Buffalo Chickpea Pasta Bake
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Comfort food in a casserole…and it is dairy-free! This Buffalo Chickpea Pasta Bake is a super fun, family-friendly weeknight dinner idea!
This time of year I love a pasta bake. And this Buffalo Chickpea Pasta Bake is not only super comforting it is also super simple to make. The sauce and pasta are cooked in one pot before being transferred to a baking dish and topped with seasoned bread crumbs. The whole thing is baked until bubbly and delicious. And if you’re worried about spice, just use less buffalo sauce!
Step One: Cook the Pasta
Everything for this recipe comes together super fast. So, it is best to have everything ready to go at the beginning.
Start by bringing a large pot of water to a boil. Add the pasta and cook until al dente – be sure not to over cook it, it will finish cooking in the oven! Drain and place the empty pot back on the stove over medium heat.
Step Two: Make the Sauce
Add some vegan butter to the empty pot and let it melt. And now, let’s season it up. Add garlic powder, onion powder, smoked paprika, dried parsley & pepper to the butter and let it cook for about 30 seconds.
Add the non-dairy milk and allow it to heat up for a minute. Add the vegan cream cheese and whisk until mostly smooth – it’s ok if there are a couple lumps.
Add the buffalo sauce, vegan mozzarella & veggie bouillon and whisk until the cheese is melted. Pour in the chickpeas and pasta and mix to combine.
Step Three: Bake & Serve
Now that the pasta and sauce is ready to go, it is time to transfer it to a greased baking dish. Top it off with a mix of bread crumbs & vegan parmesan. And then cover it and place it in the oven for 20 minutes.
Pull the foil off and cook for another 10 minutes – I like to turn the oven to broil for that last couple minutes to get a nice, crusty topping.
Pull the pasta out of the oven, top it with fresh chives and serve it up!
Spoon the pasta onto plates and dig in! This pasta is easy, cheesy and so, so good!
Tips & Tricks
I used Franks hot sauce. You can adjust the amount you use based on your spice tolerance.
When you transfer the pasta to the baking dish it will look like too much liquid, but once it bakes it will thicken up.
If you want to freeze this, prepare it all the way up until the baking step. Let it cool completely, cover and place in the freezer. To reheat, place the frozen pasta in the oven at 350 for 60 minutes, or until warmed through.
Need more recipe inspo? Check these out:
Buffalo Chickpea Pasta Bake
Ingredients
- 3/4 pound short pasta I used fusilli
- 2 tablespoons vegan butter
- 1 teaspoon garlic powder
- 1 teaspoon onion powder
- 1 teaspoon smoked paprika
- 1 teaspoon dried parsley
- 1/2 teaspoon pepper
- 2 cups non-dairy milk I used oat
- 4 ounces vegan cream cheese I used Kite Hill
- 1/2 cup buffalo sauce see notes
- 1 cup vegan mozzarella shredded, I used Trader Joe's
- 1 teaspoon Better Than Bouillon No Chicken Base or sub another veggie bouillon
- 1 15-ounce can chickpeas
- 1/2 cup bread crumbs
- 1/2 cup grated vegan parmesan I used Follow Your Heart
- chives optional, for serving
Equipment
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 400 degrees and grease a 9×13 baking dish.
- Bring a large pot of water to a boil. Add the pasta and cook until al dente – be sure not to over cook it, it will finish cooking in the oven! Drain and place the empty pot back on the stove over medium heat.
- Melt the vegan butter in the pot and add the dry seasonings. Mix to combine and cook for about 30 seconds. Add the non-dairy milk and allow to heat up for a minute. Add the vegan cream cheese and whisk until mostly smooth – it's ok if there are a couple lumps.
- Add the buffalo sauce, vegan mozzarella & bouillon and whisk until the cheese is melted. Pour in the chickpeas and pasta and mix to combine.
- Combine the bread crumbs and parmesan in a bowl and mix to combine.
- Transfer the pasta to the prepared baking dish and top with the bread crumbs. Cover with foil and bake for 20 minutes. Remove the foil and cook for another 10 minutes – turn the oven to broil for the last couple minutes if you want to brown the top.
- Remove from the oven, top with chopped chives and serve.
Video
Notes
- I used Franks hot sauce. You can adjust the amount you use based on your spice tolerance.
- When you transfer the pasta to the baking dish it will look like too much liquid, but once it bakes it will thicken up.Â
- If you want to freeze this, prepare it all the way up until the baking step. Let it cool completely, cover and place in the freezer. To reheat, place the frozen pasta in the oven at 350 for 60 minutes, or until warmed through.
