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Vegan Baked Rigatoni is an easy weeknight meal the whole family will love! No precooking the pasta or the lentils! This comforting pasta is made in one pan with rigatoni, lentil bolognese, and cheesy tofu mozzarella topping. Gluten-free & soy-free & Nut-free options.Jump to Recipe
You’re going to love this recipe for Vegan Baked Rigatoni! It’s basically a lazy lasagna! Absolutely perfect for when company comes over and you want to please everyone, vegans and carnivores alike. super easy to make this as a busy weeknight dinner because it’s so quick.
It can be made gluten-free if needed or whole grain. For that cheesy topping I went with non-dairy tofu mozzarella cheese which is just blended up tofu and is quick and easy and creamy! You make it in the blender and it takes just seconds to make.
For the “ragu” I went with a simple vegan lentil bolognese that is basically just marinara, lentils, Italian herbs! DONE. How easy is this?
Vegan Baked Rigatoni with Vegan Lentil Meat Sauce
Ingredients
For the pasta
- 1 lb Uncooked rigatoni, or penne or ziti
- 28 oz jar of pasta sauce, or marinara sauce or tomato basil sauce
- 1/3 cup dried split red lentils , or 1/4 cup of red lentils + 1/4 cup of coarsely chopped walnut for best texture
- 1 tbsp balsamic vinegar
- 1 tsp italian seasoning, Or mix of basil, oregano or thyme
- 2 cloves garlic minced
- 2 cups water
For the tofu mozzarella topping
- 7 oz firm tofu or silken tofu
- 1 tbsp olive oil
- 1/2 tsp garlic powder
- 1/2 tsp miso , or 1 tbsp of nutritional yeast
- 3/4 tsp salt
- 1/4 tsp onion powder
- 1 tsp lemon juice
- 1/2 cup water
- 2 tsp flour
Instructions
- In 9 X 13 inch pan, add the pasta and distribute evenly. Add the pasta sauce, lentils, balsamic vinegar, Italian seasoning and water. And mix well. If the pasta sauce does not have enough salt, add some salt and mix really well and even it out with a spatula. Cover with foil and bake at 350F (180c ) for 50 minutes
- For the tofu mozzarella, blend all the ingredients until smooth, taste and adjust salt and flavor and set aside. (For Soyfree, use my liquid cashew mozzarella)
- Remove the pan from the oven and carefully remove the foil. Now pour the tofu mozzarella over the Pasta and put it back into the oven and broil it for 3-4 mins until browning, Add a drizzle of olive oil and pepper flakes and serve.
Video
Notes
- You can add sautéed mushroom or veggies or spinach etc along with the pasta sauce for variation.
- if you don't have Italian seasoning, use a mix of basil, oregano and thyme
- Yes, the cheese mixture will be thin and runny. That’s ok. It will thicken in the oven.
- add 1 cup more pasta sauce for saucier result. Different pasta brands and lentils can absorb moisture differently.
- You can use nutritional yeast instead of miso paste.
- For gluten-dree, substitute sturdy gluten-free pasta
- to make soyfree mozzarella use my cashew mozzarella
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
Baked Rigatoni Ingredients:
- rigatoni – you could use penne pasta or ziti any other tube-shaped pasta you like.
- pasta sauce, or marinara sauce or tomato basil sauce are the base for our vegan ragu. No shame in using store-bought here but you can of course make your own using my recipe for Chunky Tomato Sauce.
- red lentils or 1/4 cup of lentils + 1/4 cup of coarse chopped walnut stand in for the meat and add that bolognese feel to this baked rigatoni recipe.
- 1 tbsp balsamic vinegar adds some sweetness and acidity.
- I use garlic and Italian seasoning to spruce up the tomato sauce even more!
- For the tofu mozzarella topping, we blend silken or firm tofu and olive oil with some secret cheesy ingredients (garlic +onion powder, miso paste) until super smooth and creamy.
- lemon juice adds some freshness
- We also add some flour to the cheese that will activate once the sauce hits the heat and thicken it up.
- to make a soyfree mozzarella use my cashew mozzarella.
Tips & Substitutions:
- If you don’t have Italian seasoning, use a mix of basil, oregano or thyme
- Yes, the cheese mixture will be thin and runny. That’s ok. It will thicken in the oven.
- You can use nutritional yeast instead of miso paste.
- For gluten-free, substitute sturdy gluten-free pasta (such as a corn and quinoa blend).
- For nut-free, skip the walnuts and add more lentils.
- You can add some cooked veggies or sautéed greens to the lentil and pasta mixture if you’d like!
In 9 X 13 inch pan, add the raw pasta, and distribute evenly. Add the pasta sauce, lentils, balsamic vinegar, Italian seasoning, and water.
And mix well. If the pasta sauce does not have enough salt, add some more and mix really well, and even it all out with a spatula. Cover the casserole dish with foil and bake at 350F for 50 minutes
For the tofu mozzarella, blend all the ingredients until smooth and set aside.
Remove the pan from the oven and carefully remove the foil. Now pour the tofu mozzarella over the baked rigatoni pasta and put it back into the oven and broil it for 3-4 mins until browning, Add a drizzle of olive oil and pepper flakes and serve
How to store this Baked Rigatoni :
This pasta bake can be frozen. Once cooked, let it cool completely, then cover tightly with foil and freeze. When ready to serve, bake at 350 degrees for 20 mins or until warm. Leftovers will keep in the refrigerator for about 4 days, making it a great meal prep for lunches.
MORE VEGAN PASTA RECIPES FROM THE BLOG:
- Vegan Mushroom Fettucine Alfredo
- Cajun Cauliflower Pasta
- Vegan Lemon Asparagus Pasta
- Roasted Red Bell Pepper Chickpea Pasta
- Cauliflower Parmesan Pasta Bake
- Vegan Sundried Tomato Pasta
My stars- so very easy- no mess- our new favorite dish. So easy😁 Our non vegan daughter raved about this dish. Thank you thank you thank you!!!
SUCH a good recipe! My 2 and 4 year old love it too. Thanks for sharing such wonderful recipes!
Awesome
Delicious. Hearty recipe.
I made this today. It was awesome! I did put in some mushrooms, and later remembered that I forgot to sauté them first. But they seemed to be fine without.
I used 1/4 c red lentils and 1/4 c walnuts. I only had extra firm tofu on hand, so that is what I used. Forgot the olive oil, which would have helped maybe to make it more smooth. But I drizzled some on top when it was finished.
I used a large can of crushed tomatoes and maybe 1 cup of Tomato Sauce and Italian Seasoning.
Normally I only use whole wheat pasta, but for this I made an exception, because that is what was available in the store.
Next time I will use Silken Firm Tofu and use the oil in the mixture and maybe a little more nutritional yeast.
But all in all, it was easy and fast in preparation, we loved it and I will certainly make it again. Thank you Richa for another great recipe! 🙂
Awesome! Extra firm would def need a bit more seasoning as it’s more bulky. Mushrooms are def great in there
We made this to the specs and it was very good! Took it the next level my swapping in 1lb of Impossible meat for the lentils, adding broccoli, and doubling the spices. We would’ve added spinach but ran out. This is probably one of my favorite Vegan Richa recipes!
whole. other. level.
we owe you so much! 🙌🙌🙌
This was really yummy ! I did change a bit. I can never get lentils to cook in a tomato sauce so I boiled them first, and I also cooked the pasta a little. Left out the extra water, but put in extra tomato sauce instead. Added blanched spinach to the sauce. Put everything in the oven for 30 mins, then added the mozz.
I didn’t add the mushrooms I wanted, I was lazy and didn’t feel like chopping and sauteing.
Even though I pre-boiled some things it was still really easy! Will make again!
sounds great. thanks for the feedback
Really good. Really easy.. I didn’t use the lentils. Added a pound-ish of raw chopped mushrooms and reduced the water by half.
Knocked it out of the park again Richa!
Another fab recipe! The only thing I would do next time is just cook it for another 10 or 15 minutes. We like our pasta al dente, but there were a few rigatoni that were just a wee bit too firm. Other than that, a great recipe to pop in the oven and get on with something else. Thanks again mate! 💚
Ovens and pans differ so definitely adjust times a bit as needed
Just made this and it was delicious! Added fresh spinach. Thank you for yet another awesome recipe! Will definitely make it again and again.
thanks for stopping by – that’s great
How do I know if the red lentils are fully cooked? What should I do if they are a tad crunchy after 5 minutes?
I made this last night and it was great! I added chopped spinach, mushrooms, Chinese eggplant, and grated carrots. This is a great recipe to sneak in extra veggies if you have kids or significant others that don’t love veggies! I couldn’t really tell all those veggies were in there. This recipe is omnivore boyfriend approved and I will definitely be making again. Thanks for sharing!