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.
Please note, not all cheese is vegetarian. If the ingredient label says “vegetarian enzyme or vegetarian rennet” or “microbial enzyme “ then it is truly vegetarian.
I made this tonight for dinner. Kindof spur of the moment. We actually wanted to make a meat baked rigatoni but realized we didi not have the sausage it called for. So we switched to vege rigatoni bake and found your recipe. We used the 1/3 of a pound of ground beef that we had plus onion, tons of crimini mushrooms and red bell pepper. Mixed that with the Rao‘s marinara. We had all the cheese and put that together. This was outstanding and just what we wanted. Next time I will make it fully vegetarian. Thank you for sharing your recipe.
I’ve made this several times. I usually add Italian sausage cause my family likes meat. I’ve found I don’t usually combine the entire package of rigatoni cause I don’t seem to have enough sauce. If I were to add an additional can of diced tomatoes or tomato sauce, it might stretch the sauce just enough. I also roast other veggies with the tomatoes: broccoli, carrots or whatever is on hand. It’s a family favorite. Thanks.
I’d love to make this for a friend, as my family loves it! But she is currently only consuming dairy free meals. Do you think I could skip the cheese in this dish?
I have not tried it myself, but I think you could. I would offer her a dairy free cheese substitute to top it with when she eats it so she has the option!
I made this last night and it was absolutely wonderful! Everybody loved it and it is very rare that I find something that pleases everyone. I followed the recipe almost exactly, I had some carrots that needed to be used so I diced one up and added it in with the veggies. I do use jarred minced garlic as a time saver and I only had the equivalent of 4.5 cloves left, but for us this was just the right amount. For the jarred pasta sauce, I used Ragu, I think Garden Vegetables or something like that.
Please note, not all cheese is vegetarian. If the ingredient label says “vegetarian enzyme or vegetarian rennet” or “microbial enzyme “ then it is truly vegetarian.
Made this for Meatless Monday and it was delish!!! Used whole wheat penne and a 28 oz bottle of Rao’s. Thanks for the recipe.
This is one of the best things I have ever tasted. My Italian, meat-loving husband gave it an A+.
Love to hear it! So glad you enjoyed the recipe 🙂
Can I use frozen veggie?
No, it will not taste the same
I made this tonight for dinner. Kindof spur of the moment. We actually wanted to make a meat baked rigatoni but realized we didi not have the sausage it called for. So we switched to vege rigatoni bake and found your recipe. We used the 1/3 of a pound of ground beef that we had plus onion, tons of crimini mushrooms and red bell pepper. Mixed that with the Rao‘s marinara. We had all the cheese and put that together. This was outstanding and just what we wanted. Next time I will make it fully vegetarian. Thank you for sharing your recipe.
I am so glad you enjoyed the recipe! Thank you for the lovely review 🙂
I’ve made this several times. I usually add Italian sausage cause my family likes meat. I’ve found I don’t usually combine the entire package of rigatoni cause I don’t seem to have enough sauce. If I were to add an additional can of diced tomatoes or tomato sauce, it might stretch the sauce just enough. I also roast other veggies with the tomatoes: broccoli, carrots or whatever is on hand. It’s a family favorite. Thanks.
So glad your family enjoys the recipe!
I’d love to make this for a friend, as my family loves it! But she is currently only consuming dairy free meals. Do you think I could skip the cheese in this dish?
I have not tried it myself, but I think you could. I would offer her a dairy free cheese substitute to top it with when she eats it so she has the option!
I made this last night and it was absolutely wonderful! Everybody loved it and it is very rare that I find something that pleases everyone. I followed the recipe almost exactly, I had some carrots that needed to be used so I diced one up and added it in with the veggies. I do use jarred minced garlic as a time saver and I only had the equivalent of 4.5 cloves left, but for us this was just the right amount. For the jarred pasta sauce, I used Ragu, I think Garden Vegetables or something like that.
Thank you so much for this recipe!
So happy you enjoyed the recipe, thanks for sharing!!
Can I use fusilli noodles or bow tie noodles
Yes
Can I bake this instead of stovetop? If so, how long at what temp?