Vegan Pasta Bake with Hidden Veggies

A baked rigatoni pasta recipe made with hidden veggies, plant-based protein, and vegan cheese.

Course Main Course

Cuisine American, Italian, vegan

Keyword hidden veggie rigatoni, vegan pasta bake, vegan rigatoni

Prep Time 20

Cook Time 1

Total Time 1 20

Servings

Calories 368kcal

1 tablespoon olive oil
1 medium onion diced
1 medium green bell pepper chopped small
1 medium zucchini chopped small
1 medium carrot chopped small
1 cup mushrooms chopped small
1 10oz package vegan beef crumbles (like beyond crumbles or burgers) or 4 vegan sausage links chopped
2 (24 oz) jars tomato sauce
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 tablespoon Italian seasoning
1 tablespoon sugar (optional)

Preheat your oven to 375° F (190° C). Then start boiling the rigatoni in salted water until it is al dente (soft, but still very firm) then drain and rinse with cold water.
While the pasta is cooking, chop up the veggies of your choice into very small pieces. (A food processor works great for this. Just wash the veggies and toss them in. Pulse a few times until everything is finely chopped). (You can use whatever veggies that you have on hand, but about 3-4 cups of chopped vegetables work well.)
Add a little oil to the bottom of a large skillet and sauté diced onions for about 3-5 minutes until they become translucent.
Add the chopped veggies and sauté over medium-low heat for about 5 more minutes until they are soft.
Put in the package of vegan beef crumbles (or 3 veggie burgers or vegan sausage, chopped into small pieces) and cook over medium-high heat for an additional 5 minutes.
Pour in 2 jars of marinara sauce, 1 cup starchy pasta water (from cooking noodles), 1 tsp of salt, 1 tbsp Italian seasoning, and a sprinkle of sugar (if needed), and let simmer on the lowest setting.
Add the drained, cooked pasta to the sauce and stir well until combined.

Pour half of the sauce and noodles into the bottom of a 9 X 13-inch casserole dish.
Add a layer of vegan mozzarella cheese (about 1 1/2 cups), then pour the remaining noodles and sauce over that layer of cheese.
Top your rigatoni with an additional 1 1/2 cups of vegan mozzarella cheese or a batch of vegan bechamel sauce.

Bake at 375° F (190° C) covered with foil for 45 minutes, then take the foil off and bake for another 15-20 minutes until bubbly and slightly browned on top.
Let it cool for about 10 minutes to firm up a little before spooning the baked rigatoni onto a plate.

If using vegan cheese, be sure to cover the rigatoni with foil for the first 45 minutes of baking to help the cheese melt.

Serve your vegan rigatoni with a vegan Ceasar salad, broccoli salad, or Greek salad for a complete meal.

I love to serve this with my vegan focaccia, simple no-knead baguettes, or my easy vegan olive bread too.