This veggie lover’s baked rigatoni is packed full of cherry tomatoes, onions, garlic, mushrooms, bell peppers, zucchini, and spinach. A hearty and delicious vegetarian dinner!
Today’s recipe is all about pasta, veggies, and cheese.
Three of my favorite things!
This veggie lover’s baked rigatoni is a vegetarian’s dream come true.
Packed full of tons of super fresh veggies, hearty rigatoni pasta, and topped with gooey mixture of mozzarella and parmesan cheese.
As a vegetarian, I’ve eaten quite a bit of pasta in my day, but this one is possibly the best I’ve ever eaten!
Rigatoni is also a fun change from the pastas I regularly buy.
My mission was to create a deliciously cheesy pasta that was heavy on both flavor and veggies so that it didn’t sit as heavy as other pastas can on my stomach.
We’re going all in on this pasta with cherry tomatoes, onions, fresh garlic, mushrooms, bell peppers, zucchini and spinach!
The result?
A hearty meatless pasta that you don’t have to feel guilty about!
I love the texture and firmness of rigatoni, and it doesn’t get soggy quickly when baking, making it perfect for this pasta bake.
But really guys…how gorgeous is this dish?
Yes I know I’m *that* person that refers to food as gorgeous but I just can’t help it.
Beautifully symmetrical pasta with tons of veggies and crispy pieces of cheese on top.
swoon.
I used a blend of mozzarella and parmesan on top of the pasta and cooked it just long enough for the cheese to melt and start to get a little browned on top.
Those browned bits will be your favorite bites!
This makes a huge 13 by 9 casserole dish and we enjoyed the leftovers for several days.
Serve as is or with some red pepper flakes on top if you like a little heat!
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Vegetarian Pasta Recipe:
Veggie Lover's Baked Rigatoni
Veggie Lover's baked rigatoni packed full of delicious vegetables and two kinds of cheese. A delicious vegetarian pasta recipe!
Ingredients
- 5 oz container of fresh spinach (or 4-6 cups of loose spinach)
- 10 oz container of cherry tomatoes
- 1 large onion, diced
- 2 portobello mushroom caps, diced
- 1 green bell pepper, diced
- 1 medium zucchini, diced
- 9 cloves of garlic, minced
- 1 lb rigatoni pasta
- 25 oz pasta sauce (I used mushroom flavor)
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 2 teaspoons dried basil
- 1/2 teaspoon pepper
- 1 3/4 cups grated parmesan cheese
- 2 cups shredded mozzarella cheese
- olive oil
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 400 degrees
- Toss cherry tomatoes with 1/8 cup of olive oil and place in an even layer on a baking sheet
- Roast at 400 degrees for 15 minutes, or until tomatoes start to wilt and burst
- Cook Rigatoni according to instructions and set aside
- In a large skillet, combine onions, mushrooms, bell pepper, zucchini, garlic, dried basil, salt, pepper, and 1 tablespoon of olive oil
- Sautee on medium high heat for 12-15 minutes, or until liquid is released and vegetables have started to cook down
- Add spinach and wilt (2-3 minutes)
- Add sauce and stir well
- Add the cooked tomatoes to the sauce with the other veggies
- Mix the mozzarella and parmesan cheeses together in a bowl
- Add 1 cups of cheese mixture to the sauce/veggie skillet and stir
- Combine rigatoni with sauce/veggie skillet and transfer mixture to a 13 by 9 baking dish
- Top with remaining cheese
- Bake at 425 degrees for 10 minutes, or until cheese is bubbly and beginning to brown
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Nutrition Information:
Yield:
8Serving Size:
1Amount Per Serving: Calories: 375 Total Fat: 15g Saturated Fat: 7g Trans Fat: 0g Unsaturated Fat: 6g Cholesterol: 35mg Sodium: 1283mg Carbohydrates: 43g Fiber: 6g Sugar: 9g Protein: 19g
Katy Anderson says
This has such great flavor. I didn’t add the pepper due to a food allergy but added eggplant instead and an extra mushroom cap. Next time I’ll cut the pasta in half so I can have more vegetables and sauce and less pasta. Nice recipe.
Joy Shull says
So glad you enjoyed the recipe!
Lynn says
Made this for a friend who just got out of the hospital who is a vegetarian and she loved, I have to admit I saved some for us and we loved it too!!! It is super easy to make and rated me “good buddy” points making her think that I spent a huge amount of time slaving over the kitchen, I call that a win win!!
Thanks for sharing the recipe, it is a keeper!
Joy Shull says
What a thoughtful gift for a friend! So glad everyone enjoyed the recipe, it’s one of my favorites too 🙂
ELIZABETH says
When do you add the tomatoes and the spices? I guessed, but both are missing from the recipe.
Joy Shull says
Hi Elizabeth,
The spices state that they are added in when the veggies are cooking. I did forget to mention the tomatoes and will fix that. They are simply mixed in to the skillet with the other veggies before it is mixed with the rigatoni.
Karen says
If I make this and freeze it to heat up at a later date , would I put it directly into the oven from freezer and for how long ?
Thanks !
T.A. says
Freaking delish! We are new to the world or veggies but this dish here let’s me know what we’ve been missing! I followed the directions and it came out perfect !
Joy Shull says
So glad you enjoyed the recipe!!
Pam amick says
I have grandchildren that are allergic to dairy. I made this recipe using non dairy cheeses and it was delicious. Can’t wait to try it with the real cheeses!
Thank you
Pam
Peg says
Can I assemble this early in day and bake later. What would the bake time be and should pasta be a little firmer
Joy Shull says
You could assemble it ahead. Just cook the noodles 1 – 2 minutes less, and bake at 350 from refrigerated until it’s hot and bubbly. I can’t say an exact time as I have not tried it myself.
Kate says
I was searching for a slow cooker recipe for an upcoming thingy….saw “Veggie Lovers…” down below your ziti recipe (which i also intend to try) & thought, well, still need dinner tonight! So glad I followed it.
Had all the ingredients on hand, super quick & easy, soooo good. We all loved it – even the reheats – thank you!!!
Joy Shull says
I am so glad you enjoyed the recipe!!
Kasey says
I love this recipe! We are trying to eat vegetarian every other day. This meal is filling and satisfying. I didn’t roast the tomatoes, I was too lazy, but it turned out perfect. I might sprinkle bread crumbs on top next time I make it, for a crispy top crust.
Joy Shull says
So glad you enjoyed the recipe!
Karyn says
How can I make half of this recipe? I believe this will be too much!!! Looking at serving 5 people
Joy Shull says
You can just cut the quantities in half, or save leftovers for later. I personally love having some leftover for the next day!
Darla says
Made this today very good with great flavor!
Joy Shull says
So glad you enjoyed the recipe!
Barbara says
When do you use the tomatoes?
Joy Shull says
You stir them into the other veggies when mixed with the sauce. I have updated the recipe to include this. My apologies for the oversight!
Bethany says
I love pasta! This looks so delicious!
Joy Shull says
Thanks Bethany!
Jess says
Such a great recipe! I always find I need to make some sort of veggie side when I make pasta to get in some vegetables. Love how they are incorporated into this recipe!
Joy Shull says
Thanks Jess!