Creamy Vegan Baked Feta Pasta
This savory vegan baked feta pasta is so rich and creamy that you would never even know it’s dairy free! Made using a tofu and cashew based cheese along with zucchini, roasted red peppers, and fresh herbs and spices, this easy weeknight pasta dish takes basic baked feta pasta to a whole other level.
What is baked feta pasta?
Baked feta pasta went viral this summer as it’s a very easy recipe that requires minimal ingredients and steps. The basic recipe is made by adding cherry tomatoes to a baking dish with a block of feta cheese placed right in the center. After drizzled with olive oil and sprinkled with salt and pepper, the dish is baked until both the feta and tomatoes are tender.
After stirring the two together, it creates a delicious creamy tomato sauce that’s tossed with cooked noodles.
How to make VEGAN baked feta pasta
For my every day diet, I now consume dairy in very limited quantities so I tried my hand at making a dairy free baked feta pasta using vegan feta cheese. Let’s just say…it was a bit of a disappointment. The feta became somewhat watery and the entire sauce just did not turn out as creamy as I had hoped.
While experimenting with a vegan pizza idea, I came across this vegan ricotta cheese recipe that sparked the idea for vegan baked feta pasta 2.0. Instead of using store bought feta, this vegan version is made with a homemade vegan cheese sauce that creates the most delicious creamy consistency.
The base of the vegan cheese is made up of tofu and cashews. The tofu adds volume and protein, while the cashews aid in that creaminess. Combined with an acid, spices, and nutritional yeast, it takes on a cheesy flavor that works SO well in this dish.
Simply blend all of the cheese ingredients together and plop it right into the center of the baking dish. Then it’s ready to bake just like any other baked feta pasta dish!
What makes this vegan baked feta pasta so special?
This is one of my go-to dairy free recipes that I make for people who are curious as to how the heck someone could live their life without cheese. Due to its super creamy texture and layers of flavor, it’s always a hit. But besides the obvious, here’s why I love this recipe so much:
- It’s quick and easy – Seriously, just bake, stir, and serve. It’s the perfect weeknight dinner recipe and makes 4 servings. It also holds help REALLY well as leftovers. I almost like it even better the next day because all of those flavors are enhanced over time.
- It’s not-your-basic baked feta pasta – Speaking of flavors, the original baked feta pasta recipe feels like a starting point. With that, I added zucchini, roasted red peppers, garlic, and herbs to help round out the dish. It’s so flavorful and easy to customize to your liking.
- It’s SUPER creamy – Due to the homemade vegan cheese, this baked feta pasta turns out sooooooo creamy. Mainly because the vegan cheese makes quite a bit, so the ratio of cheese to vegetables is perfect. You get the delicate flavor of the tomatoes and zucchini paired with the umami of the vegan cheese.
Tips for making gluten free pasta
This dish is also gluten free if you choose to use gluten free pasta. Although the biggest struggle with gluten free pasta is that is tends it break easily, especially when stirred in with a thick sauce. Here are my gluten free pasta tips to ensure that doesn’t happen:
- Pick the pasta ingredient – I often find that brown rice pasta is the best in terms of stability. It’s harder to break than other gluten free pastas like chickpea or lentil. Those work well in thin tomato sauces. But with a dish like this, it calls of a more robust pasta.
- Pick the shape – Curly pasta also mixes better than any straight gluten free pasta like penne or ziti. So whichever base ingredient you choose, try to go for a twisted rather than tubular shape.
- Boil the pasta – When cooking the pasta, make sure to stir constantly and use a bigger pot than you think you need. Gluten free pasta tends to boil over and foam up quite a bit, so tend to the pot at all times. Then remove the pasta from the heat when it’s a hair past en dente. Strain the pasta and run it under cold water. This cold shock will stop it from cooking any further. If the pasta is too tender when stirred into the pasta dish, it could break.
If you choose not to use gluten free pasta, feel free to go with whichever shape or size you like! But follow the same boiling instructions, as the hot sauce will continue to heat the pasta through. If it’s over done when boiled, it could turn mushy in the dish.
Additional baked pasta flavor options
As mentioned before, baked feta pasta really is a blank slate where so many flavors can be utilized. For mine, I added zucchini, roasted red peppers, and fresh herbs and spices. Here are a few other things you could choose to add in with your pasta:
- Boiled cauliflower
- Boiled broccoli
- Chopped raw eggplant
- Cubed and boiled butternut squash
- Cubed and boiled potato
- Heirloom baby tomatoes
- Boiled or roasted brussels sprouts
- Olives, added after the dish is baked
- Sun dried tomatoes, added after the dish is baked
In short, any type of squash can be added raw to the dish. Any other hearty vegetable should be cooked prior to baking the cheese sauce.
Do I need a high speed blender?
If you don’t have a high speed blender, you can also make the cheese sauce in a food processor. Just let it run for about 5 minutes to ensure it’s as smooth as possible!
Do I have to roast the peppers?
Roasting the peppers along with everything else is a simple extra step that adds so much flavor. If you’d rather skip the roasting and peeling, you can choose to chop the peppers before baking and toss in with the raw tomatoes and zucchini. I just like roasting because I find the skins of the peppers to be a bit clunky in the dish but that could just be me being picky!
Make sure to tag me @butternutbakery on Instagram and leave a review below if you make this vegan baked feta pasta. To pin this recipe and save it for later, you can use the button on the recipe card, the buttons above or below this post, or on any of the photos above. Happy baking!
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Creamy Vegan Baked Feta Pasta
- Total Time: 1 hour 5 minutes
- Yield: 4 servings
Description
This tofu-based vegan baked feta pasta is roasted with cherry tomatoes and zucchini and mixed with roasted red peppers and gluten free pasta. It’s so flavorful and creamy that you would never even know it’s dairy free.
Ingredients
Tomato Base
- 16 oz cherry or grape tomatoes
- 1 medium zucchini (about 2 cups), diced
- 1 red bell pepper, cored and quartered
- 4 cloves garlic, minced
- 10 oz dry gluten free pasta*
- Fresh basil for sprinkling
Vegan Feta Cheese
- 14 oz block organic firm tofu, drained
- 2/3 cup (100g) raw unsalted cashews, boiled for 10 minutes
- 3 tbsp nutritional yeast
- 1 1/2 tsp garlic powder
- 1 tsp kosher salt
- 1 tsp white miso (optional)
- 2 tbsp lemon juice or apple cider vinegar
Olive Oil Drizzle
- 3 tbsp olive oil
- 2 pinches kosher salt
- 1/2 tsp cracked black pepper
- 1/2 tsp dried oregano
- 1/2 tsp dried thyme
- 1/4–1/2 tsp crushed red pepper (optional)
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 400F.
- Add the tomatoes, chopped zucchini, and garlic to a 9×13 baking dish.
- Then make the vegan feta. Drain the soaked cashews and combine all of the ingredients in a high speed blender. Blend until smooth.
- Spoon the feta into the center of the baking dish.
- Drizzle the entire dish with about 2 tablespoons of olive oil. Then sprinkle with the salt, pepper, oregano, and thyme. You can choose to add 1/4 or 1/2 tsp crushed red pepper, depending on your spice preference.
- Rub the outside of the red pepper quarters with about 1 tablespoon of olive oil. Then place them around the feta, but don’t let them touch if possible (see picture in post for reference).
- Bake for 40-45 minutes, or until the feta has a golden crust, the red peppers are blistered, and the tomatoes are tender and bursting.
- While that bakes, boil your gluten free pasta of choice. Then strain and run under cold water to stop it from cooking any further. If the gluten free pasta is too soft, it may break when mixing into the sauce.
- When it’s ready, take the entire dish out of the oven and carefully remove the red peppers using tongs. Wrap the hot peppers in foil. The steam will loosen their skin and make it easy to peal off.
- While those steam, stir the cheese, tomatoes, and zucchini together. You may need to mash a couple tomatoes as you stir, but the vegetable juices should help create a smooth and creamy sauce.
- Now peel the skins from the red peppers and slice into strips. Toss with the sauce, along with the pasta.
- Once evenly coated, sprinkle with fresh basil and it’s ready to serve. Enjoy!
Notes
GLUTEN FREE PASTA – I prefer to use brown rice pasta as it’s much stronger than chickpea or lentil pasta, so it doesn’t easily break when mixed with the sauce. My favorite is the organic brown rice pasta from Trader Joe’s (only ingredient is organic brown rice). But feel free to use your favorite tried and true pasta! Whether that’s gluten free or standard.
NUTRITION INFO 1 serving = 597 calories | 25g fat | 70g carbs | 22g protein
- Prep Time: 20 minutes
- Cook Time: 45 minutes
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Meet Jenna
I’m the creator, baker, and photographer behind Butternut Bakery. Here I share desserts for every diet because I believe everyone should have a chance to indulge!
