Pumpkin Baked Ziti
Pumpkin Baked Ziti is a fun twist on traditional tomato-based baked ziti, and it's the perfect comfort meal for dinner on chilly autumn evenings.
Ingredients
Tofu Ricotta
- 14-ounce container firm tofu drained and pressed
- ¼ cup lemon juice
- ½ cup nutritional yeast
- 1 clove garlic
- ½ cup loosely packed fresh sage
Casserole
- 12 ounces whole grain ziti or penne pasta
- 15-ounce can pumpkin puree (not pumpkin pie mix)
- 2 cloves garlic minced
- ½ teaspoon sea salt
- ½ teaspoon black pepper
- ½ cup bread crumbs
- ¼ cup pecans chopped
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 375°.
- Cook the pasta in a large pot of boiling water until it's al dente, or has a firm bite, about 3 minutes less than the package calls for.
- To make the ricotta, crumble the tofu into a food processer fitted with an s-blade. Add the lemon juice, garlic, and nutritional yeast and blend until the mixture is thick and looks like ricotta cheese. Add a little water if the mixture is too thick. Add the sage and pulse until it’s mixed in. Set aside.
- In a large bowl, gently mix together the cooked pasta, tofu ricotta, pumpkin, garlic, sea salt and black pepper.
- Spread the mixture evenly in a 9×12” casserole dish. Sprinkle with the bread crumbs and pecans.
- Cover with foil and bake for 30 minutes. Remove the foil and bake for an additional 5 to 10 minutes, until the top is golden brown.