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!
This veggie packed rigatoni recipe is a family favorite!
This veggie lover’s baked rigatoni has been a reader favorite over the years and is the best vegetable pasta bake. It’s been made by thousands of readers and become a family favorite pasta recipe.
Packed full of tons of fresh veggies, hearty rigatoni pasta, and topped with the perfect mixture of mozzarella and parmesan cheese. Read the reviews and you will be convinced!
As a vegetarian, I’ve eaten quite a bit of pasta in my day, but this is one of the best I’ve ever eaten!
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! A true veggie lover’s perfect pasta recipe.
How to make veggie lover’s baked rigatoni
Step 1: Toss the cherry tomatoes with the olive oil and place them in an even layer on a baking sheet. Roast the tomatoes at 400 degrees for 15 minutes, or until they start to wilt and burst. This brings out such a lovely flavor in the tomatoes!
Step 2: Cook your rigatoni according to instructions and set aside. While the rigatoni is cooking, start cooking your vegetables. In a large skillet, combine the onions, mushrooms, bell pepper, zucchini, garlic, dried basil, salt, pepper, and 1 tablespoon of olive oil.
Step 3: Sautee the vegetables on medium high heat for 12-15 minutes, or until the liquid is released and vegetables have started to cook down. Add the spinach and wilt for several minutes, continuing to stir.
Step 4: Add the pasta sauce and stir to combine it with the vegetables. We like to use Raos brand for the best flavor.
Step 5: Add the cooked tomatoes to the sauce with the other veggies and stir. Mix the mozzarella and parmesan cheeses together in a bowl. Add 1 cup of the cheese mixture to the veggie pasta sauce and stir it up.
Step 6: Combine the cooked rigatoni noodles with the veggie pasta sauce and transfer the mixture to a greased 13 by 9 baking dish.
Step 7: Top the pasta with the remaining parmesan and mozzarella cheese, then bake until cheese is bubbly and beginning to brown. Serve and enjoy!
I love the texture and firmness of rigatoni, and it doesn’t get soggy quickly when baking, making it perfect for this pasta bake. Beautifully symmetrical pasta with tons of veggies and crispy pieces of cheese on top.
Freaking delish! We are new to the world of veggies but this dish here let’s me know what we’ve been missing! I followed the directions and it came out perfect!
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!
If you want it more browned on top, simply broil the pasta for the last 1-3 minutes, watching closely.
I love this recipe! We are trying to eat vegetarian every other day. This meal is filling and satisfying. – Kasey
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! You can’t go wrong with this delicious rigatoni recipe.
This is so good. I make it about 2x a month. I don’t even take time to bake it. I just eat it straight from the skillet ! Easy 30 minute weeknight meal.
The first time I made this I followed the recipe as written. It was delicious!
Next time I make it I’m going to add Italian sausage because my husband likes meat dishes. I think sausage will be a good addition!
I made this for a meal train for some new parents. It made more than what I needed for a 9×13 pan. I would use less pasta, I used 400g but would put less in next time. I had a small zucchini but it should really be a medium as the recipe suggests. I think it could use a bit of Italian seasoning. It was delicious as there was enough to make a small casserole dish as there was more than enough for the 9×13 pan. I would used regular button mushrooms instead of the portobello as they were expensive. I used a whole head of garlic, about 12 cloves. I would recommend this it is very hearty and was good for a cold winters night.
Such delicious flavors! I did make a few changes . I didn’t have cherry tomatoes so I guessed the amounts & roasted roma tomatoes and roasted garlic. I reduced the pasta amount to 10 ounces per other comments. I used 3 tsp dried Italian seasoning instead of the basil and I added a 1/4 tsp of red pepper flakes.
I made this ahead and refrigerated it. I cooked it at 350 for 45 minutes. My husband and I both give it 5 stars !!
This was really tasty and filling! I left out the peppers and replaced them with chopped asparagus. Cut back on the garlic by two cloves. Used a Vodka Cream sauce and wow! My husband loved it. Will make again for sure!
This is genuinely the best rigatoni I’ve ever had in my life and I constantly go back to this whenever it’s cold outside or whenever I’m craving a hearty meal. Thanks for sharing such an amazing recipe!
Oh my goodness I’ve had this pin saved for a long time and finally made this pasta bake tonight and it was SO worth the wait! So so easy to make and my daughter loved it too, definitely going to make this again and again!
This is so good. I make it about 2x a month. I don’t even take time to bake it. I just eat it straight from the skillet ! Easy 30 minute weeknight meal.
The first time I made this I followed the recipe as written. It was delicious!
Next time I make it I’m going to add Italian sausage because my husband likes meat dishes. I think sausage will be a good addition!
I made this for a vegetarian meal… it was fabulous! I will definitely make it again. I made add some chicken breast. So, so delicious!
This was absolutely delicious!!!!! Thank you for sharing! I followed the recipe, except that I didn’t have a pepper! I will make this again & again!
I made this for a meal train for some new parents. It made more than what I needed for a 9×13 pan. I would use less pasta, I used 400g but would put less in next time. I had a small zucchini but it should really be a medium as the recipe suggests. I think it could use a bit of Italian seasoning. It was delicious as there was enough to make a small casserole dish as there was more than enough for the 9×13 pan. I would used regular button mushrooms instead of the portobello as they were expensive. I used a whole head of garlic, about 12 cloves. I would recommend this it is very hearty and was good for a cold winters night.
Such delicious flavors! I did make a few changes . I didn’t have cherry tomatoes so I guessed the amounts & roasted roma tomatoes and roasted garlic. I reduced the pasta amount to 10 ounces per other comments. I used 3 tsp dried Italian seasoning instead of the basil and I added a 1/4 tsp of red pepper flakes.
I made this ahead and refrigerated it. I cooked it at 350 for 45 minutes. My husband and I both give it 5 stars !!
This was really tasty and filling! I left out the peppers and replaced them with chopped asparagus. Cut back on the garlic by two cloves. Used a Vodka Cream sauce and wow! My husband loved it. Will make again for sure!
This is genuinely the best rigatoni I’ve ever had in my life and I constantly go back to this whenever it’s cold outside or whenever I’m craving a hearty meal. Thanks for sharing such an amazing recipe!
Oh my goodness I’ve had this pin saved for a long time and finally made this pasta bake tonight and it was SO worth the wait! So so easy to make and my daughter loved it too, definitely going to make this again and again!
Can I substitute the pasta sauce for rosé sauce