Easy Baked Rotelle Pasta
Ginny McMeans
Published:
July 30, 2016
Last Modified:
July 28, 2025
Easy Baked Rotelle Pasta is comfort food to the max. It all gets tossed together and baked for a cozy meal the whole family will love.
Italian-style casseroles are welcome any season of the year. Just ask my husband. If I am not sure what to make for dinner, he’ll say pasta.
When that pasta is all layered in a casserole, then all the better. All that’s left to place on the table is crusty bread and a salad.
My preference is to pre-cook pasta before putting together the casserole. I know there are many recipes where you can throw in the uncooked pasta and bake it all at once, but I really do taste all the extra starch.
Do you have boxes and bags of different kinds of pasta in your cupboards? Me too! I am a visual type of person, so all my pasta, beans, and rice are in large kitchen jars right on my shelves.
I think many people have a problem trying to find things in their cupboards. The glass jars solve a lot of my problems. So I started pulling out the ingredients for Easy Rotelle Pasta Casserole and I was ready to go in about 2 minutes.
Did I mention everything is probably already in your cupboard? Go for it and get your ingredients lined up too so that you can have a delicious supper tonight.
Baked Rotelle Pasta Recipe Ingredients
- Coconut oil – Is great for browning, so I like to use this to saute the onions and meatless ground beef for this sauce.
- Diced white onion white – More tender than yellow onion and stands out well in taste.
- Meatless ground beef – You can choose a plain vegan meat substitute or go with a flavored meat substitute for some extra kick! I like the vegan ground beef that Gardein makes, but other brands like Beyond and Impossible are great and readily available choices too.
- Water – The tomato sauce is a bit too thick on its own, so a bit of water helps to get it to the right consistency for tossing with your pasta. You could use vegetable stock for extra flavor.
- Canned diced tomatoes – Choose plain or fire-roasted for some extra flavor!
- Tomato paste – Acts as a thickening agent and also adds a deep, umami-rich tomato flavor to the sauce.
- Dried oregano – Is wildly aromatic and provides undeniably Italian flavor. I used dried oregano as I find it better in dishes that are simmering for some time.
- Garlic powder – Goes a long way in the flavor department by using just a little bit!
- Cooked rotelle pasta – Has a distinctive ‘wagon wheel’ shape with ridges on the edges, making it great for dishes where you want the sauce to cling to the pasta.
- Vegan shredded cheese – Vegan mozzarella cheese shreds are perfect, or try shredded vegan parmesan cheese for a nuttier flavor.
Step-by-Step Instructions
- Preheat and sauté. Preheat the oven to 350℉ and heat some coconut oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add diced onion and cook until translucent, about 10 minutes.
- Add meat substitute. To the skillet, add your favorite plant based ground beef. Separate it with a wooden spoon and cook for about a minute or so until it resembles small crumbles.
- Combine remaining ingredients. To the meat mixture, add water, canned diced tomatoes, tomato paste, dried oregano, and garlic powder. Stir to mix well.
- Cook. Bring the sauce to a boil, then reduce the temperature to low-medium. Cover and cook for about 15 minutes, then turn off the heat.
- Stir in cooked pasta. Add cooked rotelle pasta, folding it into the sauce mixture.
- Transfer. Pour the hot pasta mixture into a large 9″ x 13″ casserole and spread it out evenly. Sprinkle the top with grated vegan cheese.
- Bake. Bake in the preheated oven for about 20 minutes, until the casserole is hot all the way through and the cheese topping is golden and bubbly.
- Cool, slice, and serve. Let the casserole rest for a few minutes (otherwise it will be difficult to cut) before slicing into portions and serving!
Watch Us Make Easy Baked Rotelle Pasta
How To Store
Refrigerating Cool down the pasta casserole, then portion and pack it into airtight containers. Store the leftovers in your fridge for up to 3 days.
Freezing Use a freezer-safe container or heavy-duty freezer bags. It’s a good idea to portion the casserole into smaller servings before freezing for easier thawing and reheating. Store in the freezer for up to 3 months.
Thawing Thaw your frozen rotelle pasta casserole in the refrigerator overnight the day before you plan to use it.
Reheating Bake, covered, at 350°F for 20 minutes, then uncover and bake for 10 to 15 more minutes until hot and bubbly. Cooked pasta tends to soak up moisture as it sits, so you may need to add a bit of extra sauce or moisture to prevent it from drying out during reheating.
Baked Rotelle Pasta Recipe
Ingredients
- 1 Tbsp coconut oil
- 1/2 cup diced white onion
- 1 package (12-16 oz.) meatless ground beef, such as Gardein
- 1/2 cup water
- 14 oz. canned diced tomatoes (if your can is 15 oz. that’s fine too!)
- 1/4 cup tomato paste
- 1/2 tsp dried oregano
- 1/4 tsp garlic powder
- 1 box (12-16 oz.) rotelle pasta, cooked according to package directions (usually 8-10 min)
- 10 oz. shredded vegan cheese, such as mozzarella
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350℉. Heat the coconut oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add the diced onion and cook until translucent, about 10 minutes.
- Add the plant-based ground beef, separating it with a wooden spoon, and cook for about a minute or so until it resembles small crumbles.
- Add the water, canned diced tomatoes, tomato paste, dried oregano, and garlic powder. Stir to mix well.Â
- Bring the sauce to a boil, then reduce the burner to low-medium heat. Cover and cook for about 15 minutes, then turn off the heat.Â
- Add the cooked pasta and fold it into the sauce.Â
- Pour the hot pasta mixture into a large 9" x 13" casserole and spread it out evenly. Sprinkle the top with vegan cheese shreds.Â
- Bake for about 20 minutes, until the casserole is hot all the way through and the cheese topping is golden and bubbly.Â
- Let the casserole rest for a few minutes (otherwise it will be difficult to cut), before slicing into portions and serving!Â
