Vegan Ziti Pie!

I came across this idea much like my pal, Somer McCowan, did: a quick glimpse of intrigue on Instagram that disappeared before I could delve further. Lucky for me, she did all the heavy lifting and I was able to sit back and simply wait for her to fine-tune the recipe and blog about it on Vedged Out before giving it a go myself.

It really was as simple as it seems...maybe moreso. And the fact that the first slice came out shaped like a heart certainly didn't make me love this recipe any less.

 

You'll have much more luck if you follow Somer's recipe; these are just my general notes for future pies:
 
I chose to use a large springform pan, lightly oiled. I boiled a box of rigatoni al dente, then rinsed them in cold water (VM's suggestion so I wouldn't burn my fingers) before standing them up snugly in the pan. This is disproportionately silly and fun, albeit slightly tedious.You will have some left over, so keep some extra sauce handy so that the excess noodles don't stick in a mass whilst your attention is on pie assemblage.

Next up I decided to add ricotta. I actually bought and filled a squeeze bottle all professional-like, only to find out that the store-bought ricotta was too dense to dispense properly. So, I did what any hungry person would do: I sprinkled it atop and smushed it lightly into the crevices with my fingers. Don't judge. In future, I'll make my own from Chloe's Vegan Italian Kitchen, which is much more pliable.

Next up was the sauce: the easiest part. I submitted my request to VM so she had a steaming pot ready for me upon arrival*: complete with sauteed peppers & onions and lots of red pepper flakes. I just kind of eyeballed the amount I poured in and reserved some to serve with the completed pie.

Finally, I generously sprinkled smothered mozzarella shreds over the whole darn thing. I never trust springform pans, so I always put them on a baking sheet. While this was pretty much the extent of the leakage, better on the pan than in the oven.

 

25 minutes in a 350 degree oven and I was rewarded with this glorious pie! Thankfully Somer suggested letting it sit for a couple of minutes before slicing; this gave me time to try and find the most flattering angle for this circular carb-fest.

It sliced like a charm and was rich and decadent. I can see how it would be much easier to make a simple pan of ziti, but a dense, cheesy pie of soldier rigatoni smothered in mom-made sauce is sure to impress anyone: I don't care who they are.

I do want to note that Somer also has a new cookbook out: The Abundance Diet, which is decidedly less calorie-dense, but just as delicious. Stay tuned for more on that, but feel free to pick it up in the meantime.

* I must admit that these super shiny pans are in her kitchen, not mine; OD gets all the credit for that.