Creamy Vegan Mushroom & Spinach Pasta Bake

Recipe by Curvy Carbivore (@curvycarbivore)

Yield: 6 servings | Prep time: 10 minutes | Cook time: 30 minutes | Total time: 40 minutes

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Creamy, cheesy, and easy to make for large groups! This Creamy Vegan Mushroom and Spinach Pasta Bake is a comforting, cheesy, plant-based casserole, loaded with savory mushrooms, spinach, and a rich, dairy-free cream sauce. You can throw it together ahead of time (even the night before) and bake it when you're ready to chow down. Try out this impressive-looking-but-easy recipe!

Ingredients:

• 1 box (16 oz) pasta

• 1 tbsp olive oil

• 16 oz baby bella mushrooms

• 1/2 white onion, diced

• 2 garlic cloves, minced

• 3 cups raw spinach

• 1/4 cup unsweetened dairy-free milk (I used cashew milk)

• 4 oz dairy-free cream cheese (I use the Tofutti brand)

• 6 oz dairy-free shredded mozzarella (I use the Follow Your Heart brand)

• 2 tbsp oregano

• salt & pepper to taste

• dairy-free Parmesan for topping

Directions:

• Preheat oven to 350° F and grease a 9x13 baking dish. Set aside.

• Bring a large pot of water to a boil. Cook pasta al dente according to directions on the box.

• Meanwhile in a sauce pan on medium heat, cook the chopped mushrooms & onion in the olive oil.

• When onions are translucent, add the diced garlic and cook 1-2 min until fragrant.

• Add the spinach and cook until it's wilted.

• Add the milk and cream cheese, and stir until cheese is melted.

• Remove the pot from heat, add in the mozzarella, oregano, salt & pepper (the mozz doesn’t have to melt all the way).

• The pasta should be done cooking by now. Add the veggie/cheese mixture to drained pasta and stir gently to combine.

• Transfer to your greased 9x13 baking dish. Adding a light sprinkle of parmesan cheese on top is optional.

• Bake 10-15 min or until top begins to brown slightly.

• Dish up individual portions and top with vegan parm.

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Tips and Tricks:

• This is a great family-friendly meal! It's easy and quick to put together. You can make it ahead of time and keep it in the fridge until it's ready to bake. Make sure to bake ~20-25 minutes since the pasta will be cold when it goes in the oven, so you want to heat it all the way through.

• Double the spinach for more nutrients.

• You can experiment with the cheese! I've done half-mozzarella, half-gouda and it works really well (both from the Follow Your Heart brand).

Nutrition & Servings: (calculated by MyFitnessPal; estimated 2 tbsp of parmesan for topping)

White Pasta Shells:

• Servings: ~6 people

• Calories: 502

• Total Fat: 19.3g

• Carbs: 71.2g

• Protein: 13.7g

Whole Wheat Pasta Shells:

• Servings: ~6 people

• Calories: 469

• Total Fat: 19.7g

• Carbs: 63g

• Protein: 12.5g

^ Nutrition facts include the ingredients listed above. Nutrition facts may change slightly if additional ingredients are added.