Vegetarian Baked Ziti Recipe

This Vegetarian Baked Ziti Recipe is delicious, cheesy, and packed with vegetables. The summer veggies are cooked into the sauce, creating a healthy and flavorful meal that is great for a weeknight dinner. This baked ziti is comfort food to the max and can easily be made ahead of time or frozen for later.

My comfort-food love language is a big bowl of cheesy baked pasta, and this Vegetarian Baked Ziti definitely hits the spot! It’s packed with fresh summer veggies and the filling is creamy and cheesy. I like to make a big pan of this baked ziti so we can enjoy leftovers for lunches or freeze them for an easy dinner in future.

What Is Baked Ziti?

Baked Ziti is a classic Italian-American baked pasta dish. It’s made by mixing ziti noodles with sauce and then adding them to a baking dish with a layer of shredded cheese and ricotta in the middle. Baked ziti is a delicious comfort food dish that can be made with extra veggies or ground meat. In my vegetarian version, I’ve added tons of cooked veggies to the sauce, making it really hearty and delicious.

Why You’ll Love This Cheesy Baked Ziti Recipe!

• It’s pure comfort food – I don’t know about you, but cheesy baked pasta can be so cozy and comforting, especially when served in the fall or winter when it’s cold outside and you need something to warm and fill you up.
• You can make a big batch – This baked ziti recipe has a few steps, but it’s easy to make a huge pan of it so you can have leftovers to eat throughout the week. You can also freeze them for an easy dinner in the future. It’s a great cozy meal to make for a friend who’s just had a baby or needs a little extra love.
• It’s packed with veggies – I’m always looking for an excuse to add extra veggies to my meals, and this vegetarian baked ziti has over 6 cups of extra vegetables. You can use any veggies you like.

Vegetarian Baked Ziti Recipe Ingredients and Substitutions

• Pasta – Ziti is a type of pasta similar to penne, but it’s smooth and has no outside ridges. You should be able to find ziti in the pasta aisle at any grocery store. If you can’t find ziti, you could use penne or rigatoni instead.
• Vegetables – I used a mixture of red and green bell peppers, zucchini, summer squash, and onion. This recipe is easily adaptable to the veggies you have on hand or that you prefer.
• Sauce – I used two jars of cheap marinara sauce for this recipe. We add a lot of other flavors to the sauce, so there’s no need to spend extra money on an expensive sauce unless you want to.
• Cottage Cheese – Ricotta cheese is traditionally used in baked ziti, but I used blended cottage cheese for my filling. Cottage cheese isn’t really any better for you than ricotta, but it’s what I had on hand, and it’s similar in taste and texture.
• Mozzarella Cheese – Shredded mozzarella cheese is best for this baked ziti recipe. It creates a nice crust on top when baked until golden brown and is the traditional cheese used in baked ziti. You can also use a Monterey Jack cheese if you like.
• Fresh Herbs – Fresh basil would be great for this recipe, but I only had parsley on hand, and it worked well, too. You can also add fresh thyme or oregano if you like.
• Seasonings – I like to add a little dried oregano, granulated garlic, salt, and pepper to the vegetables and sauce. They add some nice extra flavor, but they can easily be omitted if you don’t have them on hand. It just depends on how flavorful your tomato sauce is to begin with.

How To Make Baked Ziti

1. Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F and lay out a large baking dish. I used a 9×13 size. Fill a large pot with water and bring to a boil over medium-high heat. Add your ziti pasta and cook until aldente. Drain the pasta and set aside until ready to use. If you like, you can mix a little bit of oil or butter into the cooked pasta to make sure it doesn’t all stick together.
2. Heat a large skillet over medium heat and add in about 2 teaspoons olive oil. Next, add all your diced vegetables (zucchini, squash, bell peppers, and onion). Season with 1 teaspoon salt, 1/2 teaspoon black pepper, 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder and 1/2 teaspoon dried oregano. Mix together well and cook vegetables until softened, about 10 minutes. Add the garlic and fresh herbs, and cook another 4-5 minutes.
3. Add the marinara sauce to the vegetables and mix everything together well. Next, add the cooked pasta and mix again. This may be easier to do in a large bowl, depending on how much your skillet fits. Set aside.
4. To a medium sized bowl, add the cottage cheese and 3 cups of shredded mozzarella cheese. Feel free to add fresh herbs or other seasonings as well. Mix together until completely combined.
5. Assemble your baked ziti: Add about half of the ziti and vegetable mixture to the bottom of your baking dish and spread out in an even layer. Spoon all of the cheese mixture on top and spread out until it touches the edges of the pan. Add the remaining half of the pasta and then top with about 1 cup of shredded mozzarella cheese.  
6. Cover with aluminum foil and place in the preheated oven. Bake the ziti for a total of about 45-50 minutes, removing the foil about 2/3 of the way through so the cheese on top can brown. Ziti will be done once the sauce is bubbling and cheese is completely melted. Let cool for a few minutes before serving.

Recipe Frequently Asked Questions

• Can this baked ziti be made gluten-free? Yes, just use gluten-free pasta. I’m not sure if they make gluten-free ziti pasta, but I’m sure you can find something similar at most grocery stores.
• Can you make vegan baked ziti? Yes. Use a vegan mozzarella and vegan ricotta cheese substitute. I use a great vegan ricotta recipe in my vegan stuffed shells.
• How much does this recipe make? This recipe does make a lot, which is why it calls for two jars of marinara sauce and about four cups of shredded mozzarella cheese. You can easily divide the recipe in half if you want to make a smaller portion.
• Is baked ziti freezer-friendly? Yes, this is a great recipe to freeze. I suggest assembling until just ready to bake and then freezing. You can place it in the oven from frozen; it will just take a little longer to bake than if fresh. You can also freeze leftovers after you’ve baked them and reheat in the microwave or the oven.
• How long do leftovers last?  If stored in an air-tight container, leftovers should last 4-5 days in the refrigerator.

Have a question I didn’t answer? Ask me in the comment section below, and I will get back to you ASAP!

Looking For More Vegetarian Baked Pasta Recipes?

Baked Ziti with Spinach and Chickpeas

Spicy Baked Pasta with Vegetarian Meatballs

Spinach Feta Baked Pasta

Baked Pesto Orzo with Cherry Tomatoes and Feta

30 Minute Gnocchi Lasagna Bake

Vegetarian Baked Ziti Recipe

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• Author: She Likes Food
• Total Time: 1 hour 20 minutes
• Yield: 6-8 1x
• Diet: Vegetarian

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Description

This Vegetarian Baked Ziti Recipe is delicious and cheesy, while also being packed with tons of vegetables! The summer veggies are cooked into the sauce, which creates a healthy and flavorful meal that is great for a weeknight dinner.  This baked ziti is comfort food to the max and can easily be made ahead of time, or even frozen for later.

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Ingredients

Scale 1x2x3x

• 1 lb ziti pasta, uncooked
• 2 teaspoons olive oil, or your favorite oil
• 1 small zucchini, diced
• 1 small summer squash, diced
• 1 red bell pepper, diced
• 1 green bell pepper, diced
• 1/2 large yellow onion, diced
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 teaspoon black pepper
• 1/2 teaspoon dried oregano
• 1/2 teaspoon granulated garlic
• 2–3 cloves garlic, minced
• 1/4 cup chopped fresh herbs, such as parsley or basil (optional)
• 2 (24 oz) jars marinara sauce
• 2 cups smooth blended cottage cheese, or ricotta cheese
• 4 cups shredded mozzarella cheese, divided

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Instructions

1. Pre-heat oven to 400 degrees F and lay out a large baking dish, I used a 9×13 size.  Fill a large pot with water and bring to a boil over medium-high heat.  Add in your ziti pasta and cook until pasta is aldente.  Drain pasta and set aside until ready to use.  You can mix a little bit of oil or butter into the cooked pasta to make sure it doesn’t all stick together, if you like.
2. Heat a large skillet over medium heat and add in about 2 teaspoons olive oil.  Next, add in all your diced vegetables (zucchini, squash, bell peppers and onion).  Season with 1 teaspoon salt, 1/2 teaspoon black pepper, 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder and 1/2 teaspoon dried oregano.  Mix together well and cook vegetables until softened, about 10 minutes.  Add in the garlic and fresh herbs and cook another 4-5 minutes.
3. Add the marinara sauce to the vegetables and mix everything together well.  Next, add in the cooked pasta and mix again.  This may be easier to do in a large bowl, depending on how much your skillet can fit.  Set aside.
4. To a medium sized bowl, add the cottage cheese and 3 cups of shredded mozzarella cheese.  Feel free to add fresh herbs or other seasonings as well.  Mix together until completely combined.
5. Assemble your baked ziti: Add about half of the ziti and vegetable mixture to the bottom of your baking dish and spread out in an even layer.  Spoon all of the cheese mixture on top and spread out until it touches the edges of the pan.  Add on the remaining half of the pasta and then top with about 1 cup of shredded mozzarella cheese.
6. Cover with aluminum foil and place in the pre-heated oven.  Bake ziti for a total of about 45-50 minutes, removing the foil about 2/3 of the way through so the cheese on top can get nice and browned.  Ziti will be done once the sauce is bubbling and cheese is completely melted.  Let cool for a few minutes before serving.

Notes

I like to dice my vegetables really small for this recipe so there isn’t huge chunks, but it’s totally up to you what you prefer.

This recipe makes a huge pan of baked ziti!  You can easily divide recipe in half if you want to make a smaller amount.

• Prep Time: 20 mins
• Cook Time: 60 mins
• Category: Dinner, Vegetarian
• Method: Stovetop, Oven
• Cuisine: Italian American