Vegan Ziti Siciliano with Cashew Ricotta
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Ingredients
  • Cashew Ricotta Filling
  • 3 cup cashews, soaked for 2 hours or more
  • 3 cups filtered water
  • 2 Tbs. Nutritional yeast
  • ¼ t. minced garlic
  • ½ t. salt and ¼ t. pepper
  • Fried Eggplant
  • 1 large Italian Eggplant
  • 2 Tbs. flax seed
  • 2 Tbs. water
  • ¼ cup milk alternative
  • 1 cup Bread crumbs (reg. or GF)
  • 1 Tbs. nutritional yeast
  • 1 Tbs. dried oregano
  • 1 Tbs. dried Basil
  • ¼ t. garlic powder
  • ¼ t. salt
  • ⅛ t. black pepper
  • Olive oil
  • Sauce
  • 1- 32 oz. Jar Organic Marinara Sauce
  • 2 Tbs. minced garlic
  • 1 t. dried oregano
  • 1 t. dried basil
  • 1- 28 oz. can dice fire-roasted tomatoes
  • 1 onion
  • 1 yellow or orange organic pepper
  • ½ cup white wine
  • olive oil
  • ¼ cup chopped parsley
  • 1 box org. Penne (Whole Wheat, Brown Rice or Quinoa Pasta)
  • ¼ cup chopped parsley for garnish
  • ½ lb. Miyoko’s Cashew Mozzarella cheese, grated
Instructions
  1. Sauce
  2. In a heavy saucepan, sauté onions and garlic in olive oil. When onions are soft, add peppers, and sauté for another 5 minutes.
  3. Add ½ cup white wine, and cook down for 5 minutes.
  4. Add the marinara sauce, can of diced tomatoes, oregano, basil and ¼ cup chopped parsley. Let cook for 10 minutes.
  5. Cashew Ricotta
  6. Meanwhile, drain the cashews and pulse in food processor with 3 cups water, nutritional yeast, garlic, salt, and pepper.
  7. Pulse until smooth. Scrape down sides and pulse again. Taste and adjust S & P.
  8. Pasta
  9. Cook al dente according to directions. Set aside.
  10. Eggplant
  11. Cut off the ends, and partially peel the eggplant.
  12. Slice the eggplant into ¼” thick slices.
  13. In pie plate or shallow dish, make a mixture of the flaxseed and water.
  14. Add in the milk alternative, and mix well.
  15. In another pie pan or shallow dish, combine the bread crumbs with nutritional yeast and spices, and S & P.
  16. Dip both sides of the eggplant slices first into the flaxseed mixture and then into the bread crumb mixture.
  17. Cover bottom of cast iron pan or heavy skillet with olive oil. Heat oil until it shimmers. Sauté the eggplant slices on medium heat, until golden brown on one side. Turn over and repeat. Drizzle more oil slowly around sides as needed.
  18. (Option- You can choose to bake the slices in a 375° oven on a cookie sheet lined with parchment and lightly greased, for 10 minutes on each side instead)
  19. Assemble the Ziti
  20. Remove 2 cups of marinara sauce from pot.
  21. Cover bottom of casserole pan with 1 cup of sauce.
  22. Add the penne to the pot with the remaining sauce and mix well.
  23. Add ½ of the penne to the casserole pan.
  24. Cover with the fried eggplant slices.
  25. Cover with ½ of the cashew ricotta. Add the remaining pasta to the pan.
  26. Cover with remaining cashew ricotta, and then the cup of remaining marinara sauce.
  27. Cover with tin foil and bake for 20 minutes.
  28. Remove from oven, and cover with grated Miyoko’s mozzarella cheese.
  29. Return to oven and cook for another 15 minutes, until cheese is melted.
  30. Garnish with remaining chopped parsley.
Recipe by iEatGreen at https://www.ieatgreen.com/vegan-ziti-siciliano-with-cashew-ricotta/