Cheesy Rotini Pasta with Roasted Vegetables

Twisted rotini pasta noodles tangled with three melted cheeses, rich marinara, and perfectly roasted vegetables. An easy & healthy pasta dish the whole family will love!

white bowl with rotini pasta and roasted vegetables on gray background.

If you love indulging in a cheesy pasta dish without feeling weighed down by heavy creams, you will love every bite of this meal. So much flavor and nutritious ingredients are tangled in these twisted rotini noodles!

The noodles are mixed with a sauce of three different kinds of cheese, rich marinara, and a touch of fresh herbs for freshness! Paired on the side are perfectly roasted vegetables that can be customized to whatever you have on hand.

You can also use regular noodles or make the dish healthier and gluten-free friendly by using chickpea pasta noodles! So so yummy and nutritious.

About Rotini Noodles

Rotini means “twists”, which explains these corkscrew-shaped noodles quite well!

These fun twisty noodles are my top choice to use in dishes that have lots of sauce or cheese. Because the twists of the noodles hold onto the sauce rather than sliding off the edges if it were a smoothly shaped pasta noodle.

Another noodle that is similar in shape and can be a great substitute for rotini is fusilli pasta.

dry rotini pasta noodles arranged on gray background.

Ingredients You Need

You’ll need just a handful of pantry items and fresh produce to make this recipe. Here’s what you need: rotini noodles, marinara sauce, cheddar cheese (white or yellow), mozzarella, parmesan, fresh basil, fresh oregano, zucchini (yellow and green), eggplant, cherry tomatoes, and broccoli.

ingredients for rotini pasta and vegetables arranged on dark gray background.

How to Make Rotini Pasta with Roasted Vegetables – Step by Step

Preheat oven to 400F. Toss chopped vegetables in oil with salt and minced garlic. Roast for 20-30 minutes, flipping halfway through.

Bring a pot of water to a boil and cook pasta as the box instructs. Drain pasta and reserve 1 cup of pasta water in a small pot or liquid measuring cup (make sure to use a vessel that can handle hot liquids).

Add half of the pasta water back in with pasta, add mozzarella, cheddar cheese, marinara, and fresh herbs. Mix together – the consistency should be a creamy/cheesy sauce. Adjust pasta water or add more cheese if needed.

Season with salt & pepper if needed, then serve pasta with roasted vegetables and fresh parmesan cheese over top.

cheesy rotini pasta noodles being mixed together in pot.

How to Make Pasta Noodles Taste Amazing

Salt the Pasta Water: This is key for great-tasting pasta. Using a generous amount of salt in your pasta water will instantly draw out flavor from the noodles.

Cheese that melts: For this recipe, I recommend three different cheese variations – white or yellow cheddar cheese, a little mozzarella, and freshly grated parmesan for flavor!

Herbs: Seasoning your pasta with fresh herbs is an easy way to elevate the flavor. Add generous amounts of chopped basil and even fresh oregano if you have it on hand.

Quality marinara: whenever serving pasta it’s important to have a flavorful red sauce to go with it! I don’t recommend canned tomatoes because they will be quite bland and fall flat in flavor. We love using either homemade San Marzano Tomato Sauce or our favorite store-bought pasta sauce.

hand holding fork in white bowl of rotini pasta noodles and roasted vegetables.

Extra Tips for Success

  • Make it gluten-free: If you’d like to lighten up your pasta dish, I love using chickpea or lentil pasta noodles. They are not only gluten-free and made completely from veggies, but are also an excellent source of plant-based protein.
  • Different veggies to use: Adjust the vegetables to your liking. Add extra veggies such as mushrooms, brussels sprouts, cauliflower, and red peppers.
  • Storing leftover tips: Keep leftover pasta stored in an airtight container for 2-3 days – reheat in the microwave or in a pan on the stovetop with a little bit of oil.

Other Delicious Pasta Recipes To Enjoy

white bowl with rotini pasta noodles and roasted vegetables in it on gray background with shredded cheese and red pepper flakes arranged around it.

If you tried this Cheesy Rotini Pasta with Roasted Vegetables recipe or any other recipe, don’t forget to rate the recipe and let me know what you think. I love hearing from you! You can also follow me on PINTEREST, INSTAGRAM, and FACEBOOK for more crave-worthy content.

white bowl with rotini pasta and roasted vegetables on gray background.

Cheesy Rotini Pasta with Roasted Vegetables

4.56 from 9 votes

Twisted rotini pasta noodles tangled with three melted cheeses, rich marinara, and paired with perfectly roasted vegetables. An easy & healthy pasta dish the whole family will love!

Servings 4
Prep Time: 10 mins
Cook Time: 30 mins
Total Time: 40 mins

Course: Main Course
Cuisine: American, Italian
Tags: healthy rotini pasta, how to make rotini pasta, rotini pasta
Freezer Friendly: No
Calories: 483 kcal
Author: Bethany Kramer

Ingredients

  • 8 oz rotini pasta
  • 1/2 – 1 cup reserved pasta water
  • 1 – 1 1/2 cups white or yellow cheddar cheese, shredded
  • 1/3 cup mozzarella, shredded
  • 1/4 cup fresh parmesan cheese
  • 1 1/2 cups marinara sauce
  • 1 teaspoon sea salt
  • 1/4 teaspoon black pepper
  • 3 Tablespoon fresh basil, chopped
  • 1 teaspoon fresh oregano, chopped

Roasted Vegetables

  • 2 Tablespoon olive oil
  • 1-2 garlic cloves, minced (or 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder)
  • 2 cups broccoli florets
  • 2-3 medium zucchinis (yellow and green), cut into quarter pieces
  • 1 small to medium eggplant, cubed
  • 1 cup cherry tomatoes
  • salt & black pepper

Instructions

  1. Roasted veggies: Preheat oven to 400F – arrange chopped vegetables out on a sheet pan. Toss with oil, minced garlic, and pinch of salt & pepper. Roast for 25-30 minutes, flip halfway through.

  2. Cook pasta noodles: bring medium to large pot of water to a boil water with 1 teaspoon of salt. Cook pasta as box instructs, I prefer noodles to be "al dente" in texture.

  3. Reserve pasta water: When pasta is cooked, pour about 1 cup of pasta water in a separate pot or liquid measuring cup (or another vessel that can handle heat). Set pasta water aside and strain noodles. 

  4. Mix in cheese & sauce: Add pasta back to pot with cheddar cheese, mozzarella, and pasta water. Balance consistency to desired level of cheesiness by adding more cheese or pasta water if needed. Note: turn heat on low if needed to help ingredients melt together.

  5. Add herbs & fresh parmesan: Then add fresh basil, fresh oregano, and tomato sauce to pasta. Serve noodles with roasted vegetables over top with fresh parmesan cheese, additional fresh basil, and cracked black pepper.

Notes

  • Make it gluten-free: If you’d like to lighten up your pasta dish, I love using chickpea or lentil pasta noodles. They are not only gluten-free and made completely from veggies, but are also an excellent source of plant-based protein.
  • Different veggies to use: Adjust the vegetables to your liking. Add extra veggies such as mushrooms, brussels sprouts, cauliflower, and red peppers.
  • Storing leftover tips: Keep leftover pasta stored in an airtight container for 2-3 days – reheat in the microwave or in a pan on the stovetop with a little bit of oil.
Nutrition Facts
Cheesy Rotini Pasta with Roasted Vegetables
Amount Per Serving
Calories 483 Calories from Fat 234
% Daily Value*
Fat 26g40%
Cholesterol 44.9mg15%
Sodium 635.9mg26%
Carbohydrates 36.5g12%
Sugar 7.5g8%
Protein 30.9g62%
Vitamin A 450IU9%
Vitamin C 31.4mg38%
* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2000 calorie diet.
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Bethany Kramer

Bethany Kramer is the cook and photographer behind A Simple Palate. She found a deep love for food and nutrition after learning to cook from her mom at eight years old. Since then she’s been developing and sharing recipes from her own kitchen that are bold in flavor and nourishing to the body!

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Recipe Rating




21 Comments

  • Avatar for Leana Leana says:

    5 stars
    So good!!!

  • Avatar for Sophia Sophia says:

    5 stars
    This was awesome!!!

  • Avatar for Carol Carol says:

    Definitely liked the pasta with vegetables, and I like knowing that I can try a different veg combo. I didn’t love the broccoli, but I’m not sure how cut green beans would do. Can you suggest other veggies (green or otherwise) that might work?

    • Avatar for Bethany Bethany says:

      I’m glad you enjoyed it, Carol! If you aren’t a fan of broccoli and want something green, try asparagus. It’s great with pasta! 🙂 You can also try cauliflower too.

    • Avatar for Grace Grace says:

      5 stars
      We did Cauliflower, Carrot, Garlic, Leek, Eggplant, Tomato, and one lone turnip. We also added Kale to the marinara (not roasted) but spinach or Kale would be a great choice if you wanted something green.

    • Avatar for Bethany Bethany says:

      Love the combo of veggies! Thanks for sharing, Grace! 🙂

  • Avatar for Victor Segovia Victor Segovia says:

    5 stars
    My family loved this recipe… will make again I just did not like the cherry tomatoes

  • Avatar for Jamie Jamie says:

    5 stars
    This pasta is amazing! It’s super decadent and creamy but I don’t feel like I’ve swallowed a brick after eating it. My whole family loves this pasta, even the picky ones! Thanks so much for the great recipe!

    • Haha thank you so much Jamie! I’m so happy to hear it:)

    • Avatar for Amanda Williams Amanda Williams says:

      1 star
      This recipe was a totally dud. How was the cheese supposed to melt creamy? Mine clumped up and was a stingy ball of cheese. I followed the recipe as written. I’m frustrated that I wasted all of that time, money, and food on this.

    • Avatar for Bethany Bethany says:

      Hi Amanda, I’m so sorry to hear that. Usually, if there is remaining pasta water (that’s hot in the pot) and it mixes with the cheese – especially cheddar and mozzarella – it should melt properly. Though not all cheese is created equal so a part of that could come into play. I’m so sorry it didn’t work out! That bums me out just as much.

  • Avatar for Erika Bennett Erika Bennett says:

    5 stars
    Very delicious and nutritious. I never roasted veggies or anything, I’m new to this cooking. I’m so glad I made this recipe! And my toddler loves it too!

  • Avatar for Jen Jen says:

    Is the “tomato sauce” supposed to be plain tomato out of a can or is it pasta sauce?

    • I recommend pasta sauce!

    • Avatar for Lillian Lillian says:

      5 stars
      Wow! My family all loved this recipe! To me it tastes like an Italian style Mac and cheese with delicious roasted vegetables. I didn’t have yellow zucchini so I substituted it with yellow peppers also no cherries tomatoes so I used diced carrots and added sweet onions. Otherwise everything else was the same turning out to be a great combination of pasta and vegetables

    • Thank you, Lillian! I’m so happy to hear it was so enjoyed 🙂

  • Avatar for barb maher barb maher says:

    5 stars
    this was delicious! with the roasted veggies – great meatless dinner 🙂