GO VEGAN Days: Baked Penne with Vegetables

Mmm . . . comfort food. Lisa of Show Me Vegan gives us this great recipe for homey pasta goodness, complete with a bit of vegan ricotta.  (In her post, she also notes a plan to increase the ancho chile or use ground chipotle instead in the future, "for more heat." So you may want to consider this if you like your food spicy.) The recipe appears after the jump.

Baked Penne with Vegetables

• 6 ounces whole wheat penne
• 1 Tablespoon olive oil for sauteing, plus 2 teaspoons olive oil for "ricotta"
• 1 cup diced onion
• 2 medium zucchini, halved lengthwise, then each half cut lengthwise in thirds, then diced
• 1 carrot, diced
• 1 cup sliced mushrooms
• 2 large cloves garlic, minced
• 24 ounces Newman's Own Marinara sauce
• 1 package silken firm tofu
• 2 teaspoons Italian Seasoning
• 1/2 teaspoon ground ancho chile
• freshly squeezed juice from 1 lemon
• salt and pepper to taste
• vegan parm, optional

Preheat oven to 400 degrees F. Cook penne according to package, but reduce cooking time by a couple of minutes because you will bake it later. Drain penne.

Heat 1 tablespoon olive oil over medium heat and saute onion, zucchini, carrot, and mushrooms until veggies soften. Add garlic and saute a minute or two. Add marinara sauce and simmer about 10 minutes.

In a food processor, puree tofu, Italian Seasoning, ground ancho chile, lemon juice, 2 tsp olive oil, salt and pepper until consistency is similar to ricotta.

Spread some of the tomato sauce mixture to coat the bottom of a 13x9 inch casserole dish.

Combine the drained penne, tofu mixture, and remaining tomato veggie sauce in a large bowl. Add to casserole dish and bake for 15 minutes. Sprinkle with vegan parm if you like.