High-Protein Vegan Pasta Bake Recipe

Years ago, casseroles took over weeknight cooking, and it's easy to see why. A meal that combines layers of flavor and textures, and which can be made ahead with minimal effort and popped into the oven on a busy night, is a valuable tool for the household cook. Perhaps one of the most popular casseroles over the years is the pasta bake, which provides all of the comfort, satisfaction, and tastiness of saucy pasta in one easy no-fuss dish. 

This high-protein vegan pasta bake leans on tempeh for the protein, while also mimicking the ground beef in a bolognese sauce. The neutral flavor of tempeh takes on the seasonings it is cooked with, and in this case, it soaks up all the garlic, oregano, red pepper, and fennel. Fennel seed is the key spice here, and it gives the tempeh a flavor reminiscent of sausage. Chopped mushrooms, with their umami flavor profile and meaty texture, further convince the non-vegans they won't miss their meat. The sauce is easy to throw together in the same pan and develops into a thick and smoky coating for the high-protein chickpea pasta.

Making one casserole dish per week is one of my favorite tricks for a smooth week of eating. If we don't eat the whole recipe in one night, it makes for a couple of great lunches. I usually pair this meal with a simple green salad for a well-rounded meal.

To make this recipe, start in the produce aisle and pick up an onion, mushrooms, garlic, and fresh basil. You can use any type of mushrooms here, but if you use portobello, remove the stems and gills before chopping. You'll also need to remove the stems from shiitake mushrooms. Check the refrigerated section for a package of tempeh, then head to the dry goods aisle for tomato paste, crushed tomatoes, and a high protein bean pasta. You can use any shape of pasta that you like. Then check your condiment and spice cabinet for olive oil, soy sauce, dried oregano, fennel seed, salt, pepper, and red pepper flakes. If you have ground fennel instead of the whole seed, use ½ teaspoon in this recipe.

Preheat the oven to 375 F.

Crumble the tempeh into a steamer sitting over a pot of water.

Cover and steam for 10 minutes.

Add the olive oil to a large skillet over medium heat.

Add the onion and cook until soft and translucent, about 5 minutes.

Add the mushrooms and cook for about 5 minutes.

Add the tempeh, garlic, soy sauce, oregano, fennel seed, salt, pepper, and red pepper flakes. Stir frequently and cook for 8 minutes.

Stir in the tomato paste and cook for 1 minute.

Add the crushed tomatoes and simmer over medium-low heat for 15 minutes, stirring occasionally.

While the sauce is simmering, bring a pot of water to a boil.

Cook the pasta 3 minutes less than the shortest time on the package, then drain.

Add the drained pasta and sauce to a 9 x 13-inch baking dish and stir well.

Cover with foil and bake for 20 minutes.

Add fresh basil and serve.

• Everyday Salad With Herby Lemon Vinaigrette Recipe
• Citrusy Arugula Salad Recipe
• Super Green Grain Salad Recipe
• Easy Homemade Foccacia Recipe
• Easy Garlic and Herb Breadstick Recipe

Tempeh is simply whole soybeans that have been fermented and formed into a sliceable block. It is a staple food in Indonesia, where it originated, and is used often in mixed rice plates with a collection of savory foods or sold on street corners in fried form with chili sauce. It is a complete protein and boasts 20 grams of protein for a 3-ounce serving. Unlike tofu, which is made from soymilk and is quite soft, tempeh is very firm, and the beans are still intact. It has a chewy texture with a neutral but slightly nutty flavor. Soybeans are gluten-free by nature, but many brands of tempeh include a grain that may or may not be gluten-free, so make sure to look at the ingredients if that is of concern.

Tempeh can be crumbled, sliced, or cubed. Steaming it first for a few minutes, as we have done here, removes some of the bitterness in tempeh and allows the tempeh to absorb any spices or sauces that it is cooked with. I use it crumbled in dishes like tacos, sloppy joes, soups, and chilis. It's simple to use, you can just treat it like ground beef, and one of the best benefits is that there is no grease to deal with. When sliced or cubed, it can be marinated in a teriyaki sauce and added to a grain bowl or stir-fry. For meal prep, I like to cube up 3 blocks, cook it in a mixture of vegetable broth, soy sauce, and a few tablespoons of maple syrup, and bake it in a large glass baking dish. It stores well all week and can be added to different meals throughout the week. When sliced thin, it can be transformed into tempeh bacon that is perfect to serve alongside a tofu scramble or stand in for bacon for a BLT.

There are a few shortcuts you can make with the vegan pasta tempeh bake if you are short on time. To start, buy washed and sliced mushrooms. Running your knife through sliced mushrooms will be quicker than cleaning the whole mushrooms. Or use a chopper tool to dice them up quickly. Skipping the tempeh steaming step is another shortcut you can take. Add the crumbled tempeh to the pan with the onions, and add a little water to the pan so they partially steam while the onions are cooking.

Instead of making the sauce from scratch, you can use a jarred marinara sauce. This will allow you to skip the crushed tomatoes and tomato paste. If you buy a seasoned pasta sauce, you can even omit some of the seasonings. I would, however, recommend adding the fennel seed so you get that sausage flavor.

The other big shortcut is to skip the baking step. Instead of combining the pasta and the sauce in the baking dish, just combine them in a large serving bowl. If you aren't serving it right away, keep it in a large pot either simmering on the stove, or in the fridge, ready to go back on the stove.

• Vegan Lasagna Recipe
• Vegan Taco Salad Recipe
• Vegan Tofu "Egg" Salad Recipe
• Classic Baked Ziti Recipe
• Baked Feta Pasta Recipe