This vegan Big Night timpano recipe is layers of red, white, and green pasta wrapped in flaky puff pastry. The flavors and colors of Italy, the perfect comfort food!
recipe originally published September 7, 2015
Vegan Timpano Recipe
Big Night is one of my favorite movies. Have you seen it? Two brothers running a restaurant, and make an epic meal and a big party for a guest of honor, Louis Prima.
This isn't the first movie inspired recipe I have made. My Chef's Mojo Cubano sandwich is another recipe from another favorite movie.
A Timpano - also called a Timballo - is an Italian baked pasta dish.
How to make a timpano like Big Night
A glorious carb stuffed with carbs. This would be perfect before a marathon. or during a Netflix one...
This is a two day project for me. Day one, I made batches of my slow cooker basil marinara and cashew bechamel. Day two, I cooked the pasta and made the dough. Okay, nope - this time I wondered what a puff pastry shell would be like?
Then on day two I cooked the pasta, popped open two cans of crescent dough, and layered the three colors inside. Oh. Yum.
Did you make this vegan timpano recipe?
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Vegan Timpano Recipe Big Night
The ultimate Italian comfort food: layers of red, white, and green pasta wrapped in a flaky puff pastry dome.
Ingredients
- 2 pounds penne pasta, cooked according to package instructions
- 1 large handful fresh baby spinach leaves, chopped
- â…“ cup Basil Pesto
- 1 ¼ cups Cashew Bechamel
- 2 cups Vegan Meat Crumbles
- 2 cups Slow Cooker Basil Marinara
- 2 tubes vegan crescent dough (sheets if you can find them)
- oil or cooking spray
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350 °F.
- Grease an oven safe bowl large enough to hold 2+ pounds of cooked pasta.
- Open crescent dough tubes, unroll one and pinch together to make one sheet. Use ⅓ of second tube to create a full square of dough. Line bowl with dough, draping over edge to seal closed later.
- Divide cooked penne noodles into three bowls. Add marinara and beef crumbles to one bowl, bechamel to second bowl, pesto and chopped spinach to third bowl, stirring all to coat completely.
- Layer pastas in dough lined bowl: marinara first (this will be the top once flipped over), bechamel second (middle layer), finishing with pesto spinach layer (base layer once flipped).
- Cover pasta with remaining crescent dough, pinching together with overlap dough to seal around edge. Bake at 350 °F for 38-43 minutes, or until dough is golden brown and completely cooked.
- I used an oven safe glass bowl, so I was able to see the dough bake and become golden brown). At 30 minutes, the top was perfectly browned, so I loosely covered with foil to keep from burning while continuing to bake).
Nutrition Information:
Yield:
8Serving Size:
1Amount Per Serving: Calories: 356Total Fat: 11gUnsaturated Fat: 7gSodium: 122mgCarbohydrates: 40gFiber: 5gSugar: 2gProtein: 18g
nutrition calculations results vary by calculator, are for informational purposes only, and are not intended to replace medical advice or treatment.
about Kristina:
Kristina is spabettie! She found cooking at an early age, and created spabettie in 2010 to share vegan recipes. Kristina turned her culinary training into sharing vibrant vegan food! Read more...
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Kathy Hester says
You have made me speechless. I can only be cured if you give me some of this to have for dinner!
Kristina Sloggett says
hee hee! oh Kathy, I sure wish I could! xxo
Kristen @ A Mind Full Mom says
Whoa!! Total comfort food, totally awesome presentation! This looks just incredible! Bread and pasta are my comforts!
Kristina Sloggett says
thanks Kristen! we love those comforts, too. this is so fun to make, and SO good. leftovers for days 😉
Susan says
Wow! This looks incredible!
Laura says
Talk about a labor of love! And so cool! I won't lie, I think my hubby and I need about a 6 month break from pasta after our time in Italy, but then I think this would be so fun to make with my kids!
Kristina Sloggett says
well, once you are ready for pasta again, your kids would LOVE this - you all would. a fun thing to make with the kids, for sure!
Kimberly @ The Daring Gourmet says
Ah, this is gorgeous! I've never had the courage to try and make it myself, but I think I'm going to do finally do it!
Kristina Sloggett says
🙂 it is so fun, can't wait to see yours if you do!
Sarra B. says
I adore Big Night and I have been thinking about veganizing this dish for ages!
Bianca @ ElephantasticVegan says
How awesome is that?! What a wonderful idea! And I love that it looks so fancy with the three different pasta dishes.
Kristina Sloggett says
thanks Bianca! yep, homemade sauce means a significant amount of work, but SO worth it.
Kat | curlsnchard.com says
I've never heard about this dish or ever seen it - but it sounds like the ultimate comfort food! <3 I love the way this looks 🙂
Kristina Sloggett says
ultimate comfort food, totally!
Jenn says
It's just gorgeous! The ultimate comfort meal for sure!!!
Cadry says
Oh, I loved that movie! And this Timpano looks amazing. What a dramatic entree. Was it just as delicious as it looks?
Kristina Sloggett says
absolutely! even better as leftovers - heated and re-crisped in the oven is best. we LOVED it!