Cheesy Vegetable Pasta Bake
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This Cheesy Vegetable Pasta Bake recipe is full of flavor from the vegetables, sun-dried tomatoes and cheese. Our family loves a hearty meal, especially when working hard on the farm.
We make it on Fridays for a lenten meal since it’s meat-free. It would be great with chicken other times of the year.
Vegetable Pasta Bake Recipe
This Cheesy Vegetable Pasta Bake tastes and feels like a meal we would get at a nice Italian restaurant, but it’s easy enough to make at home and helps keep our budget on track.
We have young children who love pasta, so we’ve eaten a lot of Mac & Cheese with Ham, Baked Spaghetti with Sausage, and Baked Mostaccioli Casserole. We also enjoy trying some fancier pasta in a dish like this or our Tuscan Chicken & Spaghetti Casserole.
I also love that there are so many vegetables in the dish. Even better, the kids don’t complain about them because they mix in so nicely with the sauce and cheese. I make sure to dice the onions and peppers well so that they would blend in more easily.
My husband was surprised the recipe didn’t have meat. The sun-dried tomatoes really give the pasta bake a hearty flavor that is wonderful.
We are glad to have such a large dish because we pack extras for lunch and we freeze a few individual lunches or bigger portions for future family meals. Freezer meals save so much time and stress in our family, so that’s a double win!
Pro-Tip
Grab a big box of spinach to split between this meal and a Spinach Salad with Bacon & Mushrooms.
How to Make Cheesy Vegetable Pasta Bake
Make 1 pound of cellentani or cavatappi pasta according to the directions on the box. Cook to al dente. Add a pat of butter to the drained pasta to prevent sticking if desired.
Preheat oven to 350°F and lightly grease a 9×13 inch casserole dish.
In the pot the pasta was prepared in heat oil over medium-high heat. Add tomatoes, onions, peppers and garlic. Cook about 5 minutes until the onions and peppers are tender.
Add tomato sauce to the pan and stir until it boils. Turn down to a simmer for 5 minutes. Then add spinach and stir until it wilts. Stir in the pasta.
Pour half of the pasta mixture into the baking dish. Layer half of the sliced cheese on top. Add remaining pasta mixture and remaining cheese on top.
Bake for 10 minutes until the cheese melts. Serve warm and enjoy!
More Easy Casserole Recipes:
Baked Spaghetti with Sausage bathes spaghetti in a rich butter and Parmesan sauce layered with red sauce, ricotta cheese, mozzarella cheese and Italian sausage to make the best Baked Spaghetti.
Ground Beef & Bacon Casserole is packed with vegetables and is a great keto meal for the whole family to enjoy.
Farmhouse Hamburger and Noodle Casserole is another cheesy casserole that makes a great freezer meal.
Chicken and Twice Baked Potato Casserole is loaded with cheese and bacon to make one (or several) hearty meals!
We hope you enjoy these easy meals as much as we do!
Printable Vegetable Pasta Casserole Recipe
Cheesy Vegetable Pasta Bake
Author: JenniferIngredients
- 1 pound cellentani pasta
- 2 T oil from sun dried tomatoes
- 1/2 cup sun dried tomatoes julienned
- 3/4 cup onion chopped
- 1 yellow pepper chopped
- 6 cloves garlic minced
- 24 ounces mild pasta sauce
- 2 cups spinach washed and dried
- 12 ounces sliced gouda cheese
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350°F. Lightly coat a 9 x 13 inch baking dish with non-stick cooking spray. Prepare pasta according to package instructions and leave in strainer with a pat of butter if desired.
- Heat oil in the pan the pasta was prepared in. Add tomatoes, onions, pepper and garlic. Cook over medium-high heat until the onions and peppers are tender, about 5 minutes.
- Add tomato sauce to pan and stir until the sauce boils. Reduce to low heat and simmer for 5 minutes. Add spinach and stir until it wilts. Add pasta and stir well.
- Layer half of pasta mixture in dish. Add half of sliced cheese on top of pasta. Place remaining pasta in the dish and cover with remaining slices of cheese.
- Bake for about 10 minutes until the cheese melts.
Originally published March 13, 2018 and updated on December 22, 2021.
We love casseroles because they make for great future lunches to take in to work; sounds like something we might have to try in the future