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Vegetarian Baked Ziti is perfect for a cozy and hearty vegetarian dinner when you want something that is easy to throw together and will be a crowd-pleaser! This baked ziti recipe is customizable and can be made gluten-free if needed.
I’m not usually a bit fan of baked pasta but this Vegetarian Baked Ziti completely changed my outlook on baked pasta. I’ve always loved and creaminess of a one pot tomato pasta or one pan broccoli cheddar orzo pasta, but have found many baked pastas to be dry.
This baked ziti recipe is creamy, saucy, cheesy and has the perfect texture.
What is Baked Ziti?
Baked Ziti is similar to lasagna since they are both baked pasta dishes, but lasagna has more distinct layers and sheets of pasta.
Vegetarian Baked Ziti is made with ziti noodles, tomato sauce, cheese and sometimes vegetables or meat. It is an Italian-American pasta dish that gets baked in the oven.
Recipe Highlights
- Ready in 30 minutes. Who doesn’t want to have dinner on the table in 30 minutes? This baked ziti comes together quickly and uses simple ingredients to help you save time in the kitchen.
- High in protein: This pasta dish is packed with 18 grams of protein per serving. For another high-protein pasta you’ll love also try my Cottage Cheese Mac and Cheese!
- Easy to make. You’ll be surprised how easy it is to make Vegetarian Baked Ziti with a few simple ingredients. If you love this recipe also try this Vegetarian Lasagna Soup.
- Customizable. If you like vegetable-baked ziti, you can add any of your favourite vegetables to this baked pasta! This dish can also be made gluten-free if needed.
Baked Ziti Recipe Ingredients
- Ziti noodles: ziti is a tube-shaped pasta that is similar to penne or rigatoni. If you can’t find ziti noodles you can substitute them with penne or rigatoni.
- Olive oil: make sure to use high-quality olive oil for the best taste.
- Garlic: fresh garlic will help flavour the baked ziti sauce to make it delicious!
- Tomato sauce: you can use any can or jar of your favourite tomato sauce.
- Ricotta cheese: fresh ricotta cheese from a cheese store is the best here. Use leftover ricotta to make a batch of zucchini involtini.
- Parmesan cheese: make sure to use fresh parmesan cheese, not the “fake” kind.
- Shredded mozzarella: this is optional, but is used to coat the baked ziti so it becomes nice and cheesy once baked.
- Salt & pepper: to season.
How to Make Vegetarian Baked Ziti
Step 1
Add the garlic to a pot with some olive oil on medium-high heat and let saute for just a minute. Then add in a jar of tomato sauce, mix together and reduce the heat to low, letting the sauce simmer on the stove for 10 minutes.
Step 2
In a mixing bowl, mix together the ricotta cheese, parmesan cheese, basil, salt and pepper until well combined.
Step 3
Boil the pasta according to the package directions in a large pot then add the cooked pasta to the pot of tomato sauce and stir together until the noodles are evenly coated.
Tip: you want to cook the pasta to be al dente (with a slight bite to it) as it will continue to cook in the tomato sauce and when it’s baked.
Step 4
Now it’s time to layer our baked ziti! Grab a 9×13 inch baking dish and layer some pasta into the dish, followed by dollops of the ricotta mixture.
Step 5
Add more pasta over the ricotta filling and then top with shredded mozzarella cheese.
Step 6
Bake in the oven at 425 degrees F for about 10-15 minutes until the cheese is bubbly. Top with some fresh basil and serve immediately.
Vegetables you can add
If you want to make this recipe into a Vegetable Baked Ziti, there are many different types of vegetables you can add. Here are some great options:
- Eggplant
- Zucchini
- Red pepper
- Mushrooms
- Cauliflower
- Tomatoes
- Spinach
You’ll want to cut the vegetables into small pieces and cook the vegetables before adding them to the pasta bake. There are a couple of different ways you can cook them.
The first option is to toss the vegetables with some olive oil and roast them in the oven at 400 degrees for 10-15 minutes. The second option is to sautee the vegetables in a skillet with some oil on medium-high heat for 5-10 minutes until tender.
Then you can add the vegetables to the pot of pasta and tomato sauce and proceed with the recipe.
Expert tips for making baked ziti
- Cook the pasta to al dente. The pasta will continue to cook in the oven, so you don’t want to overcook it in the pot.
- Salt the pasta water. Salting pasta water helps to add flavour to the noodles and will result in a super flavourful baked ziti.
- Use good quality cheese. Parmesano Reggiano and a creamy ricotta work best.
- Use a good quality tomato sauce or marinara sauce. Pick up a jar of your favourite pasta sauce to make this recipe with!
How to Store and Reheat Baked Ziti
Baked pasta will store well in the fridge for up to 5 days. It’s best reheated in the oven at 350 degrees for 10-15 minutes, or in the microwave. This recipe does not freeze well. While some people do freeze pasta, I find it makes the pasta mushy.
Vegetarian Baked Ziti FAQ
You can substitute ricotta cheese for cottage cheese, or mascarpone cheese or for a dairy-free option a vegan creamy cheese. (I recommend the Kite Hill brand.)
When baking pasta for a long time, you usually cover it with foil to prevent it from drying out. Since this baked ziti only goes in the oven for 10 minutes, there is no need to cover it up.
For this baked ziti recipe you should cook the pasta al dente (with a slight bite to it.) This recipe is baked in the oven for just 10 minutes, so there’s no need to drastically undercook the pasta like with some other recipes where the ziti is baked much longer
What to Serve with Baked Ziti Pasta
Baked ziti pasta makes a great vegetarian main dish. I like to serve this dish with a side of salad. Here are a few of my favourites:
More pasta recipes to try
If you tried this Vegetarian Baked Ziti or any other recipe on the blog let me know how you liked it by leaving a comment/rating below! Be sure to follow along on Pinterest, Instagram and Facebook for even more deliciousness!
Vegetarian Baked Ziti
- Prep Time: 20 minutes
- Cook Time: 10 minutes
- Total Time: 30 minutes
- Yield: 6 servings
- Category: Main
- Method: Cook
- Cuisine: Italian
- Diet: Vegetarian
Description
This Vegetarian Baked Ziti is made with layers of pasta, tomato sauce and ricotta for a delicious comforting meal!
Ingredients
- 8–10 ounces of ziti(can sub penne or rigatoni)
- 1 tbsp olive oil
- 4 garlic cloves, finely chopped
- 1 12-14 oz jar tomato sauce (or marinara sauce)
- 1 cup ricotta cheese
- 1/3 cup grated parmesan cheese
- 1/2 cup basil leaves, chopped
- salt and pepper to taste
- 1/2 cup shredded mozerella cheese
- fresh basil or parsley to top
Instructions
- Cook the pasta: add the pasta to a large pot according to package directions. While the pasta cooks prepare the rest of the ingredients.
- Prepare the tomato sauce: Heat the olive oil in a large pot on medium-high heat. Add the garlic and let cook for 1 minute. Add the tomato sauce and mix together. Then lower the heat to low and let simmer for 10 minutes.
- Add pasta to the sauce: add the cooked ziti noodles to the pot of tomato sauce and mix together.
- Make the ricotta filling: Mix the ricotta, parmesan, basil, salt and pepper together in a mixing bowl to combine.
- Assemble the baked ziti: To assemble the baked ziti, start by layering the pasta in a 9×13 baking tray, followed by dollops of the ricotta filling. Add more pasta on top then top it all off with shredded mozerella cheese.
- Bake: Bake at 425 degrees F for 10 minutes until golden brown.
- Serve: optionally top with more fresh basil and serve immediately.
Notes
Cook the pasta to al dente. The pasta will continue to cook in the oven, so you don’t want to overcook it in the pot.
Salt the pasta water. Salting pasta water helps to add flavour to the noodles and will result in a super flavourful baked ziti.
Use good quality cheese. Parmesano Reggiano and a creamy ricotta work best. If you don’t want to make homemade sauce, you can use a jar of your favourite pre-made pasta sauce.
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1/6th recipe
- Calories: 340
- Sugar: 3g
- Sodium: 300mg
- Fat: 12g
- Saturated Fat: 5g
- Carbohydrates: 34g
- Fiber: 2g
- Protein: 18g
Made this with additional veggie crumbles and chickpea pasta. It was tasty!
Happy you enjoyed it Karen!
I just made this recipe for the first time with Trader Joe’s rigatoni and it was delicious. However, I did make a few changes. First of all, I mixed the sauce and cheese together as I mixed it with the pasta. I then topped the casserole with a small amount (about two ounces or 50 grams) of shredded mozzarella and I baked it for 20 minutes. Thank you for the recipe!
Glad you enjoyed the recipe! 🙂
Recipe was very easy to make. For dietary reasons, I omitted the garlic and used used thinly sliced porcini mushrooms. Other than that, I followed your recipe and it is absolutely delicious! This will definitely be a new go to recipe. Next time I make it, I will try adding 1/4 cup shredded carrots and 1/4 zucchini for a boost of additional nutrition and moisture. Thanks for the great recipe.
Happy you enojyed it! 🙂
Hi! This looks amazing. But because of the crazy of Christmas I’m looking for something that I can make ahead and then just bake fresh when it’s time for dinner.
Do you think that would work for this recipe? And if so, do you have any suggestions for me so that I don’t mess it up? Thanks so much
Hi Lynn, you can definitely make this ahead of time! Just assemble the pasta with the ricotta and spinach mixture in the pan and cover and place in the fridge. When you are ready to bake it add the cheese on top and bake.
I used this recipe for my first time making baked ziti. It turned out perfect! I used a little more pasta than the recipe called for since I’m not a sauce fan. It was delicious. The recipe was easy to follow. I’ll start trying variations with other veggies next time since it turned out well this time. Thanks for posting!
Happy you enjoyed it Alisa!
So good! Both of my kids devoured this and one of my kids is the pickiest eater ever. Definitely will be making again!
what size is the can of chopped tomatoes?
14oz can! Added that specification to the recipe 🙂