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This No-Boil Chickpea Noodle Casserole is cozy, hearty, and as easy as it gets! Noodles, chickpeas, and veggies get cooked in a creamy dairy-free sauce.
Imagine: a fuss-free, dump-and-bake casserole that tastes like the combination of chicken noodle soup and a creamy pot pie. Except, it’s also totally dairy-free & vegan. Sounds like a dream, right?
This post is proof that dreams do become reality – because this No-Boil Chickpea Noodle Casserole is all that, and more. This recipe is cozy, healthy, ridiculously easy, and incredibly satisfying.
INGREDIENTS FOR CHICKPEA NOODLE CASSEROLE
This recipe comes together using only simple, whole-food ingredients. Here’s what you’ll need:
- Dry Pasta: I used gluten-free rotini, but regular pasta will work as well. I recommend using shorter shapes for this recipe (spirals, shells, macaroni, etc). Spaghetti or other long shapes won’t work here.
- Chickpeas: pack a plant-based protein punch and give this recipe some extra heartiness!
- Soaked Cashews act as the creamy base for our dairy-free pasta sauce. If you have a high-powered blender, it’s ok if you forget to soak them 😉
- Chicken-Flavored Bouillon: adds a TON of faux-meat flavor! If that’s not your thing, use vegetable broth instead.
- Allll the veggies: a.k.a. onion, celery, carrot, and peas! Each of these budget-friendly veggies helps to add volume, extra flavor, and some fun color as well.
- Spices & Seasonings: nutritional yeast adds some cheesiness, while smoked paprika and poultry seasoning adds some smokiness and depth of flavor. Garlic powder and black pepper add a little extra zing – and let’s face it, garlic just makes everything taste better.
HOW TO MAKE NO BOIL PASTA
The secret to No-Boil pasta bakes is to use just the right amount of liquid. We want enough liquid to cook the noodles properly, plus a little extra to create a creamy sauce. Luckily I’ve already done all the testing for you, and all you have to do is follow the recipe!
- Blend some soaked cashews with water, spices, and vegan chicken-flavored bouillon until thick and creamy.
- Toss the uncooked pasta with the diced vegetables, then pour the creamy sauce on top.
- Cover & Bake in the oven for 50 minutes, then let sit for 5 minutes to set.
- Serve and Enjoy!
This Chickpea Noodle Casserole is everything — it’s cozy, it’s creamy, it’s delicious, and it’s also packed with veggies and great for you! Cooking the pasta noodles in the creamy sauce allows them to become infused with even more flavor, plus the starch from the pasta helps to make the sauce even creamier.
This fuss-free meal is the perfect weeknight dinner, but it’s also fancy enough to serve to guests! It’s surprisingly budget-friendly too, so basically it’s the best recipe ever. Don’t just take it from me though — now it’s your turn to make it and see for yourself! I guarantee you won’t be disappointed.
If you’re looking for more cozy (yet wholesome!) recipes, you’ll also love this One Pot Mushroom Stroganoff, this Spinach & Artichoke Casserole, and this Chickpea and Rice Casserole!
Finally, if you make this recipe and decide to share it on Facebook or Instagram, don’t forget to tag me @FromMyBowl + #FromMyBowl! I love seeing your delicious recreations 🙂
No-Boil Chickpea Noodle Casserole
This Vegan No-Boil Chickpea Noodle Casserole is cozy, hearty, and as easy as it gets! Noodles, chickpeas, and veggies get cooked in a creamy dairy-free sauce.
- Prep Time: 10 Minutes
- Cook Time: 50 Minutes
- Total Time: 1 hour
- Yield: Serves 4
- Category: Main
- Method: Oven
- Cuisine: American
- Diet: Vegan
Ingredients
For the Creamy Sauce:
- 3/4 cup raw cashews, soaked in water overnight*
- 3 1/2 cups filtered water
- 1 tablespoon vegan chicken-flavored bouillon (or sub 3 1/2 cups veg broth)
- 2 tablespoons nutritional yeast
- 1/2 teaspoon smoked paprika
- 1/2 teaspoon poultry seasoning*
- 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
- 1/2 teaspoon black pepper, or to taste
For the Casserole:
- 8 ounces uncooked pasta* (gluten-free or regular)
- 1 can chickpeas, drained and rinsed
- 1/2 yellow onion, diced
- 2 ribs celery, sliced
- 2/3 cup (100 g) carrot, peeled and diced
- 2/3 cup (100 g) frozen peas; no need to thaw
Instructions
- Prep: preheat the oven to 425F and set a 9×13″ casserole pan aside.
- Blend: add the soaked and drained cashews, water, bouillon, nutritional yeast, smoked paprika, poultry seasoning, garlic powder, and black pepper to a high-speed blender. Blend on high for 45-60 seconds, until the cashews completely dissolve and you are left with a smooth and creamy sauce.
- Mix: add the pasta, chickpeas, onion, celery, carrot, and peas to the casserole dish and mix until evenly distributed. Pour the sauce over the casserole, then use a spatula or spoon to press everything down evenly into the sauce, especially the pasta noodles.
- Bake: Cover the dish tightly with aluminum foil (or parchment paper, followed by aluminum foil) and bake in the middle rack of the oven for 50 minutes. Remove from the oven and let sit for 5 minutes before uncovering. You may notice that the pasta is cooked, but a few noodles on top are not covered in sauce; because of this, I like to stir the casserole before serving, to evenly distribute the sauce.
- Serve warm; leftovers can be stored in the fridge and are best eaten within 5 days
Notes
- If you forget to soak your cashews ahead of time, you can (1) cover them in boiling water and let sit for 20 minutes, or (2) cover them with water and microwave for 3 minutes, then let sit for 3-5 minutes before draining.
- Substitutions: vegan chicken broth can be replaced with vegetable broth. Poultry seasoning is mostly a blend of dried sage and thyme, so you can replace it with either one or both of those spices. To save prep time, use 1 1/3 cups of a frozen carrot and pea blend instead of cutting fresh carrots into small pieces.
- Pasta: I recommend using a short noodle for this recipe, such as rotini, shells, or macaroni.
Keywords: vegan casserole, vegan noodle casserole, no boil casserole vegan, vegan chicken noodle casserole, dairy free casserole, vegan pasta bake, healthy vegan casserole
Another one of my favorites! I use a “chicken” bouillon instead of veggie broth to amp up that “chicken” noodle soup flavor. I could eat the entire dish myself! So, so good!
★★★★★
Happy to know you enjoyed it, Erin!
One of my new favorites!!!
★★★★★
Thank you, Callie!
I have a question. I don’t have any peas on hand. I could just leave them out with no substitution, but I do have edamame. I feel like the texture might be too different—?
★★★★
Hi Amy! I think either option will work ok – the edamame will cook down some in the oven, so should have a softer texture when you serve it.
Wow this is delicious! The edges of mine were a tiny bit overdone, but I think that’s because I had the dish assembled for maybe 15 mins before it went in the oven, so the pasta may have started to soak up some water. Next time I’ll avoid that and it should be perfect! Really had that chicken pot pie flavour. I served with a squeeze of lemon, might try adding a dash of mustard next time.
Glad you find it delicious! Thank you, Clare. ♥
This was so easy and so delicious! Thank you Caitlin!! Also thanks to everyone in the comments, I can make this for my nut-sensitive daughter too 🙂
★★★★★
You are so welcome, Erin!
We LOVE this recipe! It is delicious and easy! We have it nearly every week!
★★★★★
We’re happy you love it, Laney!
This was ok but my family felt it needed more flavor. I used veggie broth and poultry seasoning as suggested. Any ideas on what to add? Maybe more garlic powder or fresh minced garlic instead? Thanks!
★★★
Absolutely, feel free to adjust the seasonings according to your preferences 🙂
This recipe is fantastic, creamy, and savory and works well as a base formula for endless substitutions. I was out of cashews so I substituted a cup of tahini and said a prayer – it still turned out creamy and delicious! Also was out of rotini so I substituted chinese egg noodle spaghetti, broken up, and it came out very good, like a “tetrazzini”. I highly recommend getting Caitlin’s cookbook as well – I’ve been cooking through it during the 2022 holidays and it is great for the busy, normal working person who needs practical, day-to-day recipes.
★★★★★
Thank you for the lovely comment, Tony! Great subs 🙂
This recipe is genius!! So delicious!!! And easy!!! My 2 year old practically made most of it! Lol okay he did all the dumping lol How can you NOT add this to your meal rotation?? This one is a TOTAL KEEPER!!
★★★★★
Thank you so much, Esli!
I’m not sure what I did wrong, but my sauce did not end up creamy it was more like soup & the cashews were still gritty-like. I did use veg. broth to sub for boullion & a food processor instead of a blender, could that have been the issue?
That might have been it, Megan. The veg.broth might’ve made it too liquid-y and the food processor might not have given you a smooth sauce compared to blending it on a high power blender.
This was so good, and so easy! It completely fit the comfort food need on a cold night. We so love your recipes, thank you!
★★★★★
Glad you love them, Juliana!
Made this for a Sunday family dinner. Vegan and non vegans in my family loved it! So easy to make! At first I thought there would be too much liquid but trust the recipe! Thank you!
Thanks, Heidi!
Looking for freezer meals to prep before I go back to work from maternity leave. Is this recipe freezer friendly? If so, would I need to cook it before freezing or can I freeze it without cooking it first? Thanks!
The whole thing can be made a day or two in advance. Once it has cooled completely, pour it into a greased casserole dish and cover it tightly with foil. When you’re ready to bake it, let it sit out on the counter for at least 30 minutes before putting it in the oven. Bake it cover for 30 minutes and then uncover it and bake until it’s heated through and browned on top. Cool it completely before storing it in an airtight container in the freezer. The casserole can remain in the freezer for a couple months if needed. Remove it from the freezer 24-48 hours before you plan to eat it and let it defrost in the refrigerator. Bake it in the oven as you would if you made it ahead of time.
LOVED this recipe! The oven had barely preheated by the time I finished prepping, then it was completely hands-off until time to eat. The perfect meal prep dish to fuel you for the week! Tastes exactly like chicken pot pie, with the addition of noodles to make for a lighter yet cozy meal. I doubled the chickpeas and added some broccoli, then served with hemp seeds on top to up the protein and add a bit more texture. Can’t wait to eat the leftovers tomorrow!
★★★★★
Can’t wait to try this tonight! Just to clarify, where it says use 1 tablespoon bouillon powder or sub 3 1/2 cups vegetable broth, that’s not in addition to the 3 1/2 cups of water listed above, right? The total liquid amount should be 3 1/2 cups?
Hi Lauren, there should be 3 1/2 cups of liquid total
This is such a tasty recipe! Are the leftovers freezer friendly?
★★★★★
Yes. Cool it completely before storing it in an airtight container in the freezer.
This has quickly become a monthly staple in our house! We’re loving the No-boil and Dump-and-bake with our young kids. Thanks for continuing to make such simple and reliable recipes!
★★★★★
So happy your family loved it, Elizabeth! Thank you so much for the feedback.
Can we use whole wheat pasta instead of gluten free or regular?
Yes, you can!
This recipe is if a staple in our house! It’s one of my favorite meals EVER. It’s so fun, easy, and filling. But most of all incredible delicious. We add hot sauce if we’re in the mood, which may sound weird but strangely goes perfectly! Highly recommend this recipe.
★★★★★
Thanks for recommending, Madalyn!
Love this dish! Would it still work to add some white beans instead of 1 full cup of chickpeas? Or would they get mushy?
White beans can be used as a substitute for chickpeas in this recipe, and they should not get mushy. You can use the same amount of white beans as called for in the recipe for chickpeas, and they should hold up well during the cooking process. You may notice a slight difference in flavor and texture, but it should still work well as a substitute.
This was so good and easy to make.
★★★★★
Glad you liked it, Waverly! 💕
I made this with and without draining the water the cashews soaked in and, keeping the water made the sauce so much better! Definitely give it a try!
★★★★★
Thank you so much for the feedback, Mike! Glad you liked it! 😊
I used the water the cashews soaked in too. Very tasty but next time I’ll add more spices…maybe more poultry seasoning and some sage.
★★★★★
So delicious! I made this with the Barilla red lentil rotini for a little more protein and it came out fantastic! So creamy and flavorful, I will definitely be making it again!
★★★★★
So glad it turned out fantastic. Thank you for the feedback, Audrey! 😊
Hi! What could I substitute cashews with for a nut-free sauce version?
sunflower seeds and tahini (sesame seed butter) could be good substitutes.
This was amazing! I have to admit I was skeptical that the pasta would turn out but it was perfect.
★★★★★
Thank you so much for the feedback, Christine! 🙂
This recipe is great! I do have a question, why when using these ingredients for the sauce , the sauce looks curdled? Am I doing something wrong,? It’s not curdled but looks it. Can I add something to smooth it out? I am new to vegan food. Other recipes the same way. Even the vegan creamer, I make, after it sits, it appears curdled. Thank you! Please answer me by email.
To avoid a curdled appearance in the sauce, ensure thorough blending, consider using emulsifying agents, add the sauce gradually, and avoid overcooking