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This Mediterranean Roasted Vegetable Pasta Bake is bursting with flavor. Vegetables are roasted with warm spices to bring out their sweetness and then paired with pasta, feta and mozzarella cheese, diced tomatoes and fresh herbs to create an easy pasta dish the whole family will love.
This roasted vegetable pasta bake comes together in about an hour with rigatoni, eggplant, zucchini, bell peppers and red onion roasted with oregano, basil and paprika. You roast the vegetables until caramelized, toss them with pasta, fire-roasted tomatoes and marinara, then top it all with feta and mozzarella and bake until bubbly. The result is saucy and cheesy, with tender, sweet vegetables in every bite. It’s an easy vegetarian dinner the whole family eats, and the leftovers go straight into my kids’ lunchboxes.
Eggplant shows up in so many Lebanese dishes I grew up loving, and roasting it is my favorite way to make it creamy and rich instead of spongy. That’s the secret to this bake. Feta and oregano take it in a Mediterranean direction, so it tastes a little different from your usual baked ziti.
Why This Recipe Works
• Roasting concentrates flavor. High heat caramelizes the vegetables and cooks off their water, so they taste sweet and don’t make the bake soggy.
• Eggplant turns creamy. Roasted eggplant melts into the sauce and gives the bake a rich, almost meaty texture without any meat.
• Slightly underdone pasta finishes in the oven. Pulling it 2 minutes early means it soaks up sauce as it bakes instead of going mushy.
Table of Contents
Recipe Ingredients and Substitutions
For exact ingredient amounts and instructions, see the full recipe card below.
- Pasta: I use rigatoni because the tubes catch the sauce and little bits of vegetable. Penne, ziti or fusilli all work too. Whole wheat, chickpea, red lentil or gluten-free pasta are fine swaps; just undercook them a little more since they soften quickly in the oven.
- Vegetables: I’ve roasted a combination of red onions, red bell pepper and orange bell peppers (you can use any color pepper), zucchini and eggplant in this recipe. You could sub in green bell peppers also.
- Spices: I use a combination of dried oregano, dried basil, dried thyme, sweet paprika and red pepper flakes to flavor the pasta.
- Seasoning: I season the pasta bake with sea salt and black pepper.
- Tomatoes: I use a can of fire-roasted diced tomatoes plus a jar of marinara or pasta sauce. The marinara is important here because it brings seasoning that plain canned tomato sauce doesn’t have. If you’d rather make your own, try my Slow Cooker Spaghetti Sauce.
- Cheese: I top the pasta bake with crumbled feta cheese and shredded mozzarella cheese, before baking in the hot oven. You also could stir in ricotta cheese to the pasta dish.
Recipe Modifications
- Pasta: I’ve used rigatoni pasta in this recipe, but you can swap this for another medium sized pasta like penne or fusilli. You can also use whole wheat pasta, or try a red lentil or chickpea pasta for a higher protein option.
- Vegetables: you can add in other vegetables that you and your family enjoy eating. Try adding mushrooms, green beans, baby spinach or broccoli.
- Spices: the blend of dried herb and spices I’ve used add flavor, if there’s a spice that you don’t like simply leave it out. If you don’t have the individual dried herbs, Italian seasoning is a great substitute.
- Tomato Sauce: I bought my favorite jar of tomato sauce to use in this pasta dish making it even easier to put together. If you want to make a homemade sauce try this Slow Cooker Spaghetti Sauce.
- Cheese: I top the pasta bake with mozzarella and feta, but you can add other cheese like parmesan cheese, sharp cheddar, or Monterey jack.
How to Make This Roasted Vegetable Pasta Bake
Step 1: Cook the pasta: Cook the pasta, according to package instructions, to al dente. While the pasta cooks, preheat the oven to 400 degrees F.
Step 2: Prepare the vegetables: Place the vegetables and garlic on a large non-stick baking sheet and drizzle the olive oil over the vegetables {use two baking sheets if you find the vegetables are crowded}.
Step 2: Prepare the vegetables: Place the vegetables and garlic on a large non-stick baking sheet and drizzle the olive oil over the vegetables {use two baking sheets if you find the vegetables are crowded}.
Step 3. Season the vegetables: In a small bowl mix together the oregano, basil, thyme, paprika, crushed red pepper flakes, salt and pepper. Sprinkle the spices over the vegetables.
Step 4. Roast the vegetables: Roast the vegetables in the oven for 20-25 minutes, or until the vegetables are tender, stirring the vegetables once while they cook. Once done remove from the oven and add the cooked vegetables to a large baking dish. Turn down the oven to 350 degrees F.
Step 5: Prepare the pasta bake: Stir in the diced tomatoes and tomato sauce. Add the cooked pasta and mix well. Top the veggie pasta bake with the feta cheese and mozzarella cheese.
Common Mistakes to Avoid
- Crowding the sheet pan. Piled-up vegetables steam instead of roast. Spread them in a single layer and use two pans if needed.
- Cutting the vegetables unevenly. Cut everything into roughly 1-inch pieces so it all roasts in the same time.
- Fully cooking the pasta first. It keeps cooking in the oven. Pull it 2 minutes before the package’s al dente time.
- Using plain tomato sauce. Unseasoned canned sauce tastes flat. Use a marinara or pasta sauce you like.
- Skimping on sauce. Pasta absorbs liquid as it bakes. Make sure everything is well coated before it goes in the oven.
What to Serve with Roasted Vegetable Pasta Bake
- A crisp salad: my Greek Village Salad or Lemon Arugula Salad Recipe with Parmesan Cheese cuts through the cheese
- Garlic bread or warm pita for scooping up the extra sauce
- Roasted chicken or Italian sausage on the side for the meat lovers at the table
- Lunchbox leftovers: pack a warm portion in an insulated food jar for school or work
How to Make It Ahead
Roast the vegetables and assemble the bake up to 24 hours ahead, leaving off the cheese. Cover tightly and refrigerate. When you’re ready, add the cheese and bake at 350°F for 30 to 35 minutes, since it’s starting cold. I like to do this on Sunday so Monday dinner is ready to go.
Storage Instructions
- Leftovers: Store leftover pasta bake in the refrigerator, for up to 3 days.
- Reheating: To reheat leftovers place back into a warm oven to heat up. Alternatively heat the pasta bake up in the microwave.
- Freeze: Once cooked and cooled, cover the dish with a double layer of kitchen foil and store in the freezer for up to 3 months. The pasta bake can be reheated in the oven proof dish, straight from frozen, at 350 degrees F. Bake for 1 hour, covered in kitchen foil, to thaw completely and heat through.
Recipe FAQ
Yes. Assemble the bake up to 24 hours ahead, cover it tightly, and refrigerate it before adding the cheese. When you’re ready, top with the cheese and bake at 350°F for 30 to 35 minutes, since it’s going in cold. Add a splash of water or sauce if it looks dry.
The pasta soaked up too much sauce. Undercook the pasta by 2 minutes, make sure everything is well coated before baking, and add a splash of water or extra marinara to leftovers before reheating.
Cut it into 1-inch pieces, give it plenty of room on the pan, and roast it at high heat until browned. Crowded eggplant steams and turns spongy.
Yes. Stir in cooked Italian sausage, ground beef or shredded chicken when you combine the pasta and sauce. You may need a little extra marinara to keep it saucy.
More Pasta Recipes
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Mediterranean Roasted Vegetable Pasta Bake
Video
Ingredients
- 14 ounces rigatoni pasta, (cook 2 minutes less than package directions)
- 3 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
- 4 cloves garlic, minced
- 1 small red onion, cut into 1-inch pieces"
- 1 red bell pepper, seeds removed, cut into 1-inch pieces"
- 1 orange bell pepper, seeds removed, cut into 1-inch pieces"
- 1 small zucchini, cut into 1-inch pieces"
- 1 small eggplant, cut into 1-inch pieces"
- 2 teaspoons dried oregano
- 1 teaspoon dried basil
- 1/2 teaspoon dried thyme
- 1/2 teaspoon sweet paprika
- 1/4 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes
- 1/2 teaspoon sea salt
- 1/8 teaspoon black pepper
- 14 ounce can of diced fire roasted tomatoes, or use regular diced tomatoes
- 16 ounce can tomato sauce or pasta sauce
- 1 cup feta cheese, crumbled
- 1 cup mozzarella cheese, shredded
- Fresh basil and parsley, chopped
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 400°F. Spread the onion, peppers, zucchini and eggplant on a large baking sheet in a single layer, using two sheets if crowded.
- Drizzle with olive oil. Sprinkle with the oregano, basil, thyme, paprika, red pepper flakes, salt and pepper and toss to coat.
- Roast for 10 minutes. Stir, scatter the garlic over the vegetables, and roast 10 to 15 minutes more until tender and browned.
- Meanwhile, cook the pasta 2 minutes less than the package’s al dente time. Drain.
- Lower the oven to 350°F. In a 9×13 baking dish, stir together the roasted vegetables, diced tomatoes, marinara and pasta. Top with the feta and mozzarella.
- Bake uncovered for 20 to 25 minutes, until the cheese is melted and bubbling. Rest 5 minutes and garnish with fresh basil and parsley.
Notes
- Make ahead: Assemble without the cheese up to 24 hours ahead and refrigerate. Add the cheese and bake at 350°F for 30 to 35 minutes.
- Leftovers: Refrigerate in an airtight container for up to 3 days. Add a splash of water or sauce before reheating in the oven or microwave.
- Freeze: Wrap the cooled dish in a double layer of foil and freeze up to 3 months. Bake from frozen, covered, at 350°F for about 1 hour, uncovering for the last 10 minutes.
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
This worked exactly as written, thanks!
Hi, excited to try, have you ever made with adding in grilled chicken?
No but that is a great idea! You can easily add in pre-cooked or grilled chicken! Let me know how it turns out!