Vegan Cheesy Pasta Casserole
This vegan cheesy pasta casserole is baked comfort food at its easiest: tender pasta, garlicky mushrooms, and a melty dairy-free mozzarella sauce, all crisped up together in the oven. It comes together with six everyday ingredients and turns into the kind of bubbly, golden tray you want to dig straight into. No dairy, no fuss, just a properly satisfying weeknight bake.
The cheese experiment that started it all
Remember my Best Vegan Cheese Recipes Challenge? I made two recipes for it so far, the vegan mozzarella cheese and the grilled vegan cheese sandwiches. I also made a vegan nacho cheese sauce that I will post later. This casserole came right after my second cheese experiment, the moment I figured out how to tweak the ingredient ratios and quantities of that mozzarella recipe so it turns into a pourable sauce instead of a firm cheese. I absolutely love it, and this turned out to be by far my favorite vegan cheese sauce recipe.
I originally wanted to make macaroni and cheese, but I couldn’t find any gluten-free macaroni, so I reached for fusilli instead. It turned out to be a happy accident: the twists hold onto the sauce and bake up beautifully.
What goes into it
The ingredient list is short, so each one earns its place. Here is what to know before you start:
- Pasta (250 g): I used gluten-free pasta from Schar, but any shape works. Twisty shapes like fusilli grab the sauce better than long strands.
- Vegan mozzarella sauce (about 150 g): this is the heart of the dish. You make it from my vegan mozzarella recipe and use half the quantity, loosened into a pourable, melty sauce.
- Mushrooms (15 button mushrooms, sliced): they bring meaty, savory depth and release a little moisture as they bake.
- Garlic (half a head, peeled, crushed and sliced): it mellows and sweetens in the oven, so do not be shy.
- Salt and pepper: go light. The cheese sauce is already salty, so season carefully at the end.
- Olive oil: just enough to grease the tray and help everything crisp.
How to get it right
Boil the pasta until it is just shy of tender, a minute under the package time, because it keeps cooking in the oven and you do not want it mushy. Drain it well so the sauce does not turn watery. Slice the mushrooms and garlic while it cooks, then toss everything with the melty mozzarella sauce in an oiled, parchment-lined tray and bake at 375F for 20 to 30 minutes. Pull it out when the top is golden and the edges are bubbling and lightly crisp. Taste before adding extra salt, since the sauce already carries a good amount.
Why baking the sauce works so well
The oven is doing real work here, not just reheating. As the casserole bakes, surface moisture evaporates and the mozzarella sauce concentrates and sets, which is what gives you those browned, slightly crisp edges and a melty center. The mushrooms release their water early and then caramelize, deepening the savory flavor, while the garlic loses its sharp bite and turns gently sweet. That is why a quick stovetop stir would never taste the same: the dry heat transforms the texture and the flavor at once.
What to serve it with
This casserole is rich, so I like to balance it with something fresh and light. A simple green salad or a brothy vegan red lentil soup on the side rounds out the meal nicely. If you are cooking for a crowd of pasta lovers, it sits well next to my vegan lasagna with mushrooms or a tray of gluten-free vegan pizzas for a cozy, no-dairy spread.
Storing and making it ahead
Leftovers keep well in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 3 days. Reheat in the oven or a covered pan rather than the microwave if you want the top to crisp back up; add a splash of plant milk or water if the sauce has tightened. You can also assemble the whole tray ahead, refrigerate it, and bake when you are ready, just add a few extra minutes since it starts out cold. If you love this dairy-free cheese sauce as much as I do, try it in my vegan mac and cheese too, or branch into another creamy pasta like my creamy avocado pasta or pasta with arugula pesto and capers.
If you bake this, I would love to know how it turned out. Leave a rating and drop a comment to tell me what pasta shape you used or whether you snuck in any extra veggies alongside the mushrooms.
Summarise & Save This Recipe
★ Add us as a trusted Google source
Vegan Cheesy Pasta Casserole
Ingredients
- 250 g pasta I used gluten-free pasta from Schar
- ½ head garlic cloves peeled, crushed and sliced
- 15 button mushrooms sliced
- 150 g vegan mozzarella sauce See recipe here. Use half of the quantity.
- salt and pepper to taste (not too much, the sauce will be salty too)
- some olive oil
Instructions
- Boil pasta according to the instructions on the package. When ready, drain it and set aside.
- Meanwhile, make the vegan mozzarella sauce. See my recipe here. Use half the quantity for this vegan cheesy pasta casserole.
- Slice mushrooms and garlic cloves.
- Cover an oven tray with some parchment paper. Grease it with some oil.
- Add boiled pasta, sliced mushrooms, salt, pepper, sliced garlic cloves in the tray. Pour over melty vegan mozzarella sauce.
- Combine everything together.
- Put it in the oven at 375F and let it cook for 20-30 minutes.
Frequently Asked Questions
Yes. The melty, cheesy texture comes from a homemade vegan mozzarella sauce, with no milk, butter, or cheese anywhere in the dish. Every ingredient, including the pasta, mushrooms, garlic, and olive oil, is plant-based, so the whole casserole is fully vegan.
Absolutely. I used gluten-free pasta from Schar for this exact reason. Just swap in any certified gluten-free pasta shape you like and check that your other ingredients are gluten-free, and the casserole stays celiac-friendly without any other changes.
It is my stretchy vegan mozzarella recipe, adjusted so the ratios and quantities turn it into a pourable sauce instead of a firm cheese. You use about half the quantity of that recipe for this casserole. Follow the linked mozzarella recipe to make it, then loosen it into a melty sauce.
Short, twisty shapes like fusilli are ideal because the ridges and curls trap the cheese sauce so every bite is coated. I reached for fusilli when I couldn’t find gluten-free macaroni, but penne, rigatoni, or shells all work well too. Avoid long strands, which hold the sauce less evenly in a bake.
Bake at 375F for 20 to 30 minutes. It is done when the top is golden and the edges are bubbling and lightly crisp. Boil the pasta just shy of tender first, since it keeps cooking in the oven.
Keep leftovers in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 3 days. Reheat in the oven or a covered pan to bring back the crisp top, and stir in a splash of plant milk or water if the sauce has thickened. You can also assemble the tray ahead and bake it later, adding a few extra minutes since it goes in cold.
Jesus, this cheese is actually incredible! I can’t believe a recipe like this exists, it’s honestly so much better than ANY vegan cheese in the supermarkets and so much cheaper! Made your vegan cheese sandwiches and also this casserole using the mozzarella recipe and I’m in love! I will make it again and again and again! Thank for sharing 🙂
Glad you liked it! 😀