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Baked eggplant pasta with Diavolo sauce is spicy, nutty and incredibly delicious. This simple eggplant casserole is easy to assemble and bakes in 30 minutes for an easy weeknight meal that’s comforting and flavorful. It’s easy to customize this baked Rigatoni with Eggplant to include your favorite vegetables or use ingredients you have in your pantry.
If your family loves a little heat, they will love this spicy eggplant casserole. The roasted eggplant is tender and nutty and disappears into the casserole, so it’s the perfect way to add extra vegetables to your diet. Everyone loves baked eggplant pasta.
If you love pasta casseroles, try my Baked Chicken and Broccoli Pasta, Easy Baked Spaghetti Pasta or Chicken Alfredo Lasagna Roll Ups.
Why You’ll Love This Roasted Eggplant Casserole
- It’s Easy. Cook the pasta while the eggplant roasts in the oven, then combine everything and bake it for just 30 minutes.
- It’s Adaptable. Keep this vegetarian, add cooked chicken or beef, or easily make this gluten free by swapping the rigatoni for gluten free pasta.
- It’s Picky Eater Friendly. Do you have picky kids? Or maybe you’re not a fan of eggplant? This recipe is the perfect way to hide your veggies in a tasty Rigatoni with eggplant casserole.
Spicy Eggplant Casserole Ingredients
- Pasta: use 1 pound of rigatoni or your favorite tube-style pasta.
- Eggplant: cut a fresh, medium eggplant into 1-inch pieces.
- Olive Oil: or use your favorite light, neutral-flavored oil.
- Salt & Pepper
- Aromatics: freshly minced garlic and yellow onion add so much flavor.
- Sauce: a jar of spicy Diavolo sauce gives this baked eggplant pasta a nice kick. Use regular pasta sauce if you prefer.
- Seasonings: Italian seasonings and red chili flakes are added for flavor and spice. Omit the chili flake for a milder dish.
- Fresh Herbs: use freshly torn basil leaves in the dish and fresh parsley for garnish.
- Cheese: shredded mozzarella cheese and parmesan cheese make the rigatoni with eggplant creamy and delicious.
How To Make Baked Eggplant Pasta
- Prepare the equipment. Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F. Line a baking tray with parchment paper and keep it aside.
- Cook the pasta. Cook the rigatoni pasta according to the package instructions in salted water minus 2 minutes. Reserve 1 cup of pasta cooking water and drain the remaining water and keep the cooked pasta aside.
- Roast the eggplant. Add the eggplant pieces along with the 3 tablespoons of olive oil, salt and pepper on the parchment paper. Massage the eggplants to coat the oil evenly. Roast the eggplants for 20-25 minutes, flipping them halfway through.
- Prepare the sauce. Heat a heavy bottom dutch oven on a medium flame with a tablespoon of olive oil. Add in the garlic and chopped onions. Cook until the onion turns translucent. Add in the Diavolo sauce and cook for 5-7 minutes. Add in the spices; Italian seasonings, red chili flakes, salt and pepper. Allow the sauce to simmer for 2 more minutes and add the basil leaves.
- Combine the pasta and sauce. Reserve ¼ cup of sauce for later use and add the cooked pasta in the remaining sauce and if needed add the reserved water pasta water.
- Build the casserole. Spread the reserved ¼ cup of sauce over a 9X13 casserole dish at the bottom. Add a layer of pasta over the sauce. Add in the half portion of roasted eggplant over the pasta layer followed by 1 cup of mozzarella cheese and ½ cup of parmesan cheese layer. Repeat the same again; remaining pasta, roasted eggplant layer, ending with the spread of remaining cheese.
- Bake. Bake them for 20-25 minutes until the cheese is melted and bubbly.
- Garnish and serve. Once done, garnish the dish with freshly chopped parsley and basil on top and serve.
Tips To Make Rigatoni with Eggplant
- Chop the eggplant into similar-sized pieces for even cooking.
- Don’t over oil the eggplant before roasting. The eggplant will absorb a lot of oil, but 3 tablespoons are all you need.
- Cook the pasta 2 minutes less than usual so it is quite al dente. It will finish cooking while the dish bakes in the oven.
- Be sure to salt the pasta water heavily.
- Reserve some pasta water to help thin the sauce later in the recipe.
- Experiment with different pasta shapes such as macaroni or penne. A short pasta will have the best results.
- Reserve a bit of the sauce to coat the bottom of the baking dish.
- Add in cooked, shredded chicken or ground beef before baking if you want meat protein in the dish.
- Add more veggies if you desire, such as mushrooms, bell peppers, zucchini and olives.
- Experiment with different cheeses.
Frequently Asked Questions
Yes. Diavolo sauce is a marinara sauce with peppers or red pepper flakes added to it to give it some heat. If yoy prefer a mild dish, you can use your favorite sauce brand. If you want a little heat, use regular sauce and add a bit of crushed red pepper flakes to taste.
Peeling eggplant is a personal preference. The skin is edible and full of nutrients. I like to leave the skin on, but you can remove it if you prefer.
Some people swear by salting the eggplant, but it just isn’t necessary in most cases. Roasting eggplant will make it tender and nutty and salting it doesn’t make sense in this recipe.
Cool the eggplant casserole completely, then cover and place in the fridge. The baked pasta will keep for up to 4 days. To reheat large amounts, cover the dish with foil and bake it in a 350 degrees F oven for 15-20 minutes. For single portions, reheat in the microwave.
Yes. This baked eggplant pasta freezes very well. After combining the ingredients in a casserole dish, cover the dish tightly and transfer it to the freezer for up to 3 months. Bake from frozen in a 350 degrees F oven for 45 minutes to an hour.
Spicy Eggplant Pasta can be served with Easy Homemade Garlic Knots, Homemade Roasted Garlic Bread, Mozzarella Caprese Salad or Brussels Sprouts Salad.
More Eggplant Recipes
- Baked Eggplant Parmesan Lasagna
- Baba Ghanouj
- Maghmour (Lebanese Moussaka)
- Sheikh El Mahshi (شيخ المحشي )
I hope you enjoy all the recipes I share with you, including this delicious Rigatoni with Eggplant recipe. I hope you try it, enjoy it, rate it, and share it with your friends and family!
If you try this recipe and liked it, please leave a star rating and comment below. Use my hashtag to share it with me on Instagram so I can see your delicious recreations! Also, follow me at Cookin’ With Mima on FACEBOOK |INSTAGRAM |PINTEREST for all of my latest social posts and recipes.
Baked Eggplant Pasta
Ingredients
- 1 lb rigatoni
- 1 medium eggplant, cut into 1 inch pieces
- 4 tablespoons olive oil, divided
- 1 teaspoon garlic, minced
- ½ medium yellow onion, chopped
- 1 28 oz Diavolo sauce, in jar
- 1 teaspoon Italian seasonings
- ½ teaspoon red chili flakes
- 4-5 fresh basil leaves, torn
- 2 cups mozzarella cheese, shredded
- 1 cup parmesan cheese, grated
- 2 tablespoons fresh parsley, chopped
- Salt & Pepper, to taste
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F. Line a baking tray with parchment paper and keep it aside.
- Cook the rigatoni pasta according to the package instructions in salted water minus 2 minutes. Reserve 1 cup of pasta cooked water and drain the remaining water and keep the cooked pasta aside.
- Add the eggplant pieces along with the 3 tablespoons of olive oil, salt and pepper on the parchment paper. Massage the eggplants to coat the oil evenly. Roast the eggplants for 20-25 minutes flipping them halfway through.
- Heat a heavy bottom dutch oven on a medium flame with a tablespoon of olive oil. Add in the garlic and chopped onions. Cook until the onion turns translucent.
- Add in the diavolo sauce and cook for 5-7 minutes. Add in the spices; Italian seasonings, red chili flakes, salt and pepper. Allow the sauce to simmer for 2 more minutes and add the basil leaves.
- Reserve ¼ cup of sauce for later use and add the cooked pasta in sauce and if needed add the reserved water pasta water.
- Spread the reserved ¼ cup of sauce over a 9X13 casserole dish at the bottom. Add a layer of pasta over the sauce. Add in the half portion of roasted eggplant over the pasta layer followed by 1 cup of mozzarella cheese and ½ cup of parmesan cheese layer. Repeat the same again; remaining pasta, roasted eggplant layer, ending with the spread of remaining cheese.
- Bake them for 20-25 minutes until the cheese is melted and bubbly.
- Once done, garnish the dish with freshly chopped parsley and basil on top and serve.
Notes
- Chop the eggplant into similar-sized pieces for even cooking.
- Don’t over oil the eggplant before roasting. The eggplant will absorb a lot of oil, but 3 tablespoons are all you need.
- Cook the pasta 2 minutes less than usual so it is quite al dente. It will finish cooking while the dish bakes in the oven.
- Be sure to salt the pasta water heavily.
- Reserve some pasta water to help thin the sauce later in the recipe.
- Experiment with different pasta shapes such as macaroni or penne. A short pasta will have the best results.
- Reserve a bit of the sauce to coat the bottom of the baking dish.
- Add in cooked, shredded chicken or ground beef before baking if you want meat protein in the dish.
- Add more veggies if you desire, such as mushrooms, bell peppers, zucchini and olives.
- Experiment with different cheeses.
