Vegan Baked Ziti

1. Prepare oven and dish: Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F and lightly grease a 9 x 13 inch casserole dish. 2. Make the cheese sauce: Bring 3 cups of water to a boil (I use my tea kettle). Pour the hot water over the raw cashews and let soak for 5 minutes, or up to an hour. Drain the cashews and add to a high-powered blender along with the fresh water (¾ cup), lemon juice, nutritional yeast, garlic, onion powder and salt and blend until smooth and creamy. Set aside. 3. Cook the pasta: Prepare pasta according to package instructions. You can cook the pasta while your cashews are soaking to save time. Drain the noodles and add to the casserole dish. 4. Cook the vegan meat: Cook the vegan ground beef (or sliced sausages) in a pan until browned and cooked through.  5. Combine in the baking dish: Pour the jar of marinara sauce and cooked vegan meat on top of the noodles and stir to combine. Spoon the cashew cheese on top of the pasta in large dollops. Stir it in just a little bit, leaving some pockets of cheese intact (you don’t want to mix it a lot, the cheese will become thicker as it bakes and taste incredible).  6. Bake: If desired, sprinkle with some vegan mozzarella and/or parmesan. Bake, uncovered, for 25 minutes until hot and bubbly. Serve immediately, sprinkled with some fresh herbs for garnish.