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by Reneon Sep 30, 2021 (updated Nov 28, 2022)
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5 from 12 ratings
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Comfort food in a casserole dish – this Vegan Baked Rigatoni Bolognese is the perfect family dinner! A simple and flavorful vegan dinner idea!
This Vegan Baked Rigatoni Bolognese is the perfect weeknight dinner recipe to make when you want something comforting without a ton of hassle. The sauce is packed with flavor and bulked up with vegan beef crumbles. This is the type of dinner everyone will love and ask you to make again and again.
How to make the sauce
The star of the show is really the sauce. It is herby, flavorful goodness – and it only requires a few ingredients and very little chopping. Start out by cooking the onion & garlic down in some olive oil and dried herbs. Once that smells delicious, add the vegan beef crumbles & sun-dried tomatoes to the mix.
If you don’t love vegan beef crumbles, you can always swap them for cooked lentils!
Lastly, add the marinara, crushed tomatoes & tomato paste and give everything a stir. Partially cover the sauce and let it simmer for 30 minutes.
How to make the “cheese” topping
This faux cheese topping is my favorite hack for all of my baked pasta recipes – you saw me use it in my Ultimate Vegan Lasagna recipe. It is just a combo of vegan cream cheese, non-dairy creamer and fresh herbs. It might seem funky, but once it bakes, it makes the best “cheese” topping.
How to serve Vegan Baked Rigatoni Bolognese
To bring everything together, combine the sauce and cooked rigatoni and stir it together. Transfer the pasta and sauce to a baking dish and finish it off with the “cheese” topping. Cover and bake for 30 minutes.
Uncover and let it cook for another 10 minutes. Remove this beauty from the oven and let everything rest for a couple of minutes. Top with more fresh herbs and serve.
This would be great with a huge side salad – I’d try my Toasted Breadcrumb and Vegan Parmesan Kale Salad.
Need more recipe inspo? Check these out!
- Creamy Rigatoni with Roasted Cauliflower
- Vegan Summer Squash Rigatoni
- Vegan Rigatoni Pie
- Vegan Butternut Squash Poblano Enchilada Casserole
Did you Make this Recipe?
If you made this Vegan Baked Rigatoni Bolognese I would LOVE to hear what you thought. Be sure to drop a comment and a rating below! You can also tag me on social media if you snapped a photo. I LOVE seeing your recreations!
Vegan Baked Rigatoni Bolognese
Servings: 8
Prep Time: 5 minutes mins
Cook Time: 1 hour hr 10 minutes mins
Total Time: 1 hour hr 15 minutes mins
Comfort food in a casserole dish – this Vegan Baked Rigatoni Bolognese is the perfect family dinner! A simple and flavorful vegan dinner idea!
5 from 12 ratings
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Ingredients
FOR THE BOLOGNESE
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 1/2 yellow onion diced
- 3 cloves garlic diced
- 2 teaspoons dried oregano
- 2 teaspoons dried parsley
- 1 teaspoon dried rosemary
- salt & pepper to taste
- red pepper flakes to taste, optional
- 12 ounces vegan beef crumbles or sub cooked lentils
- 2 tablespoons sun-dried tomatoes
- 1 28-ounce jar marinara sauce
- 1 28-ounce can crushed tomatoes
- 2 tablespoons tomato paste
- 1 pound rigatoni dry
FOR THE TOPPING
- 4 tablespoons vegan cream cheese
- 4 tablespoons non-dairy cream* or sub non-dairy milk
- 2 tablespoons fresh herbs I used a combo of basil & oregano
Instructions
Heat the olive oil in a large pot over medium heat. Add the onion, garlic, dried herbs, salt, pepper & red pepper flakes. Cook down for a couple of minutes. Add the vegan beef crumbles & sun-dried tomatoes and stir to combine. Cook for 2-3 minutes.
Add the marinara, crushed tomatoes & tomato paste and stir to combine. Partially cover and simmer on low heat for 30 minutes.
Meanwhile, bring a pot of water to a boil and cook pasta until al dente (I cooked mine for 12 minutes). Drain and set aside.
Combine the topping ingredients in a bowl and stir to combine. Set aside.
Preheat the oven to 375 degrees and grease a 9×13 baking dish. Add the cooked pasta to the sauce pot and stir to combine. Transfer the pasta and sauce to the baking dish. Drizzle the cream cheese mixture over top and spread it out to coat the pasta. Spray a piece of foil with non-stick spray and cover the baking dish. Place in the oven and bake for 30 minutes.
Remove the foil and cook for another 10 minutes. For a crispier top, you can turn the oven to broil and cook for another couple minutes. Remove from the oven and let it sit for 5 minutes.
Serve hot with more fresh herbs.
Video
Notes
*I used the brand Ripple – you can usually find it in the coffee creamer section.
Calories: 417kcal, Carbohydrates: 65g, Protein: 18g, Fat: 11g
Cuisine: Italian
Course: Main Course
Did you make this recipe?Leave a review below or take a photo and share it on Instagram @thissavoryvegan with #thissavoryvegan.
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originally published on Sep 30, 2021 (last updated Nov 28, 2022)
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7 comments on “Vegan Baked Rigatoni Bolognese”
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Melissa — Reply
I made this with lentils and it was delicious. I especially loved the idea of the sun dried tomatoes in the sauce. I added roasted red peppers just because I had them and it was a great addition too. The topping was amazing. My vegan boyfriend wants this once a week. I have loved every recipe I have made from you thank you for helping my introduction to vegan food be easy
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Desiree — Reply
I’m hosting Christmas this year and am excited to make this for my sister-in-law who is vegan. Can you tell me if it can be prepped a day ahead of time? Thank you!
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Rene — Reply
It definitely can! Just be sure the sauce and pasta are completely cooled before combining. This will keep the pasta from overcooking. Cover and keep in the fridge until ready to bake! Hope your family enjoys it!
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Desiree Battaglia — Reply
Awesome, thanks so much! I’m sure they will, I’ve made several of your recipes before and they’ve all been winners! 🙂
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Jennifer — Reply
Fantastic recipe!! I made this for Christmas dinner last night (along with your crescent roll Christmas tree!) and it was a big hit. I didn’t change a thing. Thank you!!
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Sara — Reply
Happy 5th, TSV!!! 🙂 the BESTt vegan recipes come from right here! Can’t wait to try this one, looks delicious!
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Rene — Reply
Hi Sara – thank you soooooo much! I hope you give it a try!
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