Baked Vegan Pasta
When it comes to comfort food, Italian is unstoppable, and this baked vegan pasta with roasted vegetables is no exception. I make this with whole wheat pasta, marinara sauce, and roasted zucchini. It is also topped with vegan cheese, which melts into a rich and velvety layer.
Servings: 8 servings
Calories: 350kcal
Equipment
Ingredients
- 3 bell peppers (yellow, orange or red) cored and cut into 1-inch wide strips
- 2 zucchini quartered lengthwise and cut into 1-inch cubes
- 2 summer squash quartered lengthwise and cut into 1-inch cubes
- 8 cremini mushrooms halved
- 1 yellow onion peeled and sliced into 1-inch strips
- 1½ Tbsp extra virgin olive oil
- 1 tsp salt divided
- 1 tsp ground black pepper divided
- 2 tbsp dried Italian seasoning
- ⅛ tsp crushed red pepper
- 1 pound whole wheat penne pasta
- 5 cups marinara sauce store bought or homemade
- 1½ cups frozen peas thawed
- 1-1½ cups vegan shredded cheese keep about 1/3 cup for the topping
Instructions
- Chop all the veggies and preheat your oven to 450 degrees
- On a baking sheet (or in a casserole dish/large pan), toss the peppers, zucchini, squash, mushrooms, and onions with olive oil, 1/2 teaspoon salt, 1/2 teaspoon pepper, and dried herbs. Roast until tender, about 15 minutes.
- Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil over high heat. Add the pasta and cook for about 6 minutes. Don't overcook your pasta! It will cook a second time in the oven, so you want to make sure the inside is still hard. Drain and set aside.
- Once the veggies are done, toss the drained pasta with the roasted vegetables, marinara sauce, cheeses, peas, 1/2 teaspoon salt, and 1/2 teaspoon pepper. If you used a large casserole dish/pan to roast the veggies in, you can just dump all of the additional ingredients (pasta etc.) into that pan to mix everything together (that's what I'd recommend!). Using a wooden spoon, gently mix, until all the pasta is coated with the sauce and the ingredients are combined.
- Top the pasta with the remaining cheese (about 1/3 cup).
- Bake until top is golden and cheese melts, about 25 minutes. Let sit 5-10 minutes before serving.
Notes
- My #1 Secret Tip for this vegan baked pasta with roasted vegetables recipe is to only cook the pasta partially before baking. I make sure my pasta is undercooked, as it continues cooking during the baking stage. This keeps it tender without becoming mushy.
- Spread vegetables out: When roasting the vegetables, I make sure they are spread in a leveled layer to ensure they roast and do not steam.
- Keep cuts uniform: I try to keep my vegetables in similar sizes so they cook at the same speed, and each bite has a bit of everything.
- Use a deep dish: For this recipe, I use a large casserole dish to allow the vegetables and pasta to mix and cook without spilling.
- Season both components: I make sure to season my vegetables and my pasta, so each layer is flavorful and balanced.
- Let it rest: Before serving, I give my baked pasta a chance to rest and set. This makes the flavors more intense and makes it easier to plate.
Nutrition
Calories: 350kcal | Carbohydrates: 59.9g | Protein: 16.1g | Fat: 8.5g | Sodium: 551.2mg | Fiber: 10g | Sugar: 10.6g