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    Home » Vegan Pasta

    Vegan Pasta Bake (Rich and Creamy)

    Published: May 5, 2018 Updated: Nov 18, 2021 by Alison Andrews This post may contain affiliate links

    Jump to Recipe
    Vegan Pasta Bake

    Rich and creamy vegan pasta bake that feeds a crowd AND you can make it in advance so it’s perfect for a dinner party!

    Vegan Pasta Bake in a white oven dish with a serving dished up on a white side plate.

    Well I never, doesn’t it look exactly like there’s a thick layer of cheese on top of that vegan pasta bake you see before you?

    Well it’s not! It’s white sauce. Isn’t that some magic right there?

    I wanted to make this pasta bake with a lentil bolognese sauce, but at the last minute decided to mix the bolognese with some cashew cream for a creamy sauce.

    And then the creamy pasta is topped with a white sauce that bakes to look just like cheese! It’s too good.

    It’s definitely rich. But it makes a perfect meal to feed a crowd.

    There are a few steps involved but it’s actually quite simple and the prep for this is only around 70 minutes. Then it bakes for 20 minutes, so the entire meal is ready in 90 minutes.

    And if you love this pasta bake then you’ll also love our vegan baked ziti so check that out too.

    Vegan Pasta Bake straight from the oven in a white oven dish.

    How To Make Vegan Pasta Bake

    You will find full instructions and measurements in the recipe card at the bottom of the post. This is a summary of the process to go along with the process photos.

    • Put the pasta on to cook. When it’s cooked, drain it, cover it (to prevent it from drying out) and set aside.
    • Prepare your bolognese sauce. Add chopped onion and crushed garlic to a pot with olive oil and fry until softened. Add sliced mushrooms and soy sauce. Cover the pot for a minute and allow the mushrooms to release their water. Then remove the lid from the pot and let the water from the mushrooms cook off a little. Add tomato paste, lentils and chopped tomato. Bring to a simmer. Add a little light brown sugar to balance out the flavors. Add salt and pepper to taste.
    Vegan bolognese sauce in a pot with a wooden spoon.
    • Prepare your cashew cream. Add raw cashews, lemon juice, water and salt to the blender jug and blend until smooth.
    Cashew cream in a blender jug.
    • Add the cashew cream to your bolognese sauce and mix it in.
    Collage of two photos showing cashew cream added to lentil bolognese sauce and mixed in.
    • Then add the cooked pasta and mix it all in together.
    Two photo collage showing cooked pasta added to pot and mixed in with the sauce.
    • Prepare your white sauce. Add vegan butter to a saucepan and let it melt and start to sizzle just a little. Add all purpose flour and stir it in quickly, then add coconut milk and vegetable stock and whisk it in. Then switch to a wooden spoon and keep stirring while you bring it to the boil. Once it boils keep stirring for about another 4 minutes until it’s noticeably thickened. Remove from the heat and add ground black pepper, dijon mustard, nutritional yeast and sea salt.
    White sauce in a saucepan with a wooden spoon.
    • Place the pasta and bolognese mix into a 9×13 oven-safe dish and smooth down.
    • Pour the white sauce over the top and smooth down.
    Two photo collage showing pasta and sauce added to 9x13 dish and topped with vegan white sauce.
    • Bake uncovered at 430°F for 20 minutes until golden on top.
    Vegan Pasta Bake straight out of the oven in a white oven dish.

    Ingredient Notes

    Bolognese Sauce:

    The bolognese sauce is a simple mix of onion, garlic, olive oil, mushrooms, soy sauce, tomato paste, lentils, chopped tomato (canned), a little light brown sugar for flavor balance and salt and pepper to taste.

    • The mushrooms – we used white button mushrooms but cremini mushrooms (baby bella, portobellini) would be great too.
    • The lentils – we used one 15-ounce can of brown lentils (drained). You can use canned lentils or just use 1 and ½ cups cooked lentils.

    This bolognese sauce is totally delicious as is. And if you want to go with it exactly as is, you definitely can.

    But I was inspired to make a simple cashew cream and mix it in for a creamy bolognese sauce.

    The Cashew Cream:

    • The cashews – we didn’t soak the cashews first since we didn’t find it necessary in our Vitamix. However, if you think your blender may struggle with it, then add the cashews to a bowl, pour over boiling hot water from the kettle and leave them to soak for 15 minutes to soften. Then drain and rinse.

    The White Sauce:

    The white sauce that looks exactly like a thick layer of cheese on top of this vegan pasta bake is just like your classic bechamel sauce, but made with vegan butter, all purpose flour, coconut milk, vegetable stock and then some black pepper, dijon mustard and sea salt added for flavoring and nutritional yeast added for cheesiness!

    • Vegan butter – can be replaced with olive oil but we enjoyed the buttery flavor added to this sauce.
    • Coconut milk – we used one 14-ounce can (400ml) full fat, unsweetened coconut milk. If you avoid coconut then you can switch this for 1 and ⅔ cups (400ml) soy milk or other creamy non-dairy milk.
    • Nutritional yeast – we used nutritional yeast for added cheesy flavor, but you can omit it if you prefer.
    Dishing up a serving of vegan pasta bake.

    Serving Suggestions

    This recipe results in a very rich, very satisfying vegan pasta bake that will definitely impress some guests if you had to serve it at a dinner party.

    It also serves at least 8 people so it definitely feeds a crowd. If you’re wanting to serve it with some sides then a good vegan salad like a vegan Greek salad or a vegan chickpea salad would be wonderful on the side. Some vegan garlic bread would be great too. And of course lots of good red wine.

    Make Ahead

    Another thing that makes this a really good choice for a dinner party is that you can make it in advance. So you can get it all ready in the dish, cover it in foil and put it in the fridge and then 20 minutes before you need to serve it, put it in the oven to bake.

    So you could literally make it the night before. Perfect for a stress-free dinner party. All you’d have to do on the night is make the salad, pop this in the oven and open the wine.

    Now that sounds like the way to socialize!

    Vegan Pasta Bake in a white oven dish.

    Storing and Freezing

    Leftovers keep really well in the fridge for 4-5 days and can be reheated in the microwave.

    It’s also freezer friendly for up to 3 months if you’d like to freeze it. 

    Spoonful of vegan pasta bake.

    More Vegan Pasta Recipes

    1. Vegan Pesto Pasta
    2. Cheesy Garlic Vegan Alfredo
    3. Vegan Cannelloni
    4. Baked Vegan Mac and Cheese
    5. Vegan Stuffed Shells
    6. Vegan Lasagna

    Did you make this recipe? Be sure to leave a comment and rating below!

    Vegan pasta bake in a white baking dish.

    Vegan Pasta Bake

    Rich and creamy vegan pasta bake that feeds a crowd AND you can make it in advance so it’s perfect for a dinner party! It’s comforting, satisfying, and leftovers are simply divine too!
    4.98 from 41 votes
    Print Pin Rate
    Course: Dinner, Entree, Savory
    Cuisine: Vegan
    Diet: Vegan
    Prep Time: 1 hour hour 10 minutes minutes
    Cook Time: 20 minutes minutes
    Total Time: 1 hour hour 30 minutes minutes
    Servings: 8
    Calories: 569kcal
    Author: Alison Andrews

    Ingredients

    For the Pasta:

    • 16 ounces Penne Pasta (450g) Dry Weight

    For the Bolognese Sauce:

    • 1 Medium Onion White, Yellow or Brown, Chopped
    • 1 teaspoon Crushed Garlic
    • 1 Tablespoon Olive Oil
    • 5 cups White Button Mushrooms (480g) Sliced
    • 1 Tablespoon Soy Sauce
    • ½ cup Tomato Paste (130g)
    • 15 ounce Can Brown Lentils (1 can) or 1 and ½ cups cooked brown lentils
    • 28 ounces Canned Chopped Tomato (800g)
    • 1-2 Tablespoons Light Brown Sugar
    • Salt and Pepper to taste

    For the Cashew Cream:

    • 1 cup Raw Cashews (150g)
    • 1 Tablespoon Lemon Juice
    • ½ cup Water (120ml)
    • ½ teaspoon Salt

    For the White Sauce:

    • 3 Tablespoons Vegan Butter
    • 2 Tablespoons All Purpose Flour
    • 14 ounces Coconut Milk (400ml) Full Fat, Canned, Unsweetened
    • ⅓ cup Vegetable Stock (80ml) or Broth
    • 1 teaspoon Black Pepper
    • 1 teaspoon Dijon Mustard
    • ¼ cup Nutritional Yeast (15g)
    • Sea Salt to taste
    Prevent your screen from going dark

    Instructions

    • Put the pasta on to cook while you prepare the vegetables for the bolognese sauce. When the pasta is cooked, drain it, cover it (to prevent it from drying out) and set aside.
    • Prepare your bolognese sauce. Add the onion and garlic to a pot with the olive oil and fry until softened. Then add in the sliced mushrooms and soy sauce. Cover the pot for a minute and allow the mushrooms to release their water. Then remove the lid from the pot and let the water from the mushrooms cook off a little. Add in the tomato paste, lentils and chopped tomato. Bring to a simmer. Add the sugar to balance out the flavors and add salt and pepper to taste.
    • Prepare your cashew cream. Add the cashews, lemon juice, water and salt to the blender jug and blend until smooth.
    • Add the cashew cream to your bolognese sauce and mix it in. Then add your pasta and mix it all in together.
    • Now prepare your white sauce. Add the vegan butter to a saucepan and let it melt and start to sizzle just a little. Add in the flour and stir it quickly, then add in the coconut milk and vegetable stock and whisk it very quickly to get rid of the lumps. Then switch to a wooden spoon and keep stirring while you bring it to the boil. Once it boils keep stirring for about another 4 minutes until thickened. Then remove from heat and add in the black pepper, dijon mustard, nutritional yeast and sea salt.
    • Preheat the oven to 430°F (220°C).
    • Place the pasta and bolognese mix into a rectangular oven-safe dish and smooth down.
    • Pour the white sauce over the top and smooth down.
    • Bake uncovered for 20 minutes until golden on top.

    Notes

    1. The cashews – we didn’t soak the cashews first since we didn’t find it necessary in our Vitamix. However, if you think your blender may struggle with it, then add the cashews to a bowl, pour over boiling hot water from the kettle and leave them to soak for 15 minutes to soften. Then drain and rinse.
    2. Make ahead. If you want to make this in advance then complete all the steps except for baking it in the oven. Keep the dish covered in the fridge and when you’re ready, pop it in the oven to bake. You may need a few extra minutes baking time to account for the dish being cold to begin with. 
    3. Storing and freezing. Leftovers keep very well in the fridge for 4-5 days. It’s also freezer friendly for up to 3 months. 

    Nutrition

    Serving: 1Serve | Calories: 569kcal | Carbohydrates: 74.1g | Protein: 19.1g | Fat: 23.1g | Saturated Fat: 9.3g | Sodium: 684mg | Fiber: 8.4g | Sugar: 13g
    DID YOU MAKE THIS RECIPE? Rate it & leave your feedback in the comments section below, or tag @lovingitvegan on Instagram and hashtag #lovingitvegan
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    About the Author

    Hi I'm Alison Andrews, I'm the voice and cook behind Loving It Vegan. I love making delicious vegan food and creating vegan versions of all your old favorites, so that you’ll never feel like you’re missing out. Find out more about me here.

    Loving It Vegan is a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for sites to earn advertising fees by advertising and linking to Amazon.com. This site may contain some of these links to Amazon.com. If you make a purchase through one of those links, Loving It Vegan will receive a small commission from the purchase at no additional cost to you.

    Reader Interactions

    Comments

    1. Nicola says

      December 06, 2022 at 7:11 pm

      Made this tonight for my wife and I, really flavorsome and made 4 meals worth for us! Very cost effective too! Had it with steamed broccoli and carrots, really delicious and would make again!5 stars

      Reply
      • Alison Andrews says

        December 07, 2022 at 8:49 am

        Awesome! Thanks for the amazing review Nicola!

        Reply
    2. Lou says

      October 22, 2022 at 3:08 pm

      I cooked this recipe for the family and it was greeted with surprise and much praise, particularly as I’m not a regular cook. One problem however was that I prepared the dish a day ahead and then baked for 20 minutes. This wasn’t long enough. It eventually required nearer 40 mins. It would be helpful if this was added to the section ‘Make ahead’. Otherwise it’s a great recipe.

      Reply
      • Alison Andrews says

        October 22, 2022 at 3:17 pm

        Hi Lou, I wonder if your oven may be running a little cold, because usually just a few extra minutes would be enough to account for the dish being fridge cold when it goes into the oven. I use an oven thermometer as a very handy kitchen tool because it really helps when you know exactly the temperature your oven is reaching inside. Really glad the recipe came out well though! 🙂

        Reply
    3. Ciara says

      July 21, 2022 at 10:53 am

      Was having a party and one of my friends is vegan so I made this and ate most of it myself! Really delicious recipe!5 stars

      Reply
      • Alison Andrews says

        July 21, 2022 at 2:20 pm

        Haha that’s awesome Ciara! Thanks so much for the wonderful review.

        Reply
    4. Bujimom says

      February 16, 2022 at 1:29 pm

      My son is allergic to cashews and peanuts. Any alternative? Thank you

      Reply
      • Alison Andrews says

        February 17, 2022 at 12:26 pm

        Hi there, you could absolutely just leave off the cashew cream entirely, it would be just as delicious. 🙂

        Reply
    5. Katie says

      December 29, 2021 at 1:23 am

      Are mushrooms crucial to this recipe or can I substitute for other veggies?

      Reply
      • Alison Andrews says

        December 30, 2021 at 9:52 am

        Not crucial at all, feel free to try it with other veggies.

        Reply
    6. Simone says

      September 29, 2021 at 9:06 am

      Hi Alison and Jaye
      I so much enjoyed reading your recipes in preparation for a lunch with some friends who are not vegan. I want them to experience delicious vegan food.So I will make your vegan bake plus your cupcakes. What a talent for cooking you have and many thanks for posting all the excellent information.

      Reply
      • Alison Andrews says

        September 29, 2021 at 10:12 am

        Thanks Simone! Hope it all comes out great and your friends love the food!

        Reply
    7. Rachel says

      April 25, 2021 at 8:31 pm

      Not one for commenting on recipes usually but wow this is amazing! We wanted to eat it before we had even done the white sauce! Made a few changes, added in carrot and zucchini with the mushrooms, and instead of lentils we used jackfruit. Passata instead of the chopped tomatoes. Tastes exactly like a tuna pasta bake sauce we used to have back in the UK before going plant based. YUM! Definite keeper…thank you 🙂5 stars

      Reply
      • Alison Andrews says

        April 26, 2021 at 10:21 am

        Awesome Rachel! Thanks so much for the amazing review!

        Reply
    8. Sindhu says

      March 15, 2021 at 6:43 am

      Can I add some vegetables to it?
      Vegetables like green peas,sweetCorn or broccoli…
      And,follow all the steps you mentioned.

      Reply
      • Alison Andrews says

        March 15, 2021 at 11:14 am

        Sure!

        Reply
    9. Libby says

      February 10, 2021 at 1:11 pm

      I am not a vegan but made this recipe yesterday and it was incredible. I made it in the morning and cooked it at night and it turned out perfectly. Amazing flavor, so creamy and so delicious. Will definitely make it again!5 stars

      Reply
      • Alison Andrews says

        February 10, 2021 at 2:42 pm

        Fantastic! Thanks so much for the awesome review Libby!

        Reply
    10. Mash says

      November 10, 2020 at 10:46 pm

      Made this tonight, and I’m SO glad I did! This recipe is incredible! Made some adjustments with what I had, but the flavours and textures were great, and the cooking process was smooth.

      I used a drained can of chickpeas instead of lentils. And instead of 2 cans of chopped tomatoes, I used one can of chopped tomatoes and one 500g carton of tomato passata. And half courgettes and half mushrooms. Also marmite as a substitution for yeast flakes.

      Can’t get over how cheesy tasting and creamy it all was. 5/5 stars.

      Thank you! Now to freeze half the batch. 😀5 stars

      Reply
      • Alison Andrews says

        November 11, 2020 at 10:12 am

        Thank you so much! So happy to hear that! 🙂

        Reply
    11. Mari says

      November 01, 2020 at 10:09 am

      Oops. Here’s my rating.5 stars

      Reply
      • Alison Andrews says

        November 02, 2020 at 12:29 pm

        Thanks so much Mari!

        Reply
    12. Mari says

      November 01, 2020 at 10:06 am

      I’ve made this vegan pasta bake 3 times and I just love love love it and so does the family. I made it tonight to celebrate one year since converting to eating vegan. You make it easy with recipes like this! The only change I made was to substitute soy milk for the coconut milk.
      It’s worth taking the time to make this as the results are worth it. Thank you.

      Reply
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    Hi I’m Alison Andrews! I love making delicious vegan food and creating delicious vegan versions of all your old favorite dishes, so you can have your vegan cake and eat it too!

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