Three Cheese Baked Rigatoni with Roasted Vegetables

Pink ceramic bowl with rigatoni pasta in it on wooden background with gray napkin.

Three Cheese Baked Rigatoni with Roasted Vegetables

This baked rigatoni is the ultimate pasta dinner! Thick pasta noodles layered with a blend of melted cheeses and tossed with a medley of delicious roasted vegetables.

Course Main Course

Cuisine American, Italian

Keyword baked rigatoni, baked rigatoni no meat, vegetarian baked rigatoni

Freezer Friendly Yes

Prep Time 15

Cook Time 50

Total Time 1 5

Servings

Calories 634kcal

Author Bethany Kramer

Ingredients

1 lb dry rigatoni noodles
3-4 cups marinara sauce
1-2 Tablespoons oil
1 lb bag baby bell peppers
1 cauliflower head
4-5 carrots
1/4 cup fresh basil, chopped
1 teaspoon oregano (dried or fresh)
1 cup cheddar cheese, grated (divided)
1 cup gruyere cheese, grated (divided)
1/2 cup parmesan cheese, grated
salt & black pepper

Instructions

Preheat oven to 425F.
Prep the vegetables: cut cauliflower into floret pieces. Remove stem from carrots, then cut into sticks by slicing lengthwise into fourths. Leave baby bell peppers whole (with stems).
Roast vegetables: arrange veggies on a sheet pan and drizzle with oil. Toss and sprinkle with a pinch of salt and black pepper. Roast for 20 minutes (flip halfway through), then lower oven temperature to 325F and roast for additional 10 minutes.
Chop vegetables: remove cooked vegetables and let slightly cool. Carefully remove stems from peppers. Chop peppers and carrots into diced pieces. Cut cauliflower if pieces are too big but leave as florets. Note: the roasted baby peppers will be super soft, so you can easily remove the stems by gently pulling them out.
Cook pasta noodles: while vegetables are roasting, bring a large pot of water to a boil. Season pasta water with a generous amount of salt (about 1-2 Tablespoons). Cook pasta as box instructs for noodles to be al dente in texture. When straining pasta noodles, reserve 1/3 cup pasta water. Note: "Al dente" in Italian means "to the tooth" - the texture of the pasta should have a bite to it and not be too soft.
Mix ingredients with pasta: in pot with noodles and pasta water, add 1-2 cups of marinara. Fold in 1/2 cup cheddar cheese, 1/2 cup gruyere cheese, and 1/4 cup parmesan cheese. Then mix in half of roasted vegetables, chopped fresh basil, and oregano.
Arrange in baking dish: Add pasta and ingredients into a large casserole dish or baking dish. Layer with remaining roasted vegetables and 1-2 more cups of marinara, then sprinkle remaining cheddar, gruyere, and parmesan cheese over top.
Bake: Cover with foil or lid and bake at 350F for 20 minutes. Broil on HIGH for last minute to brown the cheese. Serve with fresh basil and enjoy!

Notes

Keep leftovers fresh: store noodles and roasted vegetables in airtight container. Refrigerate for up to 3-5 days.
How to freeze: assemble dish with roasted vegetables, top with cheese and leave unbaked. Cool to room temperature then wrap in plastic wrap and cover in foil, freeze for 1-2 months. Thaw at room temperature and bake as instructed.

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