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One Pan 4 Cheese Sun-Dried Tomato and Spinach Pasta Bake…for nights when you’re craving Italian, but also need something simple and easy to prepare. Rigatoni pasta baked in a sun-dried tomato sauce that’s cheesy and so delicious! The secret to this one-pan pasta? Cooking the pasta in red wine. No boiling water, no extra pans! This is the perfect fall and winter dish to serve any night of the week. But is equally awesome for your next Saturday night dinner. It’s delicious and looks pretty on any table…not to mention that everyone LOVES a GOOD baked pasta. This pasta dish will be your new go-to!

overhead photo of One Pan 4 Cheese Sun-Dried Tomato and Spinach Pasta Bake

It’s about this time every year, that I really lean into those recipes that I know my family will love most. The week before Thanksgiving is usually when family members begin to slowly arrive…my brothers, cousins, all the girlfriends, and a few other strays that always seem to trickle in.

This year, things are looking pretty different, just my siblings and cousins (who kind of became siblings when my aunt passed). Even though our gathering will be smaller, I still wanted to keep some of my same traditions alive. Enter this pasta. It’s one of those recipes that feeds a crowd, and definitely one of those dinners that makes everyone happy.

I love serving a simple baked pasta on everyone’s first night back home for Thanksgiving and or Christmas. I usually add a side salad and some beer bread. It’s always the perfect dinner to welcome everyone back home during the days leading up to Thanksgiving. It’s easy for me to prepare, and the perfect simple but delicious dinner. It pretty much says, “welcome home for the holidays, cozy up, and stay awhile”.

Such a cheesy line, but I’m all about cheesy these days.

overhead prep photo of One Pan 4 Cheese Sun-Dried Tomato and Spinach Pasta Bake before baking

Since so many of our holiday plans are different, I wanted to share a recipe that would give everyone that same feeling of comfort. Nothing really beats a home-cooked meal, but I figure if you can’t go home, why not bring a little of “home” to your kitchen.

I mean, right? Yes, yes. Of course. Thankfully this is easy to prepare, so whether you love cooking or are just a beginner in the kitchen, this is easy enough that we can all recreate it…

Hello to one pan and done.

side angled photo of One Pan 4 Cheese Sun-Dried Tomato and Spinach Pasta Bake before baking

Here are the details.

This is a pasta I’ve been making for a while now. It’s the recipe I fall back on when I’m busy and have zero time to put in any effort for dinner. Kind of what I call the effortless dinner.

You ready for this? Add every single ingredient to a large baking dish. Add water, then cover the dish and bake. No boiling water, no pots, nothing fancy at all.

Once everything is mixed up in the baking dish, simply add the water right into the dish. I know it may seem odd, but trust me, it works. Just cover with foil and bake until that cheese is bubbly. Cooking the pasta together with the sauce saves you from additional prep work and having to break out another pot. Not sure about you guys, but I am all about fewer dishes.

Easy, right? YES. But yet the outcome is DELICIOUS.

side angled photo of One Pan 4 Cheese Sun-Dried Tomato and Spinach Pasta Bake being pulled up out of the baking dish

Here are some keys for success.

First, you want to use a short cut pasta for this. Since we’re cooking the pasta all together in the baking dish, the short cut is able to more evenly cook. I love using rigatoni, but you can use any short cut pasta you love!

Second, the red wine. Of course, if you don’t drink wine you can omit this and swap for chicken or vegetable broth. Make this work for you. But if you do enjoy wine, use the wine. It adds a richness that really compliments the sun-dried tomatoes within the sauce.

overhead close up photo of One Pan 4 Cheese Sun-Dried Tomato and Spinach Pasta Bake

And that brings me to the tomatoes. I like to use a mix of crushed tomatoes and sun-dried tomatoes. The sun-dried tomatoes are KEY for adding flavor to this. You’re going to use both the tomatoes and that oil left behind in the jar. Between the herbed oil and the sweet tomatoes, you’ll get so much flavor from just one ingredient.

And lastly, the cheeses! Four types of cheese are better than one…right? Of course. I used a combination of melty fontina cheese, asiago, parmesan, and sharp provolone. ‘Tis a delicious combination, but feel free to use whatever cheese you have on hand. All cheese is good cheese.

overhead photo of One Pan 4 Cheese Sun-Dried Tomato and Spinach Pasta Bake

And that is it. This takes only about an hour to prepare. Then you’ll have cheesy baked pasta ready for eating….and your kitchen will still be semi-clean! But even more importantly, it’s going to smell like an Italian grandma’s kitchen. It’s an amazing aroma, and trust me, this rigatoni tastes even better. Think saucy, but still heavy on the pasta, with a good amount of seasonings and herbs. The wine and tomatoes add a hearty richness, and all that cheese on top…well that’s the best part!

You see, you can’t go wrong with a baked pasta like this. My one tip? To make this dish fancy…ish, serve it topped with fried oregano and a bottle of red wine. Perfect for these long November and December nights.

photo of One Pan 4 Cheese Sun-Dried Tomato and Spinach Pasta Bake in serving bowl with fork

Looking for other easy pasta bakes? Here are my favorites: 

One Pot 30 Minute Creamy Tomato Basil Pasta Bake

Slow Roasted Mushroom Pasta with Crisp Rosemary Chickpeas

Roasted Red Pepper Alla Vodka Pasta with Cheesy Oregano Breadcrumbs

Lastly, if you make this One Pan 4 Cheese Sun-Dried Tomato and Spinach Pasta Bake, be sure to leave a comment and/or give this recipe a rating! Above all, I love to hear from you guys and always do my best to respond to each and every comment. And of course, if you do make this recipe, don’t forget to tag me on Instagram! Looking through the photos of recipes you all have made is my favorite!

One Pan 4 Cheese Sun-Dried Tomato and Spinach Pasta Bake

Author: Tieghan Gerard
Prep Time 15 minutes
Cook Time 1 hour
Total Time 1 hour 15 minutes
Servings: 8
Calories Per Serving: 473 kcal

Nutritional information is only an estimate. The accuracy of the nutritional information for any recipe on this site is not guaranteed.

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Ingredients

US Customary - Metric

Instructions

  • 1. Preheat the oven to 375° F. Oil a 9x13 inch baking dish.
    2. To the baking dish, add the tomatoes, tomato paste, sun-dried tomatoes...plus 3 tablespoons of the oil left in the jar, the spinach, garlic, basil, oregano, red wine, and 1 1/2 cups water. Season with red pepper flakes, salt, and pepper. Stir to combine. Add the dry pasta, fontina cheese, asiago, and parmesan, tossing to coat. Push down gently on the pasta to submerge it. Sprinkle the provolone evenly over top.
    3. Rub the underside of a piece of foil with oil. Tightly cover the baking dish with the foil, oiled side facing down. Bake for 40 minutes. Uncover and bake another 15- 20 minutes, or until the cheese is melted and bubbly. Remove from the oven and top with fresh herbs.
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Comments

    1. Hi Mary,
      Yes, that will work well for you, just cook it down and drain the excess liquid first. I hope you love this recipe, please let me know if you give it a try. xx

      Reply

  2. 3 stars
    If I were to do this again, I would use chicken stock instead of red wine – or maybe half and half. As it was, the dish turned out too heavy for my taste – the red wine flavor was a bit overpowering. I like how easy this was and found that the noodles were cooked fully, but I don’t know that I’ll try it again. The flavor wasn’t what I was going for.

    Reply

  3. Tieghan I made this recipe last evening. All I can say is DELICIOUS!! I’m very fussy about my Italian and this was so flavorful and the cheeses were not heavy. I will certainly make this again. I halved the recipe because I made it for 2. Worked out great. I didn’t use the provolone either. It was still out of this world. 3/2/22

    Reply

    1. Hi Maryann,
      Happy Friday!! I am so glad to hear this recipe was a winner, thanks for giving it a go:) xTieghan

      Reply

    1. Hey Diane,
      Sorry, I am not sure what you are referring to, this recipe uses regular pasta, you can follow the instructions as is. Please let me know if you give the recipe a try, I hope you love it! xTieghan

      Reply

  5. 5 stars
    This was incredible! I did add a bit more water based on comments and eyeballing the dish before baking, maybe an extra third/half cup, and it was perfect. Definitely a dish that I’ll make again and again!

    Reply

    1. Hi Ashley,
      Happy Friday!! I am thrilled to hear that this recipe was enjoyed, thanks so much for making it! xTieghan

      Reply

  7. 5 stars
    This dish is amazing! I have made it for my family, who loved it. I also made for my friends who just became new parents! Such an easy recipe once you get all the ingredients. Will continue to make this and share with others during the cold winter months.

    Reply

    1. Hey Whitney,
      Happy Wednesday!! So glad to hear that this recipe was enjoyed, thanks so much for making it! xTieghan

      Reply

  8. 4 stars
    I loved the flavor in this recipe. The cheese and tomato combination was top notch! However, I did feel like a lot of “stuff” was left over after I ate the noodles and am curious if it could be made with a bit less of the ingredients and still taste as good! I felt bad wasting as much as I did. In the end I will still make it again – it paired great with fresh bread!

    Reply

    1. Hey Della,
      Thanks for giving the recipe a try, sure you could reduce the veggies if you wanted. Let me know if you have any other questions! xTieghan

      Reply

  9. This was our first HBH recipe and we love it! (We have become followers and cook at least 2 recipes a week). It seems like it would be heavy with all the cheeses, but it is a very light & flavorful pasta dish. Bonus that it is all in one dish!

    Reply

    2. This looks delicious! Do you think it could be made with gluten free rigatoni? If so, would you change any of the directions? Thanks and look forward to trying it.

      Reply

      1. Hey Bridget,
        GF noodles would be just fine to use, you can follow the recipe as is. Please let me know if you have any other questions!! xTieghan

        Reply

  10. 5 stars
    Yummy!!!! I made this tonight and everyone loved it. It was a great one pan recipe which came in handy since we are remodeling our kitchen and don’t have a kitchen sink or countertops. I was able to make it using my oven cook top as a counter. I can’t wait to make it for my friends.

    Reply

  11. This looks amazing! Can you make it partially ahead of time? Or would you suggest cooking and reheating? Thinking of bringing this to a friend with a new baby 🙂

    Reply

    1. Hey Anna,
      You can make up until the point of baking and then give the baking instructions to your friend. I hope you love the recipe! xTieghan

      Reply

  12. Hi Tiegan,

    I made this recipe last night and it is truly one of your very best yet. ITT comes together very quickly and it passes the important to me “reheat test” meaning leftovers reheat well for another great dinner later in the week.

    Thank you for another great one.

    Reply

    1. Hey Bruce,
      Happy Friday!! I am thrilled to hear this recipe was enjoyed, thanks a bunch for giving it a go! xxT

      Reply

  13. 5 stars
    Thanks so much for this recipe, Tieghan! Every Monday night my husband and I have a houseful of cousins and friends of our children over for dinner, and tonight we had this delicious pasta meal. It got rave reviews all around, and it was so easy to make! I appreciate your creativity, which blesses our table multiple times a week! Thank you for all of your hard work.

    Reply

    1. Hi Diane,
      You will want to use a box of dried pasta. Please let me know if you give the recipe a try, I hope you love it! xTieghan

      Reply