before i went vegan, i used to make baked ziti every chance i got. it was probably one of my favorite things to make because i could throw it together in about 30 minutes and have it ready to eat within an hour. and it was good. so good.

about a year ago, amy's came out with a vegan (and gluten-free!) baked ziti that is pretty kick ass. but it's still nothing like what i used to make.

in may, i finally figured out how to remake my old baked ziti in full color veganism. first, i have to thank terry romero for the pine nut cream in veganomicon . without it, this recipe would not exist. this is a very very loose recipe. i don't measure stuff like this out because some days i want things to be saltier or have more tomato chunks or less basil or whatever, so just throw this together according to your tastes:

boil ziti. while its cooking, make 1/2 a recipe of tofu ricotta. feel free to make the ricotta in vegan with a vengeance or make your own. basically, you just need 1/2 a block of tofu and seasonings (you can put in anything you want in any amounts you want, but i think basil, oregano, thyme, and nooch are non-negotiable). next, either make some tomato sauce or open a jar of your favorite spagetti sauce. if you make your own, again all you need is some canned tomatoes, garlic, and spices (again, basil, oregano, and thyme are non-negotiable for me here) and then i add in whatever else i'm in the mood for: olive, capers, roasted red peppers, onions, roasted garlic, whatevs. make a full recipe (or 2) of the pine nut cream. mix 1/2 the pine nut cream with your sauce and tofu ricotta. the mixture should be pretty wet. ***i should note here that i like my baked ziti saucy. as you can see in the pictures, i even put some extra sauce on top. this particular batch had about a jar and a quarter in it. i happened to have a quarter jar in the fridge that i wanted to use up. if i didn't have one open, i don't think i would have bothered with the extra 1/4.*** when the pasta is done cooking, mix it with the cream/tomato sauce mixture. pour it into a 9 x 13 baking dish. pour the rest of the pine nut cream on top and bake until the cream is set (maybe 15 minutes). eat. eat more.

this freezes well, too. awesome.

sorry, for some strange reason i have no pictures of this. maybe i'll whip some up tomorrow if i can find some asceptic silken tofu and i'll add pictures to here. woo!

edited to add the pictures. zomigod. yump!