Meatless Baked Ziti

This warm and comforting meatless baked ziti is the perfect weeknight dinner. Putting together the ingredients is fast and easy, using jarred marinara sauce.

Course Main Course

Cuisine American

Keyword Baked Ziti, baked ziti recipes, meatless main dishes, vegetarian casserole recipes, vegetarian pasta recipes, vegetarian recipes

Prep Time 20

Cook Time 40

Total Time 1

Servings servings

Calories 646kcal

Author Kathleen

Ingredients

24 ounces ricotta cheese
3 cups mozzarella, shredded + DIVIDED
2 cups parmesan cheese, shredded + DIVIDED
2 large egg, lightly beaten
1 cup fresh basil, julienned
1 tablespoon and 2 teaspoons Italian seasoning, DIVIDED
1 1/2 teaspoons dried rosemary
1/4 teaspoon nutmeg
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon black pepper
1 (16-ounce) box ziti
2 (24-ounce) jars marinara sauce

Instructions

Arrange an oven rack to the lower third of the oven. Preheat oven to 350°F (177ºC) degrees.
Butter a piece of foil, long enough to cover 9X13 inch baking dish, on one side, or spray with nonstick cooking spray.
Pour 1 cup of sauce in the bottom of a 9X13 inch baking dish.
Cook ziti (16 ounces) according to box instructions, in water with 2 tablespoons of salt, until not quite al dente, (I cooked for 7 minutes). Drain pasta well. Dry pasta pot.
Return the well-drained ziti to the empty pasta pot and toss with all the remaining marinara sauce, and (1 tablespoon) dried Italian seasoning.
In a large mixing bowl, stir together ricotta cheese (24 ounces), 1 1/2 cups of mozzarella, 1 cup parmesan, beaten egg (2), fresh basil (1 cup), the remaining 2 teaspoons Italian seasoning, dried rosemary (1 1/2 teaspoons), nutmeg (1/4 teaspoon), salt (1/2 teaspoon) and pepper (1/2 teaspoon) until well combined; set aside.
Layer half the sauce coated pasta in the prepared baking dish.
Spread the cheese mixture over the pasta layer.
Top with remaining half of pasta then cover with prepared foil, butter side down on top of pasta. Bake until heated through and bubbly, about 35-40 minutes.
Remove from oven and remove foil. Sprinkle top with remaining 1 1/2 cups of mozzarella then 1 cup of parmesan. Return to oven and continue to bake until cheese is completely melted and golden brown. Let sit for 10-12 minutes before serving.

Notes

Less Than Al Dente: I like al dente pasta. Since the pasta is cooked first, then baked, I cook the pasta for 7 minutes at the most. The pasta will not be fully cooked. Once baked, the pasta will be perfectly cooked in the sauce.
Subs: Of course, you can add meat to this dish such as ground beef or Italian sausage. There are many variations and this recipe can accommodate most any add-ons you like. Feel free to substitute the parmesan for other cheeses like Pecorino Romano. You can also use cottage cheese instead of ricotta.
Add More Veggies! I try to incorporate veggies into dishes when I can, and spinach would be the perfect add-on. Frozen spinach can be incorporated into the ricotta mixture. Just make sure it's been very well dried or the sauce will thin out and be a mess. Or, add cooked zucchini or eggplant.
Great Leftovers: This is a great dish for leftovers. It reheats nicely and may even taste better the next day! When reheating, you may want to add a little more marinara sauce or milk since the pasta will absorb moisture over time.

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