Vegan Creamy Tomato Sauce with Zucchini Bites

A simple sauce for an easy weeknight meal that won't have you missing the pasta. This delicious recipe is made entirely in the Vitamix blender, without even soaking the cashews. Pairs great with any vegetable or vegan pasta.

Vegan Creamy Tomato Sauce with Zucchini Bites

Ingredients

  • 780 ml (3¼ cups) water
  • 60 g ( ½ cup) almonds
  • (2 Tablespoons) nutritional yeast
  • 65 g ( ½ cup) raw cashews
  • 55 g ( ½ cup) sun dried tomatoes, drained from oil
  • ( ½ teaspoon) garlic powder
  • (1 teaspoon) kosher salt, optional
  • 1.3 kg (6 ) zucchini, ends trimmed
  • 115 g (1 cup) Vegan Parmesan Cheese

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 350°F. Grease an oven-safe (9x13") dish and set aside.
2. Place all ingredients except for zucchini and parmesan cheese into the Vitamix container in the order listed and secure the lid. Start the blender on its lowest speed, then quickly increase to its highest speed. Blend for 5 minutes and 45 seconds, or select the Hot Soups program and allow the machine to complete the programmed cycle.
3. Set the Food Processor Work Bowl up with the Thick Slice Disc and secure the lid. Start the machine and begin feeding the trimmed zucchini through the Small Food Chute opening, one after the other, until all are processed. If they are too large to fit, simply trim to size or process through the Large Food Chute.
4. Once all zucchini is sliced, begin preparing the dish by spreading 1 to 1 1/2 cups of creamy tomato sauce on the bottom of the greased pan. Tightly shingle the zucchini slices, running the length of the pan, using about 1/2 on the first layer. Top with an additional cup of tomato sauce, and 1/2 cup of vegan parmesan cheese. Shingle another layer of zucchini slices on top, followed by the sauce and cheese, repeating until you have 3 layers of each ingredient in the dish.
5. Place the dish in preheated oven and bake for 30-45 minutes or until bubbling and slightly brown on top.

Chef's Notes

This recipe works great as a side dish, or a main entrée for a small family.