Vegan Pasta Bake with Mushrooms is an easy, delicious, low-cost meal. Simply add the pantry-friendly ingredients to a casserole dish, bake, and mix in the pasta. It's that easy! Everyone loves this baked pasta recipe!
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With only 10 minutes of prep and not much clean-up, this flavorful, protein-rich, and creamy Vegan Pasta Bake with Mushrooms is a dream recipe. It's a family-friendly dinner that's unbelievably simple to make.
This dish was inspired by my Chickpea Miso Pasta Soup, as well as this Creamy Pasta with Asparagus.
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🍄 Why This Recipe is Popular
- The prep time is just 10 minutes.
- All the ingredients are pantry-friendly and budget-friendly.
- Baking the sauce with the mushrooms makes this dish even more flavorful.
- Extra-firm tofu adds plant-based protein and heart-healthy fats to the sauce.
- Kids and grown-ups love this pasta. Plus, it's so easy to make that older kids can make it themselves.
- This recipe is easy to make oil-free if that's your preference.
👩🏼🌾 Ingredients
- Mushrooms
- Extra firm tofu
- Nutritional yeast
- Apple cider vinegar
- Dijon mustard
- Garlic powder
- Onion powder
- Ground mustard
- Nondairy milk
- Garlic
- Mellow miso
- Rosemary
See the recipe card for measurements.
🌿 Substitutes
- Rosemary - Omit as needed or use 1 teaspoon of dried rosemary instead. Or use other fresh or dried herbs.
- Nutritional yeast - substitute with 1 tablespoon tamari or soy sauce as needed
- Mushrooms - Most varieties of mushrooms will work for this recipe. Substitute for mushrooms you already have on hand, or try different varieties.
- Olive oil - for oil-free, substitute the olive oil for balsamic vinegar
Try these healthy pasta recipes.
📖 How to Make Vegan Pasta Bake with Mushrooms
Step 1. Add the sauce ingredients to a blender: tofu, nutritional yeast, miso, garlic powder, onion powder, ground mustard, apple cider vinegar, and nondairy milk.
Step 2. Blend the sauce ingredients until mostly smooth.
Step 3. Season the mushrooms with olive oil, rosemary, garlic, salt and pepper.
Step 4. Add the seasoned mushrooms along the outer edges of the casserole dish. Place the creamy tofu sauce in the center of the dish.
Step 5. Mix the baked tofu sauce with the desired amount of pasta cooking water until creamy.
Step 6. Mix the desired amount of pasta into the creamy, vegan, tofu and mushroom sauce.
✔️ Expert Tips
- Make sure to use extra-firm tofu for the sauce. Silken tofu is too soft and will give the sauce a runny consistency. Plus, extra-firm tofu is significantly higher in plant-based protein.
- Fully dissolve the miso in water before adding it to the blender. No one wants to eat chunks of miso!
- A high-speed blender is not required to make the sauce. It's okay if it's not perfectly smooth as the hot pasta cooking water will help to make it even creamier.
- If you're not in the mood for pasta, try adding it to a risotto.
- Use a casserole dish large enough to fit the mushrooms in a single layer.
- Dollop the tofu sauce in the center of the dish. Don't spread the sauce out or it will become too dry.
- Remember to save some of the cooking water before draining your pasta! The starch in the water gives the sauce an addictive creamy texture.
🙋🏽♀️ Recipe FAQs
Yes! I recommend Violife Greek White block instead of vegan mozzarella as it melts deliciously.
It depends. Some manufacturers expose mushrooms to ultraviolet (UV) light to increase their content of vitamin D, either by natural sunlight or a UV lamp. A substance in mushrooms called ergosterol then produces vitamin D2 (ergocalciferol), a form found only in plants.
Button mushrooms that are exposed to sunlight can produce up to 400 IU of vitamin D per 3.5-ounce serving. Mushrooms treated with UV lamps can produce even higher amounts of vitamin D. Even after harvesting, mushrooms can continue to produce vitamin D, whether exposed to UV light from the sun or a lamp.
Yes. They should be stored in a brown paper bag with an open top to help absorb moisture and keep them from spoiling. Refrigerate until you are ready to use them, but ideally within one week. Do not wash or clean them until just before using. Avoid storing in tight plastic wrapping that traps moisture.
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Vegan Pasta Bake with Mushrooms
Ingredients
- 8 ounces pasta (½ 16-ounce packet)
- 7 ounces extra-firm tofu (½ 14-ounce block) cut into 1-inch cubes
- ¼ cup nutritional yeast
- 2 teaspoons apple cider vinegar
- 1 teaspoon Dijon mustard
- ½ teaspoon garlic powder
- ½ teaspoon onion powder
- ½ teaspoon ground mustard
- ¼ cup unsweetened nondairy milk plus more as needed
- 1 ½ tablespoons mellow miso
- 8 ounces cremini or white button mushrooms sliced into about ½-inch-thick pieces
- 1 tablespoon chopped rosemary leaves
- 2 garlic cloves minced
- Drizzle of olive oil optional
- Salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste
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Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 400ºF.
- Cook the pasta following the directions on the package until it is al dente. Reserve ½ cup of the cooking water when draining.
- Blend the sauce ingredients: Place the tofu, nutritional yeast, cider vinegar, Dijon, garlic powder, onion powder, ground mustard, and nondairy milk in a blender. Mix the miso in 2 ½ tablespoons water until fully dissolved. Add to the blender. Blend on high until mostly smooth, adding more nondairy milk as needed for blending.
- Season the mushrooms: Add the mushrooms to a medium bowl with the rosemary. Add the garlic. Drizzle with olive oil, and season with salt and pepper. Massage the mushrooms until evenly coated with the oil.
- Place mushrooms and sauce into a casserole dish: Transfer the mushrooms to a large casserole dish and place them along the sides of the dish. Add the tofu sauce to the middle of the dish. Drizzle with olive oil. Bake for about 30 minutes, or until the mushrooms are just cooked.
- Add ¼ cup of hot pasta cooking water to the casserole dish. Stir the sauce and mushrooms to combine. Add more cooking water as needed until the desired creaminess.
- Add cooked pasta: Mix in the desired amount of cooked pasta.
Notes
- For oil-free: Omit the olive oil. Season the mushrooms with balsamic vinegar.
- Tofu: Does not need to be pressed. If you use softer tofu, add less pasta water.
Nutrition
This information is provided as a courtesy and is only an estimate. Nutritional values may vary depending on factors such as product types and brands used.
Irene says
Really looking forward to making this over the weekend! I like to bulk out my meals eith more veggies. Any suggestions what veggies would work well in this dish? Thanks!
Nisha Melvani, RDN says
Zucchini would be great in this, or some chopped greens.
Irene Thung says
Thank you for the suggestions! I added zucchini and blanched spinach. Absolutely delicious! This will become a staple for my lunch meal prep
Nisha Melvani, RDN says
Great additions! Thank you for sharing.
Joanna says
Can this be frozen? I’m trying to pre-cook some recipes before surgery.
Nisha Melvani, RDN says
Hi. Hope the surgery goes well. I am not sure how the pasta will freeze. It will work and be edible but might get overly soft on reheating.
Marielle says
I was skeptical that this recipe would taste good given that tofu was the main ingredient for the cream sauce. It wasn't just good, it was delicious and easy to make. I am so happy that I tried this protein-packed delight.
Nisha Melvani, RDN says
So happy you gave it a try! Yes, it seems odd but works really well! Thank you.
Karen ML says
Nisha, I’ve made this dish many times and is just perfect for Friday night eats for us 😁 Easy to make and so delicious!! Thank you for another great recipe!
Nisha Melvani, RDN says
It's one of my faves! So glad you enjoyed it. Thank you.
Karen ML says
A delicious recipe for a quick weeknight meal! Made it and loved it! Thank you 😊
Nisha Melvani, RDN says
So glad you enjoyed it. Thank you.
Lydia says
I made this last night, and it was the first time I ever cooked with tofu. I pressed my extra firm tofu or 40 minutes, and the blender mix came out very thick like hummus. I wasn't sure if I needed more milk, and the sauce ended up very thick, and was not sauce like at all. After the mushrooms and sauce baked, I added some shredded asiago, and my pasta water was not hot, so maybe that made it curdle when I added it to the baked sauce?? It tasted very good though, and I used 10 oz of mushrooms, and added some spinach and cooked peas afterwards. When I reheated it, I added some beef broth to thin the sauce out, and I think it was a bit more flavorful. I will try this again, but double the mushrooms.
Nisha Melvani says
Hi! The tofu mixture is supposed to have a hummus-like texture when you put the sauce into the baking dish, sort of like the viral hummus pasta. When you add hot pasta water at the end, it is to thin out the sauce. You should add more as needed but it should be hot water. More mushrooms always a plus! Glad you enjoyed the flavor.
Jessica says
I replaced the tofu with a can of chickpeas and it tasted great. Very easy recipe to modify, and very delicious
Nisha Melvani says
So happy you liked it. Thank you.
Andrew says
So are you putting the now cool pasta in with the hot sauce and mushroom to warm it all up from the residual heat or do you return to the oven for a few minutes once you've added the pasta to the main dish
Nisha Melvani says
Hi. To warm it from the residual heat. I do not put it back into the oven. I cook the pasta concurrently so it is not cold. Hope this helps.
Junita says
I have a yeast allergy what can I do to replace the nutritional yeast?
Junita Sanchez says
Thank you! We made this tonight and we added was some oregano, garlic powder, and red pepper flakes at the end for alil kick we have 3 kids (15,9,4 years old) and the pan is gone!
Nisha Melvani says
Hi, I love all these additions. Sounds so delicious. I have three kids too and they enjoy this recipe. So happy to hear that everyone liked it. Thank you for commenting.
Nisha Melvani says
Hi, You can omit the nutritional yeast entirely from the recipe and it will still work. Add vegan parmesan to taste instead when serving. Or you can add 1 tablespoon chickpea flour in place of the nutritional yeast when making the sauce.
Akb says
I also have a yeast allergy but nutritional yeast is de-activated yeast so it doesn’t cause me any problems
Emily Gengler says
This is so, so good. One of many recipes of yours that will be a staple in our house!
Nisha Melvani says
Thanks Emily. I love mushrooms too. Have a wonderful day.
Mollie says
This recipe is simple and DELICIOUS! I’ve been trying to find a vegan pasta sauce recipe that is good, and this is the first my boyfriend and I LOVED. He said he could have it every week.
I forgot the pasta water so subbed with cashew milk but I know when I make it again and remember it, it’ll be even tastier!
Thank you for this recipe — simple, not many dishes to wash, tasty vegan recipes are so needed!
Nisha Melvani says
Thank you so much for taking the time to write a detailed review. I'm so happy you both liked the dish. I often forget to save the pasta water too! Cashew milk was a good idea!
Jennifer says
I have to admit, as I was making the tofu sauce, and tasting it after blended, I was a bit skeptical. But everything baked and put together was outstanding! I had to stop myself from going back for seconds.
Really glad I have this a try and excited to try more of your vegan recipes!
Nisha Melvani says
Thank you for leaving a comment. I'm glad you ended up enjoying the recipe.
Ak says
This was the most tastiest pasta dish I have ever made! I didn't have miso so I used soy sauce, but I had to force myself away from the leftovers. Will be using this recipe if I ever have to charm someone in the kitchen.
Nisha Melvani says
It makes me so happy to read this. Thank you for commenting.
narf7 says
I absolutely love that most of your recipes can be converted to oil free quite easily. Thank you so much for sharing your ideas. I have just started following you in my RSS Feed Reader and look forwards to all of your posts eagerly 🙂
Nisha Melvani says
It was so nice to read your comment. It makes me happy to know my recipes are being enjoyed. Thank you.