Creamy Pasta and Broccoli Bake (Dairy-Free)
March 15, 2018by Stephanie Dreyer
This dairy-free Creamy Pasta and Broccoli Bake is a great recipe to batch cook on the weekend to have ready to pop in the oven when it’s time for dinner. Plus, it serves a crowd – great lunch leftovers for the rest of the week! I use cashews for the silky delicious sauce in this pasta and broccoli bake. I layer it with a homemade vegan parm cheese that has more cashews – nut protein! My family prefers penne but use whatever tubular pasta makes your family say, “Yum!”.
Creamy Pasta & Broccoli Bake
Ingredients
- 16 ounces penne or other tubular style pasta
- 5 cups broccoli florets about 12 ounces
For the cream sauce:
- 2 cups cashews soaked for 2 hours or overnight and drained, if not using a high powered blender
- 2 cups vegetable broth
- 3 garlic cloves
- 1 tablespoon apple cider vinegar
- 1 teaspoon salt
- ¼ cup nutritional yeast
- ¼ cup lemon juice about 1 lemon
For the vegan Parmesan cheese:
- 1 cup of cashews
- ¼ nutritional yeast
- 2 small garlic cloves
- 1 teaspoon salt
Instructions
-
Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
-
Bring a pot of salted water to a boil. Cook the pasta according to the package directions.
-
While the pasta cooks, make the sauce and Parmesan. For the cream sauce, combine all of the ingredients in a high-speed blender and mix until smooth. For the cheese, combine all of the ingredients in a food processor and pulse until it resembles crumbs.
-
Drain the pasta and combine with half of the sauce and all of the broccoli florets.
-
Spread ½ of the pasta and broccoli mixture into a 13x9” casserole dish.
-
Sprinkle half of the Parmesan cheese over the pasta. Spread the remaining pasta on top.
-
Pour the remaining sauce over the pasta. Sprinkle with the remaining cheese.
-
Bake for about 15-20 minutes, until heated through and the broccoli is crisp, yet tender to the fork.