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Home » Course » Dinner » Vegetable Pasta Bake

Published: Aug 27, 2022 by Veronika's Kitchen * This post may contain affiliate links

Vegetable Pasta Bake

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This is the best Vegetable Pasta Bake recipe, loaded with fresh veggies, like red bell pepper, zucchini, and spinach. It’s cooked together in a flavorful creamy blush sauce, topped with mozzarella cheese, and then baked to perfection until the flavors are melted together.

Pasta in tomato sauce with bell pepper, zucchini, spinach, and topped with cheese..

Why you will love this recipe

  • Easy to make. This is a great recipe that you can quickly put together. While the pasta is cooking, just prep all the veggies, and sauce. Then add pasta, top with cheese and bake all together till perfection!
  • Use your favorite veggies. While I use red bell pepper, zucchini, and spinach in this recipe, you can use pretty much any vegetables you love or have on hand.
  • Perfect for a crowd. This recipe makes a great casserole dish that will be perfect to serve for a big family gathering.
Pasta in tomato sauce with bell pepper, zucchini, spinach, and topped with cheese..

Ingredients and Substitution

  • Pasta. Rigatoni is one of my favorite pastas for a casserole dish. It cooks well without overcooking and getting mushy. If you don’t have it, you can use any pasta you have, as long as it’s not too small. My other favorites are fusilli, cavatappi, large shells, gemelli, penne, rotini, etc.
  • Vegetables. The beauty of this recipe is you can use any seasonal vegetables, like bell pepper, zucchini, yellow squash, cherry tomatoes, asparagus, sweet peas, corn, spinach, kale, Swiss chard, etc.
  • Tomato Sauce. While I usually use crushed tomatoes, you can substitute it with marinara sauce.
  • Cheese. I like to use shredded mozzarella, as it perfectly melts while baking. Sometimes, I also like to use a premade store-bought “pizza blend”.
Ingredients for vegetable pasta bake.

How to make it

Preheat the oven to 400F.

Boil a pot of water and cook the pasta according to the instructions until al dente. When done, drain and set aside.

While the pasta is cooking, preheat a skillet over medium heat. Add 1 tbsp olive oil and cored and diced red bell pepper. Cook for about 5-7 minutes or until the pepper is tender. Then add diced zucchini and cook for about 2 more minutes.

Process photos of cooking red bell pepper and zucchini in a skillet.

Then add 28 oz crushed tomatoes, and seasoning (½ tsp dried oregano, ½ tsp dried thyme, ½ tsp garlic powder, ½ tsp onion powder, ¼ tsp red pepper flakes, salt and pepper to taste). Stir everything in.

Add ⅓ cup heavy cream and stir again until well combined.

Process photos of adding tomato sauce, seasoning, and heavy cream to the cooked vegetables.

Bring it to boil, then reduce the heat to low and let it simmer for about 10 minutes.

Then stir in cooked pasta and spinach.

Process photos of adding cooked pasta and spinach to the tomato sauce.

Transfer everything to a 9×13-inch baking dish, top with 1 cup grated mozzarella cheese, and bake at 400F for about 15 minutes or until the cheese is melted and bubbling.

Pasta with vegetables, topped with cheese, before and after baking.

Tips for best results

  • Pasta. When boiling pasta, make sure to cook it only until al dente. Since we are going to bake it in the sauce later, it will continue to cook and absorb liquids.
  • Vegetables. Feel free to use your favorite seasonal vegetables in this dish. The recipe is very easy to customize and play around with different flavors.
Pasta in tomato sauce with bell pepper, zucchini, spinach, and topped with cheese..

Frequently Asked Questions

How to store?

You can refrigerate the leftovers in an air-tight container for about 3 days.

Can I make it ahead of time?

Yes! You can prep the whole vegetable pasta bake casserole, cover with plastic wrap or foil and refrigerate for 1-2 days. When ready to serve, just top it with the cheese and bake according to the instructions.

Pasta in tomato sauce with bell pepper, zucchini, spinach, and topped with cheese..

More Comfort Meal Recipes:

  • One Pot Lemon Chicken Orzo
  • Pea and Asparagus Risotto
  • Creamy Vegetable Pasta
  • Mozzarella Stuffed Chicken Breast
  • Creamy Tuscan Chicken Pasta
  • Baked Cheese Tortellini
  • Old Fashioned Goulash Recipe
  • Chicken Broccoli Ziti
  • White Bean Vegetable Stew
  • Tomato Chicken Pasta Bake
Pasta in tomato sauce with bell pepper, zucchini, spinach, and topped with cheese..
Print Recipe
5 from 8 votes

Vegetable Pasta Bake

This is the best Vegetable Pasta Bake recipe, loaded with fresh veggies, like red bell pepper, zucchini, and spinach. It’s cooked together in a flavorful creamy blush sauce, topped with mozzarella cheese, and then baked to perfection until the flavors are melted together.
Prep Time15 mins
Cook Time45 mins
Total Time1 hr
Course: Dinner, Main Course
Cuisine: American
Servings: 6 people
Calories: 357kcal
Author: Veronika’s Kitchen

Ingredients

  • 10 ounces dried pasta
  • 1 tablespoon olive oil
  • 1 red bell pepper cored, diced
  • 1 zucchini diced
  • 4 cups spinach
  • 28 ounces crushed tomatoes
  • salt, pepper to taste
  • ½ teaspoon dried oregano
  • ½ teaspoon dried thyme
  • ½ teaspoon onion powder
  • ½ teaspoon garlic powder
  • ¼ teaspoon red pepper flakes
  • ⅓ cup heavy cream
  • 1 cup mozzarella cheese grated

Instructions

  • Preheat the oven to 400F.
  • Boil a pot of water and cook the pasta according to the instructions until al dente. When done, drain and set aside.
  • While the pasta is cooking, preheat a skillet over medium heat. Add 1 tbsp olive oil and cored and diced red bell pepper. Cook for about 5-7 minutes or until the pepper is tender. Then add diced zucchini and cook for about 2 more minutes.
  • Then add 28 oz crushed tomatoes, and seasoning (½ tsp dried oregano, ½ tsp dried thyme, ½ tsp garlic powder, ½ tsp onion powder, ¼ tsp red pepper flakes, salt and pepper to taste). Stir everything in.
  • Add ⅓ cup heavy cream and stir again until well combined.
  • Bring it to boil, then reduce the heat to low and let it simmer for about 10 minutes.
  • Then stir in cooked pasta and spinach.
  • Transfer everything to a 9×13-inch baking dish, top with 1 cup grated mozzarella cheese, and bake at 400F for about 15 minutes or until the cheese is melted and bubbling.

Notes

  • Pasta. When boiling pasta, make sure to cook it only until al dente. Since after boiling, we are going to bake it in the sauce, it will continue to cook and absorb liquids.
  • Make ahead of time. You can prep the whole casserole, cover with plastic wrap or foil and refrigerate for 1-2 days. When ready to serve, just top it with the cheese and bake according to the instructions.
  • How to store? You can refrigerate the leftovers in an air-tight container for about 3 days.

Nutrition

Calories: 357kcal | Carbohydrates: 49g | Protein: 14g | Fat: 13g | Saturated Fat: 6g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 1g | Monounsaturated Fat: 4g | Cholesterol: 30mg | Sodium: 319mg | Potassium: 768mg | Fiber: 5g | Sugar: 9g | Vitamin A: 3197IU | Vitamin C: 49mg | Calcium: 190mg | Iron: 3mg
Did you make this recipe?I’d love to know how it turned out! Please let me know by leaving a review below. Or snap a photo and share it on Instagram; be sure to tag me @veronikaskitchen.

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Reader Interactions

Comments

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    Recipe Rating




  1. Ksenia says

    September 04, 2022 at 8:24 pm

    5 stars
    This was a great way to sneak in veggies into my pasta! It tasted incredible and the melted cheese was a great treat

    Reply
  2. Debbie says

    September 04, 2022 at 8:08 pm

    5 stars
    My family loved this Vegetable Pasta Bake , they didn’t even miss the meat. Such a great combination of flavors and textures. Thanks for a great recipe.

    Reply
  3. Adriana says

    September 04, 2022 at 3:40 pm

    5 stars
    My family enjoyed this scrumptious vegetable pasta bake. It is easy to make, and I made enough for leftovers. I don’t know what it is, but pasta casseroles taste best second day =)

    Reply
  4. Moop Brown says

    September 04, 2022 at 2:05 pm

    This pasta looks super tasty and I love how easy to make it is as well. Seems like a dish everyone will enjoy.

    Reply
  5. Megs says

    September 04, 2022 at 3:25 am

    5 stars
    I love how simple and tasty this dish is. Thanks for a great recipe.

    Reply
  6. Mikayla says

    September 03, 2022 at 4:56 pm

    5 stars
    Wow, this is sooo good! perfect for taking leftovers to work for lunch.

    Reply
  7. Enri Lemoine says

    September 02, 2022 at 3:44 pm

    5 stars
    I made your recipe, and it was so flavorful and clean. I will make it again next week, introducing some roasted butternut squash. Thanks for sharing.

    Reply
  8. Lauren Michael Harris says

    August 31, 2022 at 9:12 am

    5 stars
    What a great recipe for meatless Monday! I love vegetarian recipes and am always looking fr new ways to get my kids on board too – this pasta bake is a winner for sure!

    Reply
  9. Gloria says

    August 29, 2022 at 12:51 pm

    5 stars
    My family LOVES pasta. This will be next on my list for Friday night dinners with the grandkids. Love sneaking in those veggies.

    Reply

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