The Vegan Mouse: Baked Pasta with Veggies and Sausage.

This was a "use what you got" recipe where I wanted to use what was in my fridge and pantry. I loosely based this off of the pastitsio recipe from The Olive and The Caper cookbook. Mine has no dairy and no eggs. It's damn good too. It's layered with veggies, vegan sausage, tomato sauce and topped with a creamy vegan bechamel sauce. It is TASTY.

Recipe:

4 TB olive oil
1 large onion, chopped
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 large zucchini, chopped
2 carrots, chopped
a small 1/2 head of broccoli, chopped, stems and all
2 Tofurky tomato and basil flavor veggie sausages, chopped
1 tsp oregano
1 jar Trader Joe's Tomato Basil Marinara
1 lb. macaroni, penne or ziti pasta
1/2 cup to 1 cup Daiya vegan cheese

For bechamel sauce:
3 TB Earth Balance margarine or other non dairy margarine
3 TB white flour
1 1/2 cups plain almond milk
1/4 tsp. salt
pinch of nutmeg

1. Cook pasta according to package directions. I cooked mine for about 10 minutes.
2. While pasta is cooking, saute the veggies in olive oil over medium heat until veggies are almost tender. Add oregano, sausage and continue cooking until veggies are tender. Season with salt and pepper. Set aside. Preheat oven to 350 F.
3. Make the bechamel sauce: Heat the margarine in a pot until melted over medium high heat. Add flour and start whisking until it gets smooth and creamy. Slowly add the almond milk and keep whisking. Keep on medium heat and whisk until thick and creamy about 12 minutes.
4. While you are making the bechamel sauce, the pasta will be done. Drain the pasta in a colander. Pour a bit of olive oil into the empty pasta pot and then add the drained pasta back in along with the cooked veggies/sausage. Stir to combine. Season with salt and pepper.
5. Spread about 1/2 cup of tomato sauce along the bottom of a large greased baking dish. Pour a third of pasta mixture over it and then add more marinara on top. Repeat with a couple more pasta layers and marinara sauce. At the end, whisk the bechamel sauce again and then pour over the top of the pasta. Sprinkle with Daiya cheese and cover with foil. Bake for 30 minutes with foil on top. After 30 minutes, remove foil and bake uncovered for 15 to 20 more minutes. Remove from oven and let sit for at least 15 minutes prior to serving.

Source: http://theveganmouse.blogspot.com/2012/07/baked-pasta-with-veggies-and-sausage.html

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