Dining In - BLT Baked Spaghetti

BLT Baked Spaghetti - That Was Vegan?

Pinterest delivers another successful vegan meal! I was scrolling through tons of mouth-watering vegan food pictures on Pinterest and found this comfort food recipe for a satisfying pasta dish posted by VegNews. It incorporates tempeh bacon, kale, tomatoes, vegan mozzarella, tomato sauce, and I opted for gluten-free spaghetti. There's something about a baked pasta dish that makes it so much better! Especially topped with melted cheese (the vegan kind works too!). I really enjoyed this dish. The tempeh fills you up fast and the sauce was so creamy from mixing it together with the cheese prior to baking, almost like a vodka sauce. My non-vegan boyfriend gave this a big thumbs up too! Only problem was we both had about 2-3 servings... oops.

You can find the full recipe here on the "That Was Vegan?" website. 

Ingredients for BLT Baked Spaghetti
 Everything is from Trader Joe's! (except the tempeh bacon and pasta)

12 oz. spaghetti (I used gluten-free brown rice spaghetti from Whole Foods)
1 cup kale, blanched
Pinch of garlic powder
8 slices maple tempeh bacon
2 Roma tomatoes, chopped
1 1/2 cups red spaghetti sauce
1/4 vegan shredded mozzarella (now available at Trader Joe's)
Oregano, for seasoning
Sea salt, for seasoning
Ground black pepper, for seasoning

Tempeh Smoky Maple Bacon

Cook spaghetti according to package in salted water, stop cooking about 1-2 minutes earlier. Drain and set aside.

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

To prepare kale, boil water with a pinch of garlic powder in a small saucepan, add kale and cook for about a minute. Remove from heat. Drain. Rinse with cool water and drain again. Set aside.

Spray a small skillet with cooking spray and heat on medium. Add tempeh slices and cook both sides until golden brown. Remove from pan and slice into bite-sized pieces.

Put spaghetti in casserole dish, add in sauce, kale, tomatoes tempeh, mozzarella, salt, pepper, and a dash of dried oregano. Toss together. Top with vegan mozzarella, as much or as little as you desire. 

Cover dish with tin foil and bake for 20 minutes. Remove tin foil and continue baking for an additional 6-8 minutes so cheese on top melts. Serve and enjoy!