This Creamy Mushroom Spinach Pasta Bake is the perfect weeknight dinner and the ultimate vegan comfort food. Hearty mushrooms, tender spinach, and cozy pasta are tossed in a creamy dairy-free sauce and baked with crispy breadcrumbs. The result is a simple, satisfying, and easy vegan pasta bake!
Table of Contents
Why You'll Love This Recipe
- Pasta that is nourishing: This pasta bake is loaded with nutritious spinach and mushrooms, and made with whole wheat pasta. The creamy sauce is also made from cashews and nondairy milk, giving us richness without the dairy.
- A delicious weeknight dinner: With only 40 minutes of hands-on prep and only 20 minutes in the oven, this vegan pasta bake comes together quickly. Great for busy weeknights.
- Perfect for leftovers: This vegan pasta bake reheats well the next day, making it ideal for meal prep or easy lunches.
Key Ingredients
- Pasta: The cozy base that makes this a hearty weeknight meal.
- Mushrooms: The earthy, umami star of this pasta casserole.
- Spinach: Adds nutrition and vibrant color!
- Nondairy milk, cashews, & nutritional yeast: Blended with other seasonings to create a creamy, cheesy, dairy-free sauce.
- Breadcrumbs: Mixed with seasonings and a bit of nondairy milk to create a golden, crunchy topping.
- Optional vegan mozzarella & parmesan: For some extra cheesy vibes.
How to Make Mushroom Spinach Pasta Bake
Steps 1-3: Preheat oven, cook pasta, and squeeze excess liquid from thawed spinach.
Step 4: Blend all sauce ingredients together. Set to the side.
Step 5: Sauté onion and garlic, then add mushrooms.
Step 6: Stir in the flour, then the sauce, and lastly the vegan mozzarella and some reserved pasta water.
Step 6 (cont): Fold in the cooked pasta and spinach. Pour into a prepared casserole dish.
Step 7: Mix together the breadcrumb topping, then sprinkle it over the pasta with vegan parmesan. Cover with foil and bake, then uncover and bake again until golden.
Recipe Tips
- Don’t overcook the pasta: Cook the pasta according to package directions, but reduce the boiling time by 2–3 minutes. This prevents it from becoming mushy in the oven.
- Squeeze excess water from thawed spinach: Make sure to press out as much liquid as possible! This step is key to avoiding a watery bake.
- Reserve pasta water: Before draining the pasta, save a little pasta water. Adding it to the recipe later keeps the sauce creamy and helps it cling to the noodles.
Serving Suggestions
- This hearty pasta is perfect when served with a side salad. A simple green salad with a tangy dressing (such as my Oil Free Zesty Italian Dressing) complements the creamy pasta well!
- You could also pair this pasta bake with a warm baguette to soak up the sauce.
Substitutions & Variations
- Fresh spinach: I personally liked the texture of frozen spinach for this recipe, but fresh works beautifully too. Just toss in a few handfuls if that’s what you have on hand.
- Variety of mushrooms: Feel free to swap baby bellas for shiitake, portobello, or any other mushrooms you like. Different varieties bring unique flavors to the bake!
- Optional vegan cheese: Vegan mozzarella adds extra creaminess to the sauce, and vegan parmesan gives a little more cheesy flavor on top. Both are completely optional, so you can adjust to your taste!
Frequently Asked Questions
I recommend any creamy, unsweetened, mild-flavored nondairy milk. Cashew milk works perfectly, but creamy almond or soy milk are great options too. I wouldn’t suggest coconut milk, as its strong flavor can overpower the dish.
Yes! Fresh spinach works well, though the texture will be slightly different. Just roughly chop a few handfuls and add them in place of the frozen. Cook long enough for the spinach to start to wilt.
Yes! If you skip the optional vegan cheese (or use an oil-free variety), this bake is oil-free. It can even be fully Whole Food Plant Based (WFPB) if you stick to the whole wheat pasta and use whole wheat breadcrumbs.
Other Mushroom Recipes You'll Love
📖 Recipe
Creamy Mushroom Spinach Pasta Bake (Vegan)
Ingredients
Pasta:
- 8 oz whole wheat pasta - (or another pasta of choice)
- 8 oz frozen spinach
- 1 small yellow onion - diced
- 5 cloves garlic - minced
- 1 lb baby bella mushrooms - sliced
- 2 tablespoon whole wheat pastry flour - OR all purpose flour
- Optional: ½ cup meltable vegan mozzarella
Sauce:
- 1.75 cups nondairy milk
- ½ cup raw cashews - soaked in very hot water for 20-30 minutes (OR in room temperature water overnight)
- ¼ cup nutritional yeast
- ½ teaspoon salt
- ½ teaspoon dijon mustard
- 1 teaspoon lemon juice
Breadcrumbs & Toppings:
- ¼ cup breadcrumbs
- 2.5 teaspoon nutritional yeast
- ¾ teaspoon onion powder
- ¼ teaspoon garlic salt
- Pinch black pepper
- ½ tablespoon nondairy milk
- Optional: ¼ cup grated vegan parmesan
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 400F.
- Cook pasta according to package directions, but reduce the boiling time by 2-3 minutes so it's slightly undercooked. Before draining, reserve ¼ cup of the pasta water and set it aside. You can work on steps 3-4 while the pasta cooks.
- Prep the spinach: Thaw the frozen spinach according to package directions. Lay the spinach on a few layers of paper towels (or a dish towel you don’t mind potentially staining) and squeeze out as much liquid as possible. If using paper towels, you can place them over a colander just in case they tear.
- Blend all sauce ingredients together. Set sauce off to the side.
- Sauté the veggies: Heat a medium nonstick pot over medium-high heat on the stovetop. Add a splash of water to prevent sticking, then add the onion and garlic. Sauté for 3 minutes, stirring occasionally, adding small amounts of water as needed.Add mushrooms and cook 5 more minutes, stirring occasionally. The mushrooms will release moisture after a minute or two so water is not usually needed at this point, but if they start to stick you can continue to add small amounts of water as needed.
- Bring it all together:Reduce heat to medium. Stir in the flour and cook 2 minutes.Pour in the sauce and cook another 2-3 minutes.Add optional vegan mozzarella, if using, and stir until melted. Stir in ¼ cup of the reserved pasta water. Increase to medium-high heat and cook, stirring constantly, until sauce thickens.Turn heat to low and fold in cooked pasta and spinach. Once everything is evenly incorporated, remove from the heat.
- Prepare the breadcrumb mixture: In a small bowl, combine panko breadcrumbs, nutritional yeast, onion powder, garlic salt, and black pepper. Mix thoroughly to ensure all the dry ingredients are evenly incorporated. Stir in ½ tablespoon nondairy milk until the mixture holds together slightly.
- Bake:Grease an 8x8 baking dish and transfer the pasta mixture into it. Sprinkle the breadcrumb mixture & optional vegan parmesan on top.Loosely cover with foil and bake 10 minutes. Carefully remove foil and bake another 5-10 minutes, until the crumb topping is lightly golden.
Nutrition
*Nutrition facts are an estimate and are calculated for one serving.
Happy cooking! If you made this recipe don’t forget to tag me (@joyfulbalanceofficial) on facebook or instagram so I can cheer you on for your pasta-making ways.
Stay joyfully balanced!
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