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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!
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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!
Nutritional information is only an estimate. The accuracy of the nutritional information for any recipe on this site is not guaranteed.
This was a big hit for us. I swapped the fontina with moz because that’s what I had, and of course it was still fantastic. 5 stars because, obviously, it’s one bowl and so easy and fast AND delicious. and I love that you used spinach — I don’t eat as much meat as most folks. I’d give it 11/10 if I could! 🙂
Hey Heather,
Happy Sunday!! I truly appreciate you giving this a try and sharing your feedback, so glad it was enjoyed:) xx
Hi! I have been making this dish for some many years now! It is a family favorite and they have all added it to their special occasion meals! I noticed the recipe above doesn’t include Burrata Cheese. Didn’t it have that before? Am I wrong?
Hey Beena,
So glad to hear you have been enjoying this recipe!! Were you thinking of this recipe:
https://www.halfbakedharvest.com/spinach-and-sun-dried-tomato-burrata-pasta/
You could totally add burrata to this as well! Have a great weekend! xx
I’ve made this twice now, for my family and my sister’s family: we all loved it! It’s fun to experiment with cheese combinations. My adult son likes to cook and got a kick out of seeing it put together in the baking pan. Thank you!
Hi Paula,
Perfect! I appreciate you making this recipe and sharing your feedback, I am so glad it was a hit! xx
Oops. You didn’t add the red wine to the recipe list. I’m assuming half a cup or so?
Hi Gail,
Sorry if you missed it, but the recipe calls for 1 cup of red wine:) I hope this recipe turns out amazing for you! xx
Could I put everything together the night before, and then just throw it in the oven the next day?
Hi Erin,
Totally! I hope this recipe turns out amazing for you, let me know if you give it a try! xx
Those cheese individually are pricey, could I just sub in 4 cups of shredded Italian cheese mix? It has all these cheeses in it.
Hi Lisa,
I don’t love pre-shredded cheese, it doesn’t melt very well:) If that is your only option, then it should be okay! xx
I make HBH recipes all the time, and have several that I make regularly, but this one was not a repeat recipe for me. I followed the instructions exactly for cooking, but the rigatoni was still not soft when we went to eat it. It wasn’t hard, but not near al dente. We ate some since it was late, and put the rest back in the oven with it off and my husband said that made it better. It was definitely easy enough to put together, but with how unhealthy this meal is, it’s not worth it to me to try again. I’ll stick to trying another new HBH recipe.
Thanks as always, for all the recipes you share with us.
Hi Alissa,
Thanks for giving this recipe a try and sharing your feedback, so sorry to hear it was not enjoyed! xTieghan
This was an awesome recipe. The whole family loved it! Certainly a keeper. I may try adding Italian sausage next time.
Hey Pam,
Happy Friday!! Thanks a ton for making this recipe and sharing your review, I am so glad it was a winner:)
Made this with gluten free brown rice penne and it turned out amazing! I did not alter the recipe at all.I just substituted my gluten free pasta and it worked out great. Thanks for this amazing recipe for a meatless option.
Hi Liz,
Perfect!! I appreciate you giving this recipe a try, I love to hear that it was a winner! xTieghan
Hi! I made this again last night, added 1 pound cooked salt & pepper pork sausage. I do use a huge bowl to mix it all together in and then I transfer it to the cooking pan, that way I don’t spill off the sides. It was AMAZING once again. Thank you!!!
Hey Lisa,
Happy Sunday!! I am thrilled to hear that this recipe was a hit, thanks a lot for making it! xT
Great idea to pre mix in a bowl! It always spills over the side for me too. Will do that tomorrow when I make it for a 3rd time – so good, otherwise!!!
Thanks Erica!!
I’ve made this before and it was wonderful!! I’m going to make it again for a group that really likes Italian sausage. I was thinking of using half sweet and half hot sausage. I would break it up and cook it first. Do you think that would work? Also, do you have an amount of sausage you would recommend? Thank you.
Hey Regina,
Happy Wednesday! Thanks a bunch for trying this recipe out, I love to hear that it was a winner! Totally, I think the sausage would be a great idea, I would do 1 pound. xx
Wow, wow, wow!!! I’ll definitely make this again. I loved it — so much cheese and great flavor! My partner liked it, although he would’ve preferred it with ground turkey and thicker, heavier noodles. I only had wide egg noodles, which he thought would be better for soup.
The only negative for me, was the prep time FAR exceeded the 15 minutes stated on the recipe. Just grading, shredding, and cubing the cheeses took 20 or 30 minutes, and my partner did that part while I worked on the rest.
Hi Phyllis,
Happy Sunday!! I love to hear that this recipe was a hit, thanks for making it! Sorry this took longer than expected. xTieghan
Hey! Can you use fresh baby spinach instead of frozen? That is what I have on hand. Thanks, Donna
Hi Donna,
Yes, that will work for you, but you will want to sauté it down and drain any liquid. I hope you love the recipe! xTieghan
so you don´t cook the pasta at all? You just put it in the oven? Thanks!
Hi Nicolle,
Correct:) It will cook in the oven! Please let me know if you have any other questions, I hope you love the recipe! xx
Finally made this. Wow, such a great recipe. Used Pinot Noir and drank some with it. Thank you for sharing your talents!
Hi Carley,
Happy Sunday!! I am thrilled to hear that this recipe was enjoyed, thanks for sharing your review and making it! xxT