Easy Roasted Vegetable Pasta with Aubergine, Courgette & Cherry Tomatoes

This roasted vegetable pasta is a hearty, flavour-packed dinner ready in just over an hour. It's an easy vegetable pasta with caramelised aubergine, courgette and sweet peppers tossed through large tube pasta and finished with shaved parmesan.

The method is simple – vegetables roast in the oven, pasta boils on the hob, and everything comes together in one big skillet. As a vegetarian pasta recipe, it works for a quiet weeknight, a Lent-friendly meal, or a Meatless Monday plate. The flavours go deep thanks to dried oregano, basil, thyme and parsley, and the pan juices from the roasting tray do most of the heavy lifting for the sauce.

I love this roasted vegetable pasta because it keeps brilliantly in the fridge for two or three days, which makes it a strong option for batch cooking and packed lunches. The lemon squeeze at the end stops it from feeling heavy and lifts every bite.

Ingredients for Roasted Vegetable Pasta

• Large pasta shape (rigatoni, casarecce or paccheri) – These tube and twisted shapes hold the chunky vegetables really well and catch the herby pan juices in their grooves.
• Extra virgin olive oil – You'll need it for roasting the vegetables and for sautéing the onion base, so don't be shy with it.
• Aubergine – Roasted aubergine turns silky and slightly smoky in the oven, and it soaks up the herbs better than almost any other vegetable.
• Courgette – It softens in the oven without going mushy, and the green chunks add a fresh contrast to the deeper roasted flavours.
• Red peppers (or one red and one yellow/orange) – Sweet peppers turn sticky and almost candy-like when roasted, giving the dish a natural sweetness.
• Cherry tomatoes (or plum tomatoes) – These burst in the skillet and release their juices, building the light sauce that coats the pasta.
• Red onion – Sautéed onion gives the dish its savoury base and a touch of natural sweetness.
• Shallot – Milder and more delicate than onion, shallot rounds out the flavour without being sharp.
• Garlic cloves – No proper Mediterranean roasted vegetable pasta works without garlic – it adds depth and warmth to the herb mix.
• Dried oregano – The backbone of any Italian-inspired herb blend, with that classic Mediterranean note.
• Dried basil – Sweet and slightly peppery, dried basil holds up well to the cooking process.
• Dried parsley – Adds a gentle grassy note and a hint of colour to the herb mix.
• Dried thyme – Earthy and a little floral, thyme brings depth to the herb base.
• Fresh lemon juice – A squeeze at the end brightens up the roasted vegetable pasta and stops it from feeling heavy.
• Sea salt – Coarse sea salt seasons the vegetables before roasting and brings everything together.
• Cracked black pepper – A generous grind adds warmth and a gentle bite to the finished dish.
• Shaved parmesan – The salty, nutty flakes on top finish the plate and add a savoury edge.

How to Make Roasted Vegetable Pasta – Step by Step

Use this section for process shots, alternating between the step and image showing the step. Users don't like seeing process shots cluttering up the recipe card, so include your process shots here.

1. Step 1: Heat your oven to 200°C fan – it needs to be properly hot before the vegetables go in. Chop the aubergine and courgette into small cubes and cut the peppers into even pieces. A note on the aubergine: in other recipes I usually salt it first to draw out the liquid, but for this dish leave the moisture in. Those pan juices become the base of your sauce, so you want them. Spread everything on a roasting tray, drizzle generously with olive oil, season with sea salt and cracked black pepper, and toss until every piece is coated. Roast for around 20 minutes, stirring halfway through.

2. Step 2: Get your pasta on while the vegetables are in the oven. Cook it in well-salted water until al dente, then drain and reserve a cup of the starchy pasta water. In a large skillet with high walls, heat a good glug of olive oil over medium heat. Add the thinly sliced onion and sauté for about 2 minutes until it starts to turn golden. Stir in the minced shallot and garlic and cook for 30 seconds, then add the dried oregano, basil, thyme and parsley. Season with salt and black pepper, stir to coat the onions in the herbs, and let everything cook together for another minute so the herbs bloom.

3. Step 3: Add the halved cherry tomatoes to the skillet and let them cook, turning occasionally, until they start to break down and release their juices. Now begin adding the roasted vegetables in batches – this stops the pan from cooling down and helps you stir everything evenly. Add a portion, stir gently, then add another. Finish with a generous squeeze of fresh lemon juice and cook everything together for another 2 minutes so the flavours settle.

4. Step 4: Add the drained pasta to the skillet – please use a properly large pan or a cast-iron pot big enough to hold the lot. Gently toss everything together, then taste and adjust the seasoning. Add a splash of the reserved pasta water if it looks dry. Let the roasted vegetable pasta rest in the pan for 5 minutes before serving, then garnish with shaved parmesan and tuck in.

How to Serve and Store This Roasted Vegetable Pasta

Serve this roasted vegetable pasta warm, straight from the skillet, with extra parmesan shavings and a fresh grind of black pepper on top. It pairs beautifully with a simple green salad, garlic bread, or a glass of chilled white wine. Honestly, it tastes even better the next day – the flavours have time to settle and the vegetables soak up more of the herby juices.

Store leftovers in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 3 days and either reheat gently in a pan with a splash of water, or eat it cold as a pasta salad. The cold version is brilliant for packed lunches and picnic plates. This is why the roasted vegetable pasta keeps making it into my meal prep rotation – it's flexible, filling and forgiving.

More Pasta Recipes You'll Love

How Much Does This Roasted Vegetable Pasta Cost? Price Comparison Across Countries

Top Tips and Notes for the Best Roasted Vegetable Pasta

• Get the oven properly hot before the vegetables go in. A cold oven is the quickest way to end up with steamed, soggy vegetables rather than caramelised, golden ones. I always wait until the oven is fully preheated before sliding the tray in – at 200°C fan or 220°C conventional, you'll get those crisp edges and tender middles that make this dish what it is. Don't crowd the tray either, because steam is the enemy of proper roasting. If you're doubling the recipe, use two separate trays so each piece of vegetable has room to breathe.
• Cut the vegetables to a similar size. Even chunks roast evenly, and that matters more than you might think. If the aubergine is in big pieces and the courgette is in tiny ones, the courgette will burn before the aubergine softens. I aim for chunks roughly 2 to 3 cm across, which gives you nice bite-sized pieces that mix well with the pasta. Take a few extra minutes with the knife and the rest of the cooking goes smoothly.
• Don't salt the aubergine for this recipe. This goes against most aubergine advice, but here you actually want the moisture. As the aubergine roasts, it releases juice that mixes with the olive oil and herbs to create a natural sauce on the tray. Salting first would pull all that out and leave you with drier vegetables and less flavour to work with. For this particular roasted vegetable pasta, trust me and leave it as is.
• Choose a pasta shape with grooves or tubes. Rigatoni, casarecce, paccheri or fusilli all work really well here because they catch the vegetables and sauce in their ridges and curves. Smooth pasta like spaghetti or linguine slides around and the chunky vegetables fall off the fork. Tube pasta also holds up better when stored, so it's the right pick if you're making this roasted vegetable pasta for meal prep. I usually reach for rigatoni or casarecce depending on what's in the cupboard.
• Bloom your dried herbs in the oil. Adding dried oregano, basil, thyme and parsley to hot oil with the onions wakes up their flavour in a way that simply sprinkling them on top never does. You only need about 30 seconds to a minute – the herbs should smell fragrant and toasted, not burnt. This step is small but it makes a real difference to the final taste. Skipping it leaves the herbs tasting dusty and flat.
• Use a properly large skillet or pot. This recipe makes a lot of food, and you need room to toss everything without making a mess on the hob. I use a 30 cm skillet with high walls or a big sauté pan – anything smaller and you'll be fighting to mix the pasta and vegetables together. If your pan isn't big enough, transfer everything to your largest mixing bowl or even a clean roasting tray to combine. The roasted vegetable pasta needs space to come together properly.
• Let it rest before serving. Five minutes off the heat lets the pasta absorb the sauce properly and the flavours settle into each other. It's tempting to dive straight in, but a short rest improves the texture and makes each bite more cohesive. Cover the pan loosely with a lid or foil while it rests so nothing dries out. This tip applies to most pasta dishes, but it's especially useful here because of all the juices.

Roasted Vegetable Pasta – Frequently Asked Questions

Related

Looking for other recipes like this? Try these:

Pairing

These are my favorite dishes to serve with Roasted vegetable pasta:

Continue to Content

Yield: 4-6

Easy Roasted Vegetable Pasta with Aubergine, Courgette & Cherry Tomatoes

Print

Roasted vegetable pasta with caramelised aubergine, courgette, sweet peppers and cherry tomatoes tossed through tube pasta with Italian herbs and shaved parmesan. A hearty, easy vegetarian dinner that's perfect for Meatless Monday, Lent and meal prep.

Prep Time 15 minutes

Cook Time 30 minutes

Total Time 45 minutes

Ingredients

• 500 g large pasta shape such as rigatoni, casarecce or paccheri (1.1 lb)
• 60 ml extra virgin olive oil, divided between roasting and sautéing (¼ cup)
• 1 aubergine, cut into small cubes (eggplant)
• 1 courgette, cut into cubes (zucchini)
• 2 red peppers, or 1 red and 1 yellow/orange, cut into even pieces
• 1 red onion, thinly sliced
• 1 shallot, minced
• 4 garlic cloves, minced
• 250 g cherry tomatoes or plum tomatoes, halved (9 oz)
• 1 teaspoon dried oregano
• 1 teaspoon dried basil
• 1 teaspoon dried parsley
• ½ teaspoon dried thyme
• Juice of ½ lemon, freshly squeezed
• Sea salt, to taste
• Cracked black pepper, to taste
• 50 g shaved parmesan, to serve (½ cup)

Instructions

1. Preheat the oven to 200°C fan (220°C conventional / 425°F). Place the cubed aubergine, courgette and peppers on a large roasting tray. Drizzle with about 3 tablespoons of olive oil, season with sea salt and cracked black pepper, and toss to coat. Roast for 20 minutes, stirring halfway through, until golden and tender.
2. While the vegetables roast, bring a large pot of well-salted water to the boil. Cook the pasta until al dente according to the packet instructions. Reserve 1 cup of pasta water, then drain.
3. Heat the remaining olive oil in a large skillet with high walls over medium heat. Add the thinly sliced red onion and sauté for 2 minutes until it begins to turn golden. Stir in the minced shallot and garlic and cook for 30 seconds. Add the dried oregano, basil, thyme and parsley with a pinch of salt and pepper, then stir for 1 minute to bloom the herbs.
4. Add the halved cherry tomatoes and cook for 2 to 3 minutes, turning occasionally, until they begin to soften and release their juices. Start adding the roasted vegetables in batches, stirring gently between each addition. Finish with a generous squeeze of fresh lemon juice and cook for another 2 minutes.
5. Add the drained pasta to the skillet and gently toss everything together. Taste and adjust the seasoning, adding more salt or pepper if needed. Loosen with a splash of the reserved pasta water if the dish looks dry. Let it rest in the pan for 5 minutes, then garnish with shaved parmesan and serve.

Notes

Pasta shape: Tube or twisted shapes like rigatoni, casarecce or paccheri are best, as they catch the herby juices and chunky vegetables. Avoid thin pasta like spaghetti.

Don't salt the aubergine: Unlike other aubergine recipes, leave the moisture in – the juices help build the natural pan sauce that coats the pasta.

Cold pasta salad: This dish is brilliant cold the next day. Store in the fridge for up to 3 days and eat straight from the container or briefly warmed through.

Add protein: For extra protein, stir in cooked chickpeas, white beans or lentils. Grilled chicken or prawns also pair well if you're not strictly vegetarian.

Use a big pan: A 30 cm cast-iron skillet or large sauté pan with high walls is essential. There's a lot of food to toss together, and you need the space to do it properly.