This delicious high-protein pasta bake is made with Chickpea pasta and delicious vegan creamed spinach. A protein-rich gluten-free pasta bake dinner that as tasty as it is easy to make.
If you want to prep for this recipe ahead of time you’ll only need 10 minutes the night before and you’ll be ready to go! It’s the perfect weeknight dinner.
Gluten-free eaters rejoice! Today, maintaining a gluten-free diet is stress-free thanks to the abundance of alternative pasta on the market. Whether they are made from brown rice, quinoa, edamame, corn, or lentils, these innovative noodles are healthy and delicious, making them a great choice for pasta bakes. We love chickpea pasta as a personal favorite.
Ingredients for our Creamed Spinach Pasta Bake
- Chickpea Pasta. High in protein and full of flavor, this is our hands-down favorite gluten-free pasta.
- Raw Cashews. The cashews add even more protein to this dish and make a wonderful cream sauce.
- Frozen Spinach. You can use fresh spinach, rinsed and drained. Frozen works better.
- Nutritional Yeast. This adds vegan cheese flavor
- Plant-Based Milk. Your plain, unsweetened milk of choice.
- Cheese. Vegan or regular cheese will both work.
- Seasoning. Salt, Pepper, Red Pepper Flakes, and Garlic Powder.
How to Make Our Vegan Spinach Pasta Bake
Our favorite new dish is a pasta bake that combines high-protein chickpea pasta, spinach, cashew cream, and a sprinkling of nutritional yeast. This is not your everyday casseroles, it’s better, more nutritious and tastier.
Meal Prep for the Pasta Bake
This creamed spinach pasta bake is easy and quick to prepare. We break down the recipe steps so that they may be completed earlier in the day, including simple steps like defrosting the frozen spinach and soaking cashews in water. We also harness the strength of a smoothie blender or a high-power blender, to create our delicious cashew cream.
Take five minutes in the morning to measure your cashews, soak them in a large bowl of water, and take the spinach out of the freezer to defrost in the fridge. (We suggest leaving the spinach in another large bowl; as it defrosts, its dark green juice somehow finds its way all over the kitchen!) If you have an additional 10 minutes, you can cook the chickpea pasta, drain it, and then mix it with a scant amount of olive oil to prevent the noodles from sticking together.
Bake The Dish
Later in the day, once soaking is complete, combine the cashews with water and nutritional yeast in the blender until you reach a creamy consistency. Cook the spinach in a pan, fold in the cashew cream, continue cooking and then add the cooked chickpea pasta. Fill a large baking pan with the creamed spinach and pasta mixture then then add cheese on top and bake it until nice and bubbly hot.
We’re not sure what you’ll enjoy more – the spinach pasta bake, or all the time you saved in its preparation!
How to Make Spinach Pasta Bake Without Meal Prep
Cook the pasta in a large pot of salted water. Soak the cashews in boiling water for twenty minutes, then make the cashew cream in your blender or food processor. Thaw the spinach and remove the excess water. Heat the spinach at medium-high heat in a large skillet. Add the cashew cream, plant-based milk, and seasoning to the skillet and toss to heat through. Fold in the pasta and place it in a baking dish. Cover with the cheeses of your choice and bake.
Tips and Tricks
- No time to meal prep? Soak the cashews for 20 minutes while thepasta is cooking.
- If you forgot to thaw the spinach, you can do it in the microwave.
- Coconut milk will work in place of the cashew cream. If you are not vegan, you can use heavy cream instead.
Variations To Try
You can change things up with so many different options. Stir in some cooked vegan sausage, sun-dried tomatoes, mushrooms, onion, zucchini, or other vegetables. Use a different pasta such as a large penne, bowtie, or shells. When choosing vegan cheese, you could go with mozzarella cheese, parmesan cheese, cheddar cheese, colby-jack, or any blend of cheeses you love. Change up the seasoning with an Italian seasoning blend. You might even enjoy adding a light drizzle of warmed marinara sauce on each plate.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can I freeze this pasta bake?
Yes. It can be frozen whole before it is baked or frozen in individual slices after it is cooked. You can even freeze it whole and reheat it later!
How do I store leftover spinach pasta bake?
It should be kept in the refrigerator and will keep for four or five days in an airtight container. Reheat it quickly in the microwave or more slowly in the oven.
More Spinach Recipes
- Spinach Semolina Gnocchi in Bechamel Sauce With Roasted Tomatoes
- Spinach Salad with Strawberries and Quinoa
- Spinach Salad with Quinoa and Black Beans
- Spinach Vegan Meatballs In Spicy Tomato Sauce
If you enjoyed this recipe, it would help us tremendously if you left us a star rating in the comments below or on the recipe card. Do you have any questions about the recipe? Do you need a swap for any of the ingredients? We are here to help, just leave us a question in the comments below.
PrintHigh Protein Spinach Pasta Bake
- Total Time: 1 hour 5 minutes
- Yield: 6 servings 1x
- Diet: Vegetarian
Description
This delicious high-protein pasta bake is made with Chickpea pasta and delicious vegan creamed spinach. A protein-rich gluten-free pasta bake dinner that is easy to make.
Ingredients
- 1 ¼ cup raw cashews
- 1 ¼ cup boiling water
- 8oz Chickpea Fussili
- 1 tbsp nutritional yeast
- 1 ¼ tsp salt, or to taste
- 1 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
- 2 lbs frozen chopped spinach, thawed
- 1 cup unsweetened non-dairy milk ( not vanilla flavored)
- ½ tsp black pepper
- 1 ½ tsp garlic powder
- A pinch of red pepper flakes or Aleppo Pepper (optional)
- 1 ½ cups cup vegan shredded cheese (or dairy cheese, if you are not vegan)
Instructions
- Squeeze as much water as you can out of the thawed spinach ( See Note 1, if you forgot to thaw)
- Soak the cashews in the boiling water for about 20 minutes
- In the meantime, prepare the pasta following the package directions. Drain well, you can leave it in the colander until ready to use.
- When the cashews are ready, transfer them to a high-power blender or smoothie blender with ½ cup of water, the nutritional yeast, and 1 teaspoon of salt (more or less to taste). Blend until smooth and creamy, process for at least a minute for the cashews to become really creamy. Set aside
- Heat the olive oil in a large non-stick skillet. Add the spinach and cook over medium heat for about 10 minutes, stirring often, making sure any remaining water evaporates. Add the non-dairy milk and cashew cream, ¼ teaspoon of the remaining salt, pepper, and garlic powder. Continue cooking for another minute or two, stirring constantly. Taste it and adjust the seasoning to your liking.
- Preheat the oven to 350F. Coat a 7x11-inch baking dish with cooking spray
- Add the pasta to the spinach mixture to the pasta and mix well.
- Transfer it to the baking dish, sprinkle the cheese on top, and bake for 20 minutes, or until the cheese has melted.
Notes
- If you forgot to thaw the spinach ahead of time place it in the microwave for a minute or two until thawed. Squeeze as much water as possible out of the spinach.
- If you don't want to use cashews or you are allergic to nuts, you may use coconut milk (if vegan) or heavy cream if not vegan.
- Making ahead tips: Try taking five minutes in the morning to measure your cashews and soak them in a large bowl of water and take the spinach out of the freezer to defrost. (We suggest that you leave the spinach in another large bowl; as it defrosts, its dark green juice somehow finds its way all over the kitchen!) If you have an additional 10 minutes, you can cook the chickpea pasta, drain it, then mix it with a scant amount of olive oil to prevent the noodles from sticking together.
This post was originally published on March 16, 2018
- Prep Time: 10
- Soaking Time: 20
- Cook Time: 35 minutes
- Category: Dinner
- Method: Baked
- Cuisine: American
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1 heaping cup
- Calories: 360
- Sugar: 3
- Sodium: 537
- Fat: 17.8
- Saturated Fat: 3
- Unsaturated Fat: 12
- Trans Fat: 0
- Carbohydrates: 32.2
- Fiber: 8.3
- Protein: 18
- Cholesterol: 0
Esperanza says
I really love this recipe. I did it already the high protein spinach pasta bake. And is delicious and easy to make.
Vicky & Ruth says
Thank you so much! We are so happy you liked it! Would you rate it for us?
Raquel says
I am not a huge spinach fan but this was surprisingly delicious! Thank you for sharing 🙂
Vicky & Ruth says
Thank you, so glad you enjoyed our pasta bake!
Vera says
Thank you so much! Always best recipe 🙂
Vicky & Ruth says
Thank you!
kim says
Pardon me, I made a few alterations and additions, but this casserole is soooo very awesome!!!! Thank you, Ladies!
Vicky & Ruth says
Thank you!! We love when people put their own spin on our recipes. Please feel free to share anytime! 🙂
Johanna Bonsztein says
Oh my Oh!! my yummy the best ever thank you so much
Vicky and Ruth says
Thank you! Thank you!