Vegan Cheesy Pasta Bake
Weeknight comfort food doesn’t get much better than this cheesy vegan pasta bake. It’s rich, saucy, and packed with veggies. Plus, it comes together in just 40 minutes. Gotta love that!
Craving something warm, cheesy, and saucy. Me too! And this vegan cheesy pasta bake hits the mark. Pasta used to be my absolute favourite thing to eat. I’ve drifted away from it a bit in recent years, but, when I need a little dose of Italian-style comfort, it’s my go-to. I love this pasta bake because it’s a complete meal that comes together really easily in just about 40 minutes, 20 of which is passive baking time. So it’s ideal for busy days when you don’t want to make multiple dishes.
Loaded with sautéed mushrooms, sundried tomatoes, wilted spinach, and the perfect amount of gooey, melty vegan cheese, it’s a meal the whole family will love. So get yourself to the kitchen!
Why This Vegan Cheesy Pasta Bake Needs a Spot at Your Table
Looking for a quick and easy vegan-friendly pasta dish to whip up for the fam? This pasta bake is for you. Here’s why:
- My cheesy vegan pasta bake has everything you need for a complete meal. It’s got veggies, carbs, and protein. So, while you can serve it with a green salad or another side dish of your choosing, it’s not necessary.
- All you need to make this recipe is a sauté pan and a baking pan (and a stove/oven, of course), so cleanup is a breeze, making it ideal for those evenings when you don’t feel like slaving over the dishes.
- This is a great baseline recipe you can easily make your own. Whether it’s swapping out the tomato-based sauce for something different or adding some soy curl “chicken”, there’s a lot you can do. See the section below titled “Easy Variations” for inspiration.
Notes on Ingredients
Alright, time to gather your ingredients. Here’s what you’ll need (please see the recipe card below for precise measurements):
- Rigatoni – Rigatoni is my top pick for this dish, but something like penne or ziti (or really any short pasta shape) would also work. Gluten-free? Swap it out for your favourite GF pasta.
- Cooking oil – You can use any cooking oil with a high smoke point (refined coconut oil, avocado oil, safflower oil, etc.)
- Sliced shiitake mushrooms – Can’t find shitakes? Cremini mushrooms or oyster mushrooms will work just fine. Wipe them off gently with a clean, damp towel to clean them thoroughly.
- Sun-dried tomatoes – Get the ones packed in oil. Drain the oil before adding them to the pan.
- Garlic – Minced finely for even flavour distribution.
- Spinach – I prefer fresh spinach, but you could use thawed, well-drained frozen spinach. Use a paper towel to pat it dry before adding it to the pan. Fresh Tuscan kale would also work. It’ll just take a bit longer to cook down.
- Seasonings – Sea salt (or table salt, about half as much), ground black pepper, dried oregano, chopped fresh basil. Dried basil will work in a pinch.
- Vegan mozzarella – You can find this in most grocery stores near the tofu and vegan products.
- Roasted tomatoes – Or marinara sauce. If you’d like to whip up a batch of my Pomodoro Sauce, go for it.
- Vegan Parmesan cheese – Store-bought or homemade.
How to Make This Vegan Pasta Bake
Time to get cooking! Here’s a quick look at how to make this easy, cheesy pasta bake. For more detailed instructions, see the recipe card below.
- Cook the pasta. Cook pasta according to package directions. Make sure to salt the pasta water!
- Prep. Lightly grease a 13” x 9” (33 x 23cm) pan and preheat the oven to 400°F (200°C).
- Sauté. Heat the oil in a pan over medium-high heat. Sauté the mushrooms, sun-dried tomatoes, and garlic for 5 minutes.
- Wilt. Add in the spinach, season with salt and pepper, and sauté for 3 minutes.
- Built the sauce. Stir in the tomatoes (or sauce), dried oregano, and basil.
- Assemble. Add the cooked rigatoni to the prepared pan and stir in the sauce and ½ cup (56g) vegan mozzarella.
- Bake. Top with the remaining vegan mozzarella and vegan parmesan and bake for 15–20 minutes, top with chopped fresh basil, and serve warm.
Tips for the Best Pasta Bake
Before you dive in, have a look at these tips and tricks:
- Salt the pasta water. Add a generous pinch or two of salt to the pasta water before adding the pasta. This will help ensure the rigatoni themselves don’t come out bland.
- Make it al dente. Cook the pasta just until al dente. If it is overcooked, it will turn mushy in the oven.
- Don’t crowd the pan. When browning the mushrooms with the sun-dried tomatoes and garlic, don’t crowd the pan. The mushrooms won’t brown properly, and they may turn out rubbery. If you only have a smaller sauté pan, sauté the veggies in batches.
- Even distribution. When adding the sauce and vegan cheese to the pasta, be sure to evenly distribute them across all of the noodles. Then stir it well so each rigatoni is coated in sauce and surrounded by cheese.
- Broil if you’d like. If the cheese doesn’t bubble up/brown quite to your liking, you can throw the pasta bake under the broiler for 1-2 minutes when the cook time is up. Just keep a close eye on it to ensure it doesn’t burn.
- Rest. If you have the patience, let the finished dish sit for 5-10 minutes before serving. This will give it the chance to settle a bit for easier, cleaner scooping.
Easy Variations
I love that this recipe is so easy to adjust to your taste preferences. Here are a few fun ways to switch things up:
- Pesto swap. Instead of tomatoes/tomato sauce, consider vegan basil pesto. I would stir the sautéed veggies into the pasta and then stir in the pesto, rather than adding the pesto to the pan.
- Veggie alternatives. Feel free to get creative with the veggies here. Sliced/diced zucchini would be neat. So would cubed eggplant or diced red bell pepper. Just pop ’em in with the mushrooms and sauté until softened. Be careful not to crowd the pan.
- Make it creamy. Stir some vegan ricotta or vegan heavy cream into the sauce before stirring the sauce into the pasta.
- Protein addition. The vegan parmesan and mozzarella contribute some protein, but if you’d like to add more, go for it. Chopped soy curl “chicken” would do well. So would cooked tempeh or your favourite vegan Italian sausage.
How to Store and Reheat Leftovers
- Refrigerator: Once the pasta bake has cooled completely, seal the leftovers in an airtight container or cover the baking dish tightly with plastic wrap. Store it in the fridge for up to 4 days.
- Freezer: Seal the fully cooled leftovers in a freezer-safe airtight container (or cover tightly with a double layer of plastic wrap). It’ll keep in the freezer for up to 3 months. Allow it to thaw in the fridge before reheating.
- To reheat: Transfer the leftover pasta bake to a baking dish (or remove the plastic wrap) and cover with aluminium foil. Bake at 350°F (175°C) for 10 minutes ot until heated through. If you prefer, you can microwave individual portions in 30-second intervals, stirring between each, until warm.
More Baked Pasta Recipes
I’ve got a few other pasta bake recipes just begging for you to try them. Here they come:
Enjoy friends! If you make this vegan cheesy pasta bake, please snap a photo and tag #jessicainthekitchen on Instagram! We’d also love it if you would leave a comment below, and give the recipe a rating! Thanks so much!
Vegan Cheese Pasta Bake
Ingredients
- 1 lb rigatoni, 454g
- 2 tablespoons oil, 30ml – any high heat oil like algae oil, refined coconut oil, avocado oil, safflower oil
- 10 ounces sliced shiitake mushrooms, cleaned, 283g
- 2 tablespoons Sun-dried tomatoes, 17g
- 5 cloves garlic, minced
- 5 cups spinach, 150g
- ¾ teaspoon sea salt, 4g
- ¼ teaspoon ground black pepper, 0.5g
- 2 teaspoons dried oregano, 2g
- 3 tablespoons chopped fresh basil, 8g
- 8 ounces vegan mozzarella, 227g
- 42 ounces canned or jarred roasted tomatoes (one 28 ounce can/jar and one 14-ounce can/jar), or marinara sauce, 1,191g total
- 2 tablespoons vegan Parmesan cheese, 10g
- more chopped fresh basil, for garnish
Instructions
- Cook pasta according to package directions in a pot of salted water.
- Lightly grease a 13” x 9” (33 x 23cm) pan with Thrive Algae Oil, and set aside. Preheat the oven to 400°F (200°C).
- In a pan over medium high heat, add the Thrive Algae Oil. Add the mushrooms, sun-dried tomatoes and garlic and sauté down for about 5 minutes, until mushrooms are slightly shrived.
- Add in the spinach and season with sea salt and black pepper. Sauté down for about 3 minutes, until spinach is wilted. Add the tomatoes (or sauce), dried oregano and basil. Stir to combine.
- Add the cooked rigatoni to the prepared pan, then ladle the sauce iver the top. Stir to combine.
- Add ½ cup (56g) of your vegan mozzarella throughout the dish and stir to combine again. Then top with remaining vegan mozzarella and vegan parmesan.
- Bake in the preheated oven for 15-20 minutes so everything comes together beautiful and the cheese melts. Top with more basil and serve and enjoy!
Notes
- Salt the pasta water. A generous pinch or two will do it. So the pasta itself doesn’t turn out bland.
- Don’t crowd the pan. When browning the mushrooms with the sun-dried tomatoes and garlic, don’t crowd the pan. The mushrooms won’t brown properly.
- Even distribution. Be sure to evenly distribute the sauce and cheeses across the pasta before stirring it in/baking.
- Rest. Let your pasta bake sit for 5-10 minutes before serving for easier, cleaner scooping.
- Storage. Store leftovers in an airtight container (or cover with plastic wrap). They’ll keep in the fridge for up to 4 days or in the freezer for up to 3 months. Thaw in the fridge before reheating (covered) in the oven for 10 minutes, or in the microwave.
Disclaimer: Although jessicainthekitchen.com attempts to provide accurate nutritional information, kindly note that these are only estimates. Nutritional information may be affected based on the product type, the brand that was purchased, and in other unforeseeable ways. Jessicainthekitchen.com will not be held liable for any loss or damage resulting for your reliance on nutritional information. If you need to follow a specific caloric regimen, please consult your doctor first.
I don’t see any kale listed in your ingredients list. However in the instructions it calls for sauteing the spinach and kale. Please confirm which is right. Thanks.
Sorry – no kale! I had originally planned to add it in that’s why. Thank you! I hope you enjoy!!
Love this recipe. I really wowed my girlfriend with this. Thanks!
I’m SO happy to hear that Anthony!!
I love algae oil. I’m trying to get my family members and friends to use it too
Hi Shaye,
Me too! I’m so happy to hear that – and thanks for spreading the Thrive Algae Oil love!!!
In the ingredients you mention 28-oz roasted tomatoes or marinara sauce, then 14-oz of the same. Was this just a typo ? Also, can “fire-roasted tomato sauce be used, like Rotel?
Hi Denise. It isn’t a typo at all both cans are needed for the recipe, also yes you can use fire roasted tomato sauce. I hope this helps!
What brand of vegan cheeses did you use? They melted nicely!
Thank You, we love it!
Awesome! Thank you so much Mrs. Fawcett.
Such a scrumptious dish! Thank you so much for sharing it, I see this will become our household regular 🙂
Aww yay! Thanks for reading Marija!
Think your dishes look lovely. Do you have a cookbook relating to these recipes?
Debbie
Hi Debbie! Thank you for reading! you can find the Jessica in the Kitchen Cookbook in the shop by following this link: https://jessicainthekitchen.com/shop/
This looks really good. What kind of mozarella and parmesan did you use?
Hi Candice,
Thank you so much! I used a mix of Follow your Heart Mozzarella and Miyokos mozzarella, and Vioife parmesan cheese!
Curious what vegan cheese brands you used!
Hi Leatha! Thanks so much for reading. We used a mix of Follow your Heart Mozzarella and Miyokos mozzarella, and Vioife parmesan cheese. I hope this helps!