Vegan Rigatoni Al Forno (Italian Pasta Bake)
It would certainly be a nice story if I told you that I came up with this recipe for Rigatoni al Forno during my last Italy vacation. But that's not the case, unfortunately. The truth is, I remember this Italian casserole so well because I absolutely loved ordering it from our pizza delivery service as a kid – not very glamorous, I know. But that's just how it is sometimes.
What is Rigatoni al Forno and how do you make it vegan?
Rigatoni al Forno is an Italian dish and exactly what the name says: rigatoni from the oven. Rigatoni are those larger, tube-shaped, and ridged pasta noodles that also come in a shorter version called "mezzi rigatoni." Traditionally, they're baked in a casserole dish with a creamy ground meat tomato sauce, ham, peas, and cheese – absolute comfort food! We're making the dish completely vegan, of course. For that, we're using plant-based ground meat and making a cheesy vegan béchamel sauce. We ended up skipping a ham substitute because during recipe testing, we felt the vegan alternatives didn't really come through flavor-wise. However, if you insist, you can add some fried smoked tofu cubes.
Quick note:
This recipe has been updated The vegan Rigatoni al Forno is actually an older recipe on our blog, so we thought it was time for a little photo upgrade! While we were at it, we also tweaked the recipe slightly:
First, we added peas for a bit of green, which you'll also find in some classic recipes.
Second, we replaced the soy granules with plant-based ground meat. This not only makes preparation faster but also easier – just toss it straight into the pan and start cooking! You can still use soy granules, of course, but don't forget you'll need to soak them first.
Third, we also refined the sauce a bit: Previously, we made it with tapioca starch. That still works great, but we wanted to make it a little simpler. So now it's a classic béchamel sauce where we melt the plant-based shredded cheese right in. For extra cheesiness, you can sprinkle another layer of plant-based cheese on top of the casserole.
But don't worry: If you'd prefer to stick with the old recipe, you can still find it at the very bottom of this page.
Vegan Rigatoni Al Forno (Italian Pasta Bake)
Ingredients
For the plant-based meat sauce:
- 1 onion
- 1 clove of garlic
- 500 g (1 lb) plant-based ground meat
- 2 tbsp tomato paste
- 1 tbsp agave syrup
- 1 tbsp dried oregano
- 1 tsp sweet paprika powder
- 500 ml (2 cups) tomato puree
- 250 ml (1 cup) plant-based cooking cream
- 100 g (3.5 oz) frozen peas
- vegetable oil for frying
- salt
- pepper
For the plant-based cheesy béchamel:
- 3 tbsp plant-based butter
- 3 tbsp wheat flour (type 405)
- 200 ml (0.75 cup) plant-based milk
- 250 ml (1 cup) plant-based cooking cream
- 1–2 tbsp nutritional yeast
- 100 g (3.5 oz) plant-based shredded cheese
- salt
- pepper
- nutmeg
Additionally:
- 500 g (1 lb) (mezzi) rigatoni
- fresh basil for serving
Instructions
Peel the onion and garlic and chop into fine cubes.
Heat vegetable oil in a large pan and first sauté the onion cubes for 3–4 minutes until they're translucent. Then fry the garlic for 1–2 minutes. Add the plant-based ground meat to the pan and fry for 5–6 minutes until it's browned. Add tomato paste, agave syrup, dried oregano, paprika powder, salt, and pepper, and heat for another 2–3 minutes. Pour in the tomato puree and plant-based cream, and add the frozen peas. Let simmer while the pasta cooks.
Bring salted water to a boil in a large pot and cook the rigatoni al dente according to package instructions. Then drain, add to the sauce, and mix everything well.
For the plant-based béchamel, melt the plant-based butter in a small pot. Add the flour and stir well with a whisk. Pour in the plant-based milk and cream while continuing to stir, so you get a smooth, white sauce. Add nutritional yeast and plant-based shredded cheese, and stir until the cheese has melted. Season the sauce with salt, pepper, and nutmeg to taste.
Preheat the oven to 180 °C / 355 °F (convection heat). Transfer the rigatoni with the sauce to a baking dish (9 x 13 inches / 23 x 33 cm) and pour the plant-based béchamel over it. Bake for approximately 20 minutes on the middle rack until the casserole is nicely browned on top – if you like, you can also broil it briefly for extra browning. Let the casserole cool for a few minutes before serving and sprinkle with fresh basil.
Vegan Rigatoni Al Forno (Old Recipe)
Ingredients
- 500 g (17.6 oz) rigatoni pasta
- oil for greasing the casserole
- fresh basil leaves for serving
vegan meat sauce
- 150 g (5.5 oz) fine soy granules
- 1 tbsp powdered veggie stock
- 3 tbsp vegetable oil
- 1 onion
- 1 garlic clove
- 1 tbsp agave syrup
- 2 tbsp tomato paste
- a sip of vegan red wine
- 1 tsp dried oregano
- 0.5 tsp dried thyme
- 0.5 tsp paprika
- 500 ml (2 cups) sieved tomatoes
- 250 ml (1 cup) plant-based cream for cooking
- salt
- pepper
plant-based cheese sauce
- 3 tbsp flour
- 3 tbsp plant-based butter
- 250 ml (1 cup) plant-based cream for cooking
- 1-2 tbsp nutritional yeast
- 2 tsp tapioca starch
- 100 g (3.5 oz) vegan grated cheese
- 2 tbsp vegetable oil
- 2 tbsp water
- salt
- pepper
Instructions
vegan meat sauce
- Soak soy granules in boiling water, add powdered veggie stock and wait for 5-10 minutes or until the granules are soft. Stirring occasionally. Afterwards, squeeze as much water out of the soy granules as possible.
- In the meantime, peel and finely dice garlic clove and onion.
- Heat vegetable oil is a large frying pan and fry garlic and onion for approx. 3 minutes or until translucent. Now add soy granules and roast for another 10 minutes, until soy granules is browned.
- In the meantime, cook pasta according to package instructions.
- Add agave syrup, a splash off red wine and tomato paste to the soy meat in the frying oan and let simmer for 2 minutes. Now add sieved tomatoes and vegan cream and mix everything. Season with salt, pepper, thyme, and oregano to taste.
- Add the cooked pasta into the pan, mix well and season to taste again.
vegan cheese sauce
- Melt plant-based butter in a small pot. Now add flour and keep stirring all the time.
- Mix in the vegan cream to get a smooth, white sauce.
- Add tapioca starch, nutritional yeast, salt, and pepper. Stir to combine and set aside.
- In a small bowl, mix the plant-based grated cheese with oil and water. This way, the vegan cheese melts much better.
Baking
- Grease the casserole with vegetable oil. Add the pasta-sauce-mixture and spread the vegan cheese sauce evenly on top of the pasta. If used, sprinkle vegan grated cheese on top.
- Bake casserole at 180°C/350°F for 20 - 25 minutes until the vegan cheese crust is golden brown.
- When the casserole is done, remove from the oven and let it rest for ten more minutes to cool down a little bit. Serve with fresh basil.
