Plant-Based Protein Ragù Rigatoni Bake
Protein that tastes like meat (without the meat)
- Wheat
- Milk
Craving the comfort of a hearty ragù, minus the meat? We’ve got you covered. Here, we swap in a ground plant-based protein, which we season with Tuscan herbs and spices, scallions, and garlic, then simmer it in a rich, creamy tomato sauce. It’s tossed with al dente rigatoni noodles, then blanketed with Italian cheeses and panko breadcrumbs and baked until crispy and melty. Who needs the meat when you’ve got all that?
Ingredients
6 ounce
Rigatoni Pasta
(Contains: Wheat)
9 ounce
Ground Plant-Based Protein
1 unit
Crushed Tomatoes
2 tablespoon
Cream Cheese
(Contains: Milk)
1 clove
Garlic
½ cup
Italian Cheese Blend
(Contains: Milk)
¼ cup
Panko Breadcrumbs
(Contains: Wheat)
2 unit
Scallions
1 tablespoon
Tuscan Heat Spice
Not included in your delivery
1 tablespoon (tbsp)
Olive Oil
1 tablespoon (tbsp)
Butter
(Contains: Milk)
teaspoon (tsp)
Salt
1 teaspoon (tsp)
Sugar
2 teaspoon (tsp)
Cooking Oil
teaspoon (tsp)
Black Pepper
Nutrition Values
Utensils
Cooking Steps
• Heat broiler to high. Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Wash and dry produce. • Trim and thinly slice scallions, separating whites from greens. Peel and mince garlic.
• Once water is boiling, add rigatoni to pot. Cook, stirring occasionally, until al dente, 10-12 minutes. • Reserve ½ cup pasta cooking water, then drain.
• While pasta cooks, heat a large drizzle of oil in a large, preferably ovenproof, pan over medium-high heat. Add half the plant-based protein* (all for 4 servings). Using a spatula, press into an even layer; cook, undisturbed, until browned on the bottom, 3-4 minutes. (Save any remaining plant-based protein for another use.) • Break up protein into pieces and continue cooking until browned all over and warmed through, 3-4 minutes more. • Add scallion whites, garlic, Tuscan Heat Spice, salt, and pepper; cook, stirring, until scallions are slightly softened, 1 minute.
• Add crushed tomatoes and 1 tsp sugar (2 tsp for 4 servings) to pan with plant-based protein. • Pour in ½ cup plain water (¾ cup for 4), salt, and pepper; bring to a boil. Reduce heat to medium low and simmer until slightly thickened, 5-7 minutes. • Stir in cream cheese and 1 TBSP butter (2 TBSP for 4) until melted and combined. • While sauce simmers, in a small bowl, combine panko with 1 TBSP olive oil (2 TBSP for 4). Season with salt and pepper.
• Stir drained rigatoni into pan with sauce. If needed, stir in reserved pasta cooking water a splash at a time until rigatoni is thoroughly coated in sauce. Taste and season with salt and pepper. TIP: If your pan isn’t ovenproof, transfer mixture now to a baking dish. • Evenly sprinkle with Italian cheese and panko mixture.
• Broil pasta until cheese melts and panko is browned, 2-4 minutes. TIP: Watch carefully to avoid burning. • Sprinkle with scallion greens. Divide between plates and serve.
Customer reviews
Review summary
Updated on Dec 2025- Flavor: Many loved the rich, hearty taste; some couldn't tell it wasn't real meat. A few found it needed more seasoning or sauce.
- Ease of prep: Customers praised how quick and simple this dish was to make, with clear instructions for most.
- Suggestions: Consider adding vegetables like spinach or zucchini. Some preferred smaller pasta shapes to better hold the sauce.
- Portions: Generous servings often yielded leftovers; many found it filling and satisfying for families.
- Plant-based protein: Most were pleasantly surprised by the taste and texture, though a few didn't enjoy it.
Reviews from our home cooks
1. Fresh scallions on top of this dish adds an incongruous taste. All the scallion should go in the sauce. 2. The "preferably oven proof" pan for the protein needs to be non-stick. The plant-based protein sticks like crazy and easily burns. The initial cooking time for it is also 2-3 minutes too long at medium-high as written. 3. 1 tbsp oil is a bit too much for the amount of panko provided. It turned into sopping wet sand. Suggest 1/2 tbsp. OR more panko. A delicious recipe! Just needs a few small tweaks to be outstanding.
The plant-based protein was so good!! Love this recipe, looking forward to more recipes with meat alternative. The spice level and flavors were so good! Very hearty, good for a cool night in December.
We liked it! Good sauce to pasta ratio. I love the plant-based protein. (I wish it was a replacement option on all ground beef recipes.) The recipe shows this as 'spicy', but we didn't quite get that. And why would you have the broiler turned on at the very beginning? I mean, I didn't do that, b/c that's a long time for a broiler to be on, broiling an empty oven while everything else cooks...
Surprisingly good! Our first try at plant-based protein. It works well in this recipe. My only complaint is that it was a little dry and needed more sauce. I added in Prego Spagetti Sauce, which did the trick. My husband didn't even realize that it wasn't hamburger. ;)
I was curious but a little hesitant to try something with a plant-based protein. Cooking it, I thought I had made a terrible mistake. It didn't want to flatten in the pan per the instructions, and looked and smelled like plastic. Oh, but the finished product! It was absolutely delicious! I'm still thinking about it two weeks later and can't wait to get it again!!!! It needs to be available again asap!
Actually added crushed red pepper flakes to pump up the spice but it was really good!!! I havent had great success using plant based protein like this recipe used so I was a little hesitant, but Im really glad I went with it!
My husband is truly hard to please with Plant Based Protein and he LOVED this meal. The recipe only called for half the "meat" so he made a burger for himself the next day. NEVER have I seen him do that with veggie meat. Color me super surprised and loving it.
This was so filling that my husband and I saved half for the next night. The plant based protein looks and tastes like hamburger.
The recipe is OK, except for HelloFresh's tendency to make everything sweet by adding sugar (which I didn't). However, the plant based protein tasted and smelled funky, not pleasant, including the after-smell of the house. I've had other plant based proteins before and they tasted much better. Not a good ingredient!
This was the first meal I prepared after joining Hello Fresh! I was very impressed and we enjoyed it very much. It has flavor and the Plant-based protein tasted like Italian sausage!
