Easy Meatless Baked Ziti Recipe
Enjoy a delicious and hearty meal with this easy meatless baked ziti recipe. With a blend of creamy ricotta and melted mozzarella cheese, this dish is guaranteed to become a new favorite in your household.
This easy baked ziti recipe is a tasty vegetarian dinner option. It’s a crowd-pleasing dish that even meat-lovers will enjoy!
Why You’ll Love This Meatless Baked Ziti
- This classic meatless baked ziti is the perfect comfort food. If you love lasagna, you’ll love baked ziti as well. While lasagna and ziti have some differences, there are many similarities between the two dishes.
- This recipe makes a lot, so it’s a great one to make for purposeful leftovers—it’s great for lunch the next day!
- You can also make this recipe ahead to save time.
Affiliate links included below, which means I may make a small commission at no extra cost to you. Read my disclosure here.
Supplies You’ll Need
- Mixing bowls
- Measuring cups
- Measuring spoons
- Cutting board
- Large skillet
- Baking dish (9″x13″)
Ingredients Needed for Meatless Baked Ziti
Ziti Pasta: You can use either regular ziti or gluten-free pasta.
Olive Oil: For sautéing the vegetables (onion and zucchini).
Seasonings: Salt, pepper, Italian seasoning, oregano, basil, and red pepper flakes add flavor.
Garlic: Fresh garlic for extra flavor.
Crushed Tomatoes: Instead of using spaghetti sauce or marinara, this recipe features a homemade tomato sauce.
Heavy Cream: For added richness.
Ricotta Cheese: Ricotta cheese adds so much creamy texture and delicious flavor.
Parmesan Cheese: Parmesan cheese is combined with two other cheeses to add the perfect combination of cheese flavors!
Mozzarella Cheese: I love to buy a large brick of mozzarella from Azure Standard and grate my own.
Egg: This helps bind the filling together.
How to Make Meatless Baked Ziti
1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees F making sure the oven rack is in the middle.
2. Boil your pasta in a large pot of salted water for 2 minutes less than the package directions say. Your noodles will continue cooking in the oven. Drain well once they are done and set aside.
3. Add the oil to a large skillet and heat over medium heat. Add the onion and zucchini and cook until the zucchini is almost done but not quite yet, about 8 minutes.
Drain any moisture from the skillet if there is any. Add the garlic, salt, pepper, Italian seasoning, basil, oregano, and red pepper flakes, and cook another minute. Add the crushed tomatoes and cup of cream to the skillet and cook for a few minutes till it’s warm.
Add the pasta to the sauce and stir to combine. Season with more salt or pepper to taste.
4. In a small mixing bowl combine the ricotta cheese, egg, salt, pepper, mozzarella cheese, and parmesan.
5. Pour half the pasta and sauce into a 9×13 casserole dish followed by dolloping half the ricotta mixture over top. It doesn’t have to be evenly spread, spooning it on is just fine.
Pour the remaining pasta on top followed by the rest of the ricotta mixture dolloped on top. Sprinkle the remaining 1 cup of shredded mozzarella cheese on top of the other layers.
6. Bake in the oven for 20 minutes, or until bubbly and the cheese has melted. Let sit for 10 minutes before serving.
7. Sprinkle finely chopped basil or parsley on top, if desired.
How to Store and Reheat Leftovers
Store leftover meatless baked ziti in the refrigerator for 3-4 days. Either cover the baking dish with aluminum foil, or move the baked ziti leftovers to an airtight container for storage.
To reheat, put the covered baking dish of ziti into the cold oven and turn oven to 350 degrees F. Bake for 20-30 minutes until heated through. You may need to add a little bit of liquid to keep the leftovers from drying out as they’re being reheated.
You can also freeze the baked ziti by covering the baking dish tightly or sealing leftovers in a plastic zipper bag, and then storing in the freezer for up to 3 months. Thaw in the fridge overnight before reheating. The pasta may have a softer texture after freezing.
How to Serve Baked Ziti
Serve this meatless baked ziti recipe with a large salad, homemade croutons, and homemade ranch dressing.
You could also add a side of cooked veggies like steamed broccoli or green beans.
Dinner rolls are always good with pasta dishes, or add a loaf of my homemade sourdough bread. Consider slicing the bread and adding some butter and garlic (minced fresh garlic or powdered garlic), and pop into the oven at 350 degrees F for a few minutes to make homemade garlic bread!
Frequently Asked Questions
Can I add meat to this dish?
Even though this vegetarian baked ziti recipe has so much flavor without adding meat, feel free to add ground beef or Italian sausage if you’d like. Ground beef or Italian sausage work well in this dish. Brown the meat and set it aside before starting this recipe and add it in when you add the cooked pasta into the sauce.
Can I use gluten-free ziti noodles?
Yes. Feel free to use a gluten-free pasta.
Can I make this ahead of time?
Certainly! You can make it up entirely ahead of time, cover it tightly with foil or plastic wrap, and keep it in the fridge for up to 2 days. Bake it when you’re ready to eat it.
Can I use a different type of pasta?
Yes, you can substitute a different type of pasta for the ziti noodles. You can use penne or rigatoni, both of which are tubular like the ziti pasta.
What if I don’t have ricotta cheese?
You can substitute cottage cheese in place of the ricotta.
More Easy Dinner Recipes
If you make this recipe and enjoy it, please leave a comment with a 5 star recipe rating and let me know! Thank you!
Meatless Baked Ziti
Ingredients
- 1 pound (16 ounces) ziti pasta uncooked
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 1 small yellow onion diced
- 2 medium zucchinis cut into ½ inch pieces (about 3 cups chopped)
- 2 cloves garlic
- ½ teaspoon salt
- ¼ teaspoon pepper
- 1 teaspoon Italian seasoning
- ½ teaspoon basil
- ½ teaspoon oregano
- pinch of red pepper flakes
- 28 oz can crushed tomatoes
- 1 cup heavy cream
Ricotta Mixture
- 15 oz ricotta cheese
- 1 egg
- ½ teaspoon salt
- ¼ teaspoon pepper
- 1 cup mozzarella cheese shredded
- ¼ cup parmesan cheese shredded
Topping
- 1 cup mozzarella cheese shredded
- Parsley or fresh basil minced for garnish, optional
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 375 degrees F and make sure oven rack is in the middle.
- Following package directions, boil pasta in salted water for 2 minutes less than the package says. The noodles will continue cooking in the oven. Drain well once they are done and set aside.
- While the pasta is cooking, cook the vegetables. Add the oil to a large skillet and heat over medium heat. Add the onion and zucchini and cook till the zucchini is almost done but not quite yet, about 8 minutes Drain any moisture from the skillet if there is any.
- Add the garlic, salt, pepper, Italian seasoning, basil, oregano, and red pepper flakes to the vegetables in the skillet, and cook another minute. Add the crushed tomatoes and cup of cream to the skillet and cook for a few minutes until it’s warm. Add the pasta to the sauce and stir to combine. Season with more salt or pepper to taste.
- In a small mixing bowl combine the ricotta cheese, egg, salt, pepper, mozzarella cheese, and parmesan.
- Prepare a a 9×13 casserole dish by greasing it with coconut oil or spraying with cooking spray. Pour half the pasta and sauce into casserole dish followed by dolloping half the ricotta mixture over top. It doesn’t have to be evenly spread, spooning it on is just fine. Pour the remaining pasta on top followed by the rest of the ricotta mixture dolloped on top.
- Sprinkle the remaining 1 cup of shredded mozzarella cheese on top.
- Bake in the oven for 20 minutes, or until bubbly and the cheese has melted. Let sit for 10 minutes before serving.
- Sprinkle finely chopped basil or parsley on top for garnish, if desired.
