Bacon Veggie Pasta Bake

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A filling and nutritious pasta bake made with penne pasta, bacon, leek, carrot, garlic, passata, cream and grated cheese. Feel free to customise with your favourite veggies and small cut pasta.

A baking dish filled with baked penne pasta in a tomato-based sauce, topped with melted cheese and garnished with chopped parsley.

This Creamy Tomato and Bacon Veggie Pasta Bake is the ultimate comfort food - rich, cheesy and packed with flavour. It's an easy, family-friendly dinner that comes together quickly on the stovetop before finishing in the oven with a golden, bubbling cheese topping. Perfect for busy weeknights, leftovers, or when you need a reliable crowd-pleaser on the table. For another amazing pasta bake, be sure to check out our Ravioli Pasta Bake.

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Ingredient notes:
Step by step instructions:
Recipe FAQs:
Storage:
Top tips:
Related Recipes:
Bacon Veggie Pasta Bake

Ingredient notes:

Ingredients for a pasta dish laid out on a countertop, including penne, leek, carrot, bacon, tomato passata, cream, cheese, garlic, and a small bowl of oil.

Bacon: I've used streaky bacon in this recipe, it's easy to slice, full of flavour and has no rind (which you don't want in a pasta bake!). I've tried this with cheap bacon bits before and it really does affect the overall taste of the dish. It's worth spending a little more for nicer tasting bacon if you can.
Leek: Leek adds loads of flavour and richness to the sauce. There's no onion in this recipe, but leek is part of the same family and brings that lovely savoury base. If you don't have leek, you can swap it for a finely diced onion to keep the flavour balanced.
Cream: The cream gives the sauce a beautiful, velvety texture and helps balance the acidity of the tomatoes. You can swap it for sour cream, cream cheese, or even evaporated milk if you prefer a lighter option. However you may need to balance the acidity of the sauce with a little honey. For a plant-based version, try coconut cream or a dairy-free cream alternative.

Note: Scroll to the recipe card for the ingredients, quantities and the full method.

Step by step instructions:

Bring a large pot of salted water to the boil and cook the pasta until almost done but still slightly firm in the middle. Reserve 1 cup of pasta water, then drain and set aside. Preheat oven to 200°C fan bake.

Raw bacon strips arranged in a single layer inside a black frying pan on a stovetop, ready to be cooked.

A hand holds a leek under running water in a sink, cleaning it; another leek is lying in the sink.

In a large frying pan, cook the bacon over a high heat until crispy. While it's cooking, clean the leek then slice thinly, peel and chop the carrot into small pieces and crush the garlic.

Chopped and sliced raw bacon on a wooden cutting board beside a kitchen knife.

Chopped leeks, diced carrots, and minced garlic arranged on a black cutting board, with bowls and measuring cups in the background.

Remove the bacon from the pan, chop into small pieces, then return to the pan with the leek and carrot. Sauté for a few minutes until softened.

A frying pan containing chopped bacon, sliced leeks, and diced carrots, arranged in sections, on a stovetop.

A pan with chopped vegetables, bacon, tomato paste, and minced garlic cooking on a stove, with a pot of cooked penne pasta in the background.

Stir through the tomato paste and garlic, cooking for 1 minute. Add the passata, cream, reserved pasta water and season to taste with salt and pepper. Simmer for about 10 minutes on a medium heat until the carrots are slightly tender.

A hand pours cream from a measuring cup into a frying pan containing tomato sauce, chopped vegetables, and bacon on a stovetop.

A pan of tomato sauce is simmering on a stovetop, with bubbles forming and a wooden spoon resting inside.

Combine the sauce and pasta in a baking dish (mine measures 25 x 34cm), then scatter over the cheese.

Cooked penne pasta in a black tray is being topped with a tomato-based vegetable sauce from a pan.

A hand sprinkles shredded cheese over a tray of penne pasta mixed with tomato sauce and vegetables on a kitchen countertop.

Bake for 10 minutes, then switch to grill for another 5 minutes until the cheese on top is golden and bubbling.

A black baking dish of baked penne pasta with tomato sauce and cheese, garnished with herbs, sits next to a white bowl of the same pasta with a spoon.

Recipe FAQs:

Can I use another type of pasta?

Yes! Any short pasta like fusilli, rigatoni or macaroni will work well. Definitely avoid the long shapes such as spaghetti or fettuccine. You want smaller pasta that mixes nicely with the sauce and vegetables. I like using penne because it doesn't soak up too much sauce, while spirals tend to hold a lot in their grooves, so the bake can feel a little less saucy overall.

Can I add more veggies?

Definitely! Try adding chopped spinach, frozen peas, mushrooms, courgette or capsicum for extra colour and nutrition. I have made this before with a variety of veggies and it was very yummy.

Can I make it ahead of time?

Absolutely. Assemble the pasta and sauce up to a day of 2 in advance, add the grated cheese and cover and store in the fridge. Then just do the baking step before serving, increase the bake time (more like 20mins+grilling) because starting from cold in the middle will be take longer to heat through.

Storage:

Store in the fridge, covered or in an airtight container, for up to 5 days. This pasta bake can also be frozen, well wrapped, for up to 3 months. Thaw overnight in the fridge, then reheat in the microwave or bake at 180°C fan bake until piping hot in the middle. Note: the pasta will be softer after freezing.

Top tips:

Cook the pasta until just al dente (or even slightly undercooked), as it will continue to cook in the oven. This helps prevent a mushy pasta bake.
I used a 25 × 34cm dish, but any baking dish will work. A wider dish gives more surface area for golden, cheesy edges (the best part!).

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Bacon Veggie Pasta Bake

Yield: Serves 6 as a main

Prep Time: 10 minutes

Cook Time: 35 minutes

Total Time: 45 minutes

A filling and nutritious pasta bake made with penne pasta, bacon, leek, carrot, garlic, passata, cream and grated cheese

Ingredients

500g penne pasta
400g streaky bacon
1 leek, finely sliced
1 carrot, diced
2 Tbsp tomato paste
4 clove garlic, crushed
680 g passata tomato pasta sauce, 1 jar
250 ml cream
1 cup reserved pasta water
120g cheddar cheese, grated

To serve

Fresh herbs
Side salad

Instructions

Bring a large pot of salted water to the boil and cook the pasta until almost done but still slightly firm in the middle. Reserve 1 cup of pasta water, then drain and set aside.
Preheat oven to 200°C fan bake.
In a large frying pan, cook the bacon over a high heat until crispy. While it’s cooking, clean the leek then slice thinly, peel and chop the carrot into small pieces and crush the garlic.
Remove the bacon from the pan, chop into small pieces, then return to the pan with the leek and carrot. Sauté for a few minutes until softened.
Stir through the tomato paste and garlic, cooking for 1 minute. Add the passata, cream, reserved pasta water and season to taste with salt and pepper. Simmer for about 10 minutes on a medium heat until the carrots are slightly tender.
Combine the sauce and pasta in a baking dish - I used 25 x 34cm. Scatter over the cheese and bake for 10 minutes, then switch to grill for another 5 minutes until the cheese on top is golden and bubbling.

Notes

Cook the pasta until just al dente (or even slightly undercooked), as it will continue to cook in the oven. This helps prevent a mushy pasta bake.
I used a 25 × 34cm dish, but any baking dish will work. A wider dish gives more surface area for golden, cheesy edges (the best part!).

Nutrition Information:

Yield: 6 Serving Size: 1
Amount Per Serving: Calories: 612Total Fat: 34gSaturated Fat: 13gUnsaturated Fat: 21gCholesterol: 93mgSodium: 1747mgCarbohydrates: 39gFiber: 4gSugar: 8gProtein: 34g

Nutritional values are approximate. Please use your own calculations if you require a special diet.

Thank you for checking out this recipe. I hope you enjoy making and eating it! If you have any questions, queries or feedback, please feel free to leave a comment below.
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Vanya