pasta noodles are tossed in a luscious alfredo sauce, and topped with homemade vegan mozzarella. Perfect for pleasing a crowd (vegan or not)!

Prep Time: 10

Cook Time: 45

Total Time: 55

Servings: 6

Author: Sam Turnbull

Ingredients

For the alfredo:

14 oz rigatoni, penne, or other short pasta (gluten-free if preferred)
3 tablespoon vegan butter
1 yellow onion finely chopped
4 cloves garlic minced or pressed
¼ cup all-purpose flour (gluten-free if preferred)
3 cups plant-based milk (such as oat or soy)
2 tablespoons nutritional yeast
1 tablespoon white miso paste
½ teaspoon salt
¼ teaspoon black pepper
2 tablespoon fresh parsley divided

For the mozzarella (or sub 1 ½ cups store-bought vegan mozzarella):

½ cup raw cashews
1 ¼ cup plant-based milk (such as oat or soy)
3 tablespoons tapioca starch (see notes for substitutions)
2 tablespoons nutritional yeast
1 teaspoon apple cider vinegar or lemon juice
½ teaspoon salt
¼ teaspoon garlic powder

US Customary - Metric

Instructions

Preheat the oven to 375°F (190°C). Lightly grease a 9"x13" baking dish.
Bring a large pot of water to a boil and cook the pasta according to the packaged instructions. Drain and set aside.
In the meantime make the alfredo sauce. Melt the vegan butter in a large pan. Add the onion and garlic and sauté, stirring occasionally until the onions soften and just begin to brown.
Sprinkle over the flour and stir to coat the onions. Keep stirring while cooking the flour for about 60 seconds. Add the plant-based milk, nutritional yeast, miso paste, salt, and pepper and whisk well. Cook, while whisking often until the sauce thickens, 5 - 10 minutes. Stir in 1 tablespoon of parsley and remove from the heat.
Spread the cooked pasta in the baking dish and pour over all of the alfredo sauce, stir to coat the pasta.

To make the Mozzarella (optional):

Softening the cashews (optional): Softening the cashews helps them blend. If you have a high-powered blender you can skip this step, but if not, this step is important to get a smooth mozzarella. You can either boil or soak the cashews. To boil the cashews (the fast method): add the cashews to a small pot, cover with water, and boil for about 10 minutes until the cashews are very tender. To soak the cashews: add the cashews to a bowl, and cover them with water. Let soak for 4 hours or overnight until tender. Drain and rinse cashews before using.
Add the cashews, plant-based milk, tapioca starch, nutritional yeast, vinegar, salt, and garlic powder to a blender and blend until completely smooth and creamy. Pour into a small pot and cook while stirring often. The sauce will start to get clumpy as it cooks, and then will turn into a gooey cheese sauce.
Remove from the heat and then dollop the mozzarella over the pasta. Use a spatula to spread it over the pasta.
Bake uncovered for 20 minutes or until the pasta is heated through. Optionally you can brown the mozzarella a bit by putting it under the broiler for a few minutes while keeping a close eye on it so that it doesn’t burn. Garnish with the remaining tablespoon of parsley and serve hot.

Notes

White Miso Paste: adds an aged tanginess to the sauce giving it those cheesy vibes). If you do not have miso paste on hand, you can substitute it with a splash of sauerkraut brine, or you can simply omit it and it will still taste great.

Raw Cashews: cashews are my favorite to make the smoothest creamiest cheese. Alternatively, you could sub-blanched almonds or macadamia nuts. For a nut-free option, you could try raw sunflower seeds but they might give the cheese a green tint.

Tapioca Starch: makes the cheese stretchy and gooey. It's my favorite starch to use for vegan cheeses. If you do not have it on hand you could substitute it with 1 ½ tablespoons cornstarch which will make a nice cheese but won't be stretchy.

Nutrition

Find it online:

https://itdoesnttastelikechicken.com/vegan-alfredo-pasta-bake/