The versatile recipe, which calls for white beans, tofu, tomato sauce and basil, can be used for stuffed shells and is great for a crowd. Photo by Avery Yale Kamila

I’m a fair weather cook. What I mean is I do most of my cooking from fall through spring, when the temperatures make a warm oven and a steaming pot a welcome kitchen presence.

My kitchen is part of a small, open plan townhouse, and heat from the stove quickly fills the living space. Add to this the recent spike in summer temperatures in downtown Portland, where I live, and it’s become a daily struggle of summer to keep the hot air out and the cooler air in.

Serious cooking does not help.

While an exciting new tree equity program from Portland City Hall aims to lessen heat in downtown residential neighborhoods, those efforts will take a decade or more to meaningfully affect city temperatures. For now, serious cooking (meaning more than a quick sauté, a toasted sandwich or a fruit smoothie) remains a cool-weather pursuit for me.

One of my favorite dishes to make when the crisp fall air arrives, as it did promptly at the start of September this year, is a versatile white bean-basil tofu casserole that can be made multiple ways. My go-to variations include stuffed shells, lasagna, manicotti and rotini casserole.

While traditional Italian-American pasta bakes are stuffed with a mix of cow’s milk cheeses, I blend my own creamy, plant-based filling. The base is my kid-friendly vegan mac and cheese sauce, with a dash of black pepper. To this I add crumbled tofu, white bean puree and a heaping tablespoon or two of dried basil.

The only real decision is what type of pasta to pair it with. I tend toward stuffed shells, lasagna or manicotti for bigger groups, while cutting the recipe in half and mixing it with rotini for a family dinner. I top the pasta with tomato sauce, which can be sprinkled with shredded vegan cheese.

Once the casserole is in the oven, my whole house fills with the sweet aroma of baking tomatoes, roasting garlic and fragrant basil. The cozy warmth attracts everyone to the kitchen to see what smells so good.

So far, my toughest critics have been a group of non-vegetarian neighborhood boys, all under age 10, who happened to be playing with my son in our courtyard during lunchtime one day. When I offered them lunch choices and included the casserole, only one boy was brave enough to try it. But he quickly ate the whole bowl, and soon the other boys wanted their own. They all enjoyed it.

Whether I’m hosting a party, cooking a weeknight dinner or offering an impromptu lunch to neighborhood children, this white-bean-basil-tofu casserole is a winner every time (as long as it’s not summer).

Here the same recipe is made with rotini. Photo by Avery Yale Kamila

WHITE BEAN-BASIL-TOFU CASSEROLE 

Stuffed shells, manicotti or lasagna noodles all work for this dish.

1 (16-ounce box) pasta

Set the oven to 425 degrees F.

Bring a large pot of salted water to boil. Add the pasta and cook, removing the pasta and rinsing it in cold water when it is soft but not yet al dente.

CHEESE SAUCE:

2 ½ cups unsweetened soy milk

For the dry mix:

3/4 cup nutritional yeast
2 tablespoons whole wheat flour
2 teaspoons onion powder
1 teaspoon garlic powder
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

To make the cheese sauce, put the soy milk in a saucepan and bring to a simmer, then whisk in the dry mix. Keep whisking until it thickens. This will happen quickly. Turn off the heat and set the sauce aside.

WHITE BEANS:

2 (15-ounce) cans butter beans, cannellini beans or other white beans, drained
2 garlic cloves, coarsely chopped

Add the beans and garlic cloves to a food processor or blender and puree until creamy and smooth.

CHEESE FILLING:

1-2 tablespoons dried basil
1 (16-ounce) block firm tofu

Mix the reserved cheese sauce, the pureed white beans and the dried basil together in a large bowl. Crumble the tofu into bite-sized chunks and fold it into the sauce. Set aside.

TO ASSEMBLE:

2 jars (50 ounces total) tomato sauce
1 (8-ounce) bag shredded vegan cheese, optional

Coat the bottom of a large rectangular casserole dish with some of the tomato sauce.

To make lasagna, add a layer of noodles then a layer of cheese filling, repeat and finish with a layer of noodles topped with tomato sauce and a sprinkle of vegan cheese, if desired.

To make stuffed shells or manicotti, stuff each piece of pasta with the cheese filling, place it in the casserole dish and top with tomato sauce then sprinkle with vegan cheese, if desired.

To make a casserole, mix the cooked pasta with the cheese filling, spread it in the casserole dish over the tomato sauce. Top with more tomato sauce and a sprinkle of vegan cheese, if desired.

Bake for 45 minutes in the preheated oven. Cool for 5-10 minutes. Serve.

The vegan buffet at the 2023 5K Run for the Animals at the Peace Ridge Sanctuary. Photo by Clayton Gallagher

5K Run for the Animals & Vegan Barbecue

Join the third annual 5K Run for the Animals and 1-mile Fun Walk on Saturday, Oct. 12 at Peace Ridge Sanctuary’s Northeast Equine Sanctuary in Freedom. The race course winds around the horse pastures and through fields and forests. Before the race, join guided outdoor yoga and stretching. After, savor a vegan barbecue, provided by race sponsor Veggie Life of Freeport. Face painting, a scavenger hunt and corn hole, for children.

Registration for the race costs $36 in advance and $40 the day-of. The race begins at 11:30 a.m. The money raised goes to support the medical care and feeding of more than 500 neglected and abused farm animals who’ve found a forever home at Peace Ridge’s four shelters. Used sneakers will be collected at the race for recycling through GotSneakers.

On Oct. 13, Peace Ridge Sanctuary hosts an open house at its main farm animal sanctuary in Brooks. For more information: peaceridgesanctuary.org

300 Years of Maine’s Untold Vegetarian History

In conjunction with Maine’s Untold Vegetarian History, an exhibition at the Maine Historical Society in Portland on view through May 17, you can buy a collection of the history columns that I originally wrote for the Maine Sunday Telegram, “300 Years of Maine’s Untold Vegetarian History.” The book is available from the Maine Historical Society bookstore for $9.99, online at mainehistorystore.com.

Avery Yale Kamila is a food writer who lives in Portland. She can be reached at avery.kamila@gmail.com.