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 (450 g) Uncooked rigatoni or penne or ziti
- 28 oz (740 g) jar of pasta sauce or marinara sauce or tomato basil sauce
- 1/3 cup (60 g) 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 (1) italian seasoning Or mix of basil, oregano or thyme
- 2 cloves garlic minced
- 2 cups (480 ml) water
For the tofu mozzarella topping
- 7 oz (200 g) 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 (118.29 ml) 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
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
Ange
My new favourite recipe. I used chickpea spiral pasta with the cashew mozzarella topping and was perfect. Thank you
Vegan Richa Support
Yum!
Terri
This was so delicious!! Four of us pretty much polished off the entire 9×13 dish!! I would definitely recommend adding the mushrooms and spinach. I sauted them together, added to pasta and think it was a great add.
Vegan Richa Support
nice job
Jared
How do I know if the red lentils are fully cooked? What should I do if they are a tad crunchy after 5 minutes?
Richa
If you are using split red lentils, they will cook in the 50 minutes. Let the dish sit for another 10-15 mins with the oven off, the reman at heat will cook them. They are not supposed to get too much has they should have some texture as a meat sub
Manpreet
This has become a staple in my household. So easy and delicious! I add spinach and substitute vegan soy crumbles for the lentils. Very hearty! Thank you, Richa!
Vegan Richa Support
sounds perfect
Lisa
I’ve made this several times, and it’s delicious. This last time, I made a half-batch and it fit nicely in an old Pyrex “French white” oval baking dish. I used 8 oz of ziti and basically halved everything else. Thank you, Richa, for another wonderful recipe. 🙏🏼
Vegan Richa Support
oh yes, I know that dish as well
JJ
Very easy and tasty! Next time I’ll add the extra cup of sauce right away (didn’t see that tip til later and added it before broiling). Forgot to add chopped garlic but drizzled garlic olive oil over the dish at the end. Everything worked out and tasted great. Thanks for another winning recipe!
Vegan Richa Support
oooops. it’s all good, thanks JJ
Kari
My family loves this recipe, especially my son. I made this in the oven and on the stovetop. Both were great, but I prefer the stovetop. I cooked it over low heat once it boiled so it wouldn’t stick for about 50 minutes so the lentils were cooked. I added the cheese sauce with about 20 minutes left. I mixed it in, and the sauce was so creamy and good!
Richa
Awesome
Jessica
I want to try making this in an Instant Pot. I’ve looked at a few IP pasta recipes and am ready to experiment, but figured I should ask the expert first. Thanks!
Vegan Richa Support
yay! follow the guidelines for my ziti: https://www.veganricha.com/instant-pot-ziti-with-tomato-sauce/“>Instant Pot Ziti with Tomato Sauce 20 Mins!
Christina A Gomez
This was so delicious and ridiculously easy! I split this it o two pans, so my husband could have a real-cheese version and we were both pleased. I’ll be making this again.
Vegan Richa Support
thanks for popping in ♡
Rachel
Another winner! This was my first time making any type of vegan “cheese”, because I’ve always been so dubious of them, but it turned out great! My omnivore husband said the cheese was “a little odd, but not bad.” We both agreed that it was good as its own thing – it was like a cousin of cheese – if you weren’t just looking for actual cheese, and definitely worked well with the dish!
I didn’t have rigatoni on hand, but I had everything else, so I just used some whole wheat lasagna noodles which I broke up and basically made haphazard lasagna. I also subbed the nuts for textured vegetable protein. Definitely recommend to anyone else reading who is, like me, skeptical of this “cheese” creation – give it a go! It was really easy and tasty! I’ve been eating it all week!
Shanna
I’m going to make tonight. Do I need to cook lentils or throw them in dry? Thank you !!
Vegan Richa Support
nope – raw/ dry, they’ll cook with everything else to become the sauce.
Mandee
I’ve made this once and everyone, including my selective 18 month old, absolutely loved it! I’m out of red lentils and was wondering how you think this recipe would work with green lentils?
Vegan Richa Support
Excellent – not in this recipe they won’t bc they require linger cooking time than red..
Cindy
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!!!
Anne B
SUCH a good recipe! My 2 and 4 year old love it too. Thanks for sharing such wonderful recipes!
Richa
Awesome
Brenda
Delicious. Hearty recipe.
Ingrid
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! 🙂
Richa
Awesome! Extra firm would def need a bit more seasoning as it’s more bulky. Mushrooms are def great in there
Coleman Kelly
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!
Vegan Richa Support
whole. other. level.
Coleman Kelly
we owe you so much! 🙌🙌🙌
Nikki
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!
Vegan Richa Support
sounds great. thanks for the feedback
Carol
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!
Hilly
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! 💚
Richa
Ovens and pans differ so definitely adjust times a bit as needed
Teresa
Just made this and it was delicious! Added fresh spinach. Thank you for yet another awesome recipe! Will definitely make it again and again.
Vegan Richa Support
thanks for stopping by – that’s great
Jared
How do I know if the red lentils are fully cooked? What should I do if they are a tad crunchy after 5 minutes?
Erin
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!
Rewari
I made this tonight. It was surprisingly easy and delicious!
Vegan Richa Support
Yes! that’s what I love to hear!!!
BWeaves
Richa! This recipe is brilliant! I added a defrosted package of chopped spinach and used penne instead of rigatoni because I had it in my pantry. My husband thought the casserole was Greek Pastitsio. It was delicious.
Miranda
Ahh this was so good! Made it for dinner tonight and I am so impressed! We have 5 kids from one year to 10 and everyone got second servings 😍 adding to our rotation m. Thanks
Richa
Yay
Stephanie S
This was SO GOOD! Thank you for this easy recipe! I especially like that it’s healthy, but all of these ingredients are shelf stable so I can pull them out of the pantry for a quick and easy meal. Thank you!
Vegan Richa Support
I’m SO glad you enjoyed this! 🙂
Dena Fagan
What do you think about adding sliced zucchini? Can I add it raw with the pasta at the beginning?
Vegan Richa Support
that will be fine as long as the slices are not too thick – try to slice them 1/8″ or 2-3 mm.
Julia Vu
I just bought red lentils to try out this recipe! Just wondering what the balsamic vinegar is for and if there are any other substitutions or if I can omit it? Thanks Richa
Richa
You can use 2 tbsp wine instead
Nourah Alq
This super easy and looks so delicious! Im definitely going to try it, thank you for sharing the recipe <3
Vegan Richa Support
i’m excited for you!
Suzy
Made this a couple nights ago and we enjoyed dinner for 3 days! It was so delicious and the tofu sauce on top was such a great addition! I added some fresh onion and 1 tsp of red pepper flakes to the sauce because we like spice. I love how customizable this recipe is. It was full of flavor and so simple to put together. Recipe is a definite keeper! Thank you for posting.
Richa
Awesome
Sandra
Just made a half batch of this because it seemed like an awful lot of food. BIG mistake. This is super yummy and we tore through it like dogs.
Be sure to do the walnuts. They bring out something special.
Thanks Richa!
Nancy
My mouth is watering! dish is so delicious.
Vegan Richa Support
yay!
Sarah Compter
Love your recipes on the blog and in the cookbooks! Have you ever mixed the pasta and sauce early in the day, and baked at dinner time? Or, would the pasta have too much time to absorb the liquid before baking?
Vegan Richa Support
thank you kindly for your support. That would be fine if you did that – no problem
Sarah
It worked great! I put the casserole together at about 10 a.m., mixed up the tofu cream sauce, and then baked at dinnertime. It was perfect… and delicious! This was SO easy and SO yummy.
Richa
Awesome!
Sean
I’m wondering if I can leave the oil out of the tofu mozzarella?
Richa
Yes
Danielle
This was very tasty.
I used extra firm tofu for the creamy sauce which turned out a pleasant ricottaesque texture. I used both doenjang and a teaspoon of nutritional yeast in the creamy sauce, and it ended up salty enough for us without any added salt. I also used about 1.5 tsp white vinegar in the sauce instead of lemon as I’d run out of lemon.
For the tomato sauce, I just chucked a whole bunch of spices (Costco 21 seasoning blend; granulated onion & garlic, oregano, basil, tsp nutritional yeast) into a 28 oz can of crushed tomatoes. Great for us without any added salt (canned tomatoes had salt). Oh, and I added a chopped red pepper, and used the lentils + walnuts option. Next time I think I will add some greens if I have them.
The pasta and lentils cooked for me in about 1 hour 20 minutes/80 minutes.
Thank you for the recipe.
Richa
Awesome! Yes the added volume of veggies and chunkier tomatoes plus ovens that vary will add some time.
Jason
Made this for dinner tonight and it is so good! Although it takes awhile to bake, it’s very easy to put together. I will definitely be adding this to our rotation 🙂
Richa
It’s like lasagna , takes a while but hardly any active time in the kitchen!
Judith Dolgin
Made this for dinner today. I added in some sauteed broccoli, used nutritional yeast instead of miso (as you suggest) and used a gluten free corn/rice pasta and gf flour. So easy, yummy and creamy. Thank you, Richa!
Richa
Yay
Nina
Thanks for fabulous recipe. I am going to try this out. Do you think I could I use the french Bjoux Vert canned lentils in place or red lentils. I would still add the walnuts?
Richa
Yes you can add the drained lentils. You don’t need walnuts
Tara
Loved this. I used whole wheat pasta, added chopped fresh spinach and added maybe a 1/4 cup of plain canned tomato sauce (I like saucy pasta). But followed everything else to the letter. It was perfect.
Richa
Awesome!
Jude Wilson
Looks delish. Could you use chickpea pasta?
Vegan Richa Support
Absolutely
Cat
Are you supposed to boil/cook the pasta normally before using it in this recipe, or are you supposed to use raw/uncooked pasta and it absorbs liquid from the sauce?
Richa
It’s uncooked. Let me clear that in the recipe
Chris
Richa,
Would I need to adjust the baking time for wheat pasta?
Thanks
Richa
Should work just fine. Check a pasta noodle from The center when you take it out before adding the cheese drizzle