Vegan Spaghetti Squash Pie

To date, spaghetti squash pie is the number one hit recipe on Natural Comfort Kitchen. It’s not the quickest recipe by any means, but y’all don’t seem to care what it takes to get to that decadent, creamy baked spaghetti squash smothered in rich tomato sauce and smooth, melty mozzarella.

Mouth watering yet? Well, mine would be, too, except that my family is now nearly vegan, so all the ricotta and eggs in the original spaghetti squash pie are out. But after landing on our favorite vegan lasagna recipe, I had just the inspiration I needed to veganize spaghetti squash pie so it easily rivals the original recipe.

What Did We Change in the Vegan Version?

I have to admit, although the first spaghetti squash pie recipe was dang delicious, it was clunky: very long, with some weird methodologies, and unnecessary steps and ingredients (like adding zucchini squash to an already very squash-y pie). This one is about as streamlined as it gets, with minimal ingredients and, hopefully, an easy-to-follow recipe.

Here are the details:

• Spaghetti squash is all the veg you need (and tomato sauce if you count that). You won’t need to dirty yet another dish frying up zucchini.
• Roasting the squash in slices was weird. We use a more conventional roasting technique here which will have your squash prepped and into the oven in minutes.
• I mastered drying the squash without pressing out the water or putting it into the oven yet again. Using your pan from roasting, the squash will dry itself between layers of paper towels, and scraping it immediately into noodles releases moisture by way of steam.
• The recipe now makes a big batch, since this stuff goes fast and keeps well (and NCK is now all about the batch cooking). It’s easy to halve the recipe to only make one pie.
• Omitting the sauteed onion–totally unnecessary step, and it doesn’t compromise the flavor.
• To add vegan protein, we whip up an incredibly easy, two ingredient lentil marinara for a rich, thick sauce.
• And what you’re really wondering: I replaced the ricotta and egg mixture with a creamy cashew ricotta that comes together in minutes in the blender (and is great prepped ahead of time). It adds richness, binds the pie, and absorbs even more moisture from the spaghetti squash noodles.
• The cheesy top layer is easy to sub with your favorite vegan mozzarella shreds (I love Violife–no affiliation).

It Worked!

Well, obviously since you’re reading this post, I was more than happy with the veganized spaghetti squash pie. My kids are in a pretty selective phase right now (at almost 2 and just-turned-4), so I’ll admit, they snubbed it. But my husband and I had no problems eating it twice in a week for dinner, and even a few lunches (yet another reason to make the full big batch).

Besides the pie itself, my favorite part about eating a pie based on vegetable noodles is that there is PLENTY of room in there for garlic bread. I’m a big fan of this freezer garlic bread recipe for batch cooking (just use vegan butter instead of dairy), and you might also find store-bought frozen options that are accidentally vegan.

Vegan Spaghetti Squash Pie

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• Author: Tessa
• Total Time: 25 minutes
• Yield: 12 to 16 servings
• Diet: Vegan

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Description

It’s classic NCK spaghetti squash pie, gone vegan. The recipe got streamlined to minimize ingredients and simplify prep since the original version, and now it’s dairy and egg free! It also now makes TWO pies, because the more spaghetti squash pie, the better (and it’s freezer friendly).

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Ingredients

2 large spaghetti squash, 3 to 4 lbs. each

Olive oil cooking spray

Salt and pepper

2 C raw cashews

1 C water

2 Tbsp lemon juice

2 tsp apple cider vinegar

1/2 tsp dijon mustard

3 Tbsp nutritional yeast

1 recipe lentil marinara sauce

1 bag (2 C) grated vegan mozzarella (I love Violife Foods brand)

Fresh basil, chopped, for serving

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Instructions

Roast the squash. Preheat oven to 400F. Cut off stem end of spaghetti squash, halve lengthwise, and use a spoon to scrape seeds out. Spray open squash halves with cooking spray and season generously with salt and pepper. Bake squash cut side down on a parchment lined baking sheet for about 45 minutes, until just soft when pressed gently with a finger.

Remove squash from oven and immediately turn cut side up on a cutting board. Drain excess liquid from baking sheet and line with two layers of paper towels (or a clean kitchen towel). Hold squash with tongs and use a fork to scrape out “noodles”. Spread in an even layer on the baking sheet, then cool to room temp.

If using “noodles” immediately, press another double layer of paper towels on top to absorb more moisture. If making ahead, transfer to a paper towel lined container, so as much liquid as possible gets removed!

Make the cashew “ricotta”. In a high powered blender (see notes) combine cashews, 1 cup water, lemon juice, vinegar, 1/2 tsp salt (kosher or sea), mustard, and nutritional yeast until very smooth and creamy. This may take several minutes. Refrigerate if not using immediately.

To assemble the pies, spray two pie pans with oil. In a mixing bowl, combine squash noodles and cashew ricotta, plus a generous sprinkle of salt and pepper, until well mixed (a fork works well). Distribute squash mixture between the two pie pans and smooth the surface. Top each pie with two to two and a half cups of lentil marinara sauce, then sprinkle generously with mozzarella (about 3/4 cup per pie).

Cover with foil, tenting the foil so it doesn’t touch the mozzarella. Bake pies on middle oven rack for about 25 minutes, until bubbly and cheese is melted. Remove foil while the pies cool for at least 10 minutes, then serve with fresh basil. Or, continue cooling before refrigerating for up to five days.

Notes

Prepare the squash noodles ahead of time or use the roasting time to prep the rest of the recipe, to minimize prep time.

If using a non-high powered blender, soak cashews four hours (or as much as overnight), before blending.

Freezing notes: Assemble the pies as directed, refrigerate until cold, then top with the mozzarella shreds. Place in a large freezer bag or seal well with foil or plastic wrap to freeze (still in the pan–disposable pie plates work well). Thaw completely before baking according to recipe instructions, adding more time if the center of the pie isn’t warm.

Cashew ricotta slightly adapted from the one in Cookie and Kate’s vegan lasagna.

• Cook Time: 25min

Keywords: spaghetti squash, lentils, casserole, comfort food