Easy to make vegetarian baked ziti with ricotta cheese, zucchini and marinara sauce. Meatless baked ziti will be your favorite dinner idea.
Vegetarian baked ziti with ricotta is a delicious and simple dish that can satisfy even the most discerning palate. This classic Italian pasta dish is made with ziti noodles, tomato sauce, and ricotta cheese, but without any meat. The combination of creamy ricotta cheese and tangy tomato sauce creates a flavorful base for the dish, while the melted mozzarella cheese adds a gooey texture to every bite. Whether you are looking for a quick weeknight dinner or an impressive meal to serve at your next gathering, this vegetarian baked ziti recipe is sure to be a crowd-pleaser.
Easy Vegetarian Baked Ziti Recipe
Texture: soft, mushy.
Taste: savory with tomato flavors, cheesy.
Simplicity: very easy to make, cook pasta, add sauce and bake in the oven.
Meal Type: dinner, meal prep.
No Meat Baked Ziti Ingredients
- Penne Pasta – it will be the best pasta for ziti, but you can substitute for other: rigatoni, farfalle, fusilli etc.
- Oil – any cooking oil can be used: canola, sunflower, avocado etc.
- Onion – white onion.
- Garlic Clove – minced, chopped or shredded.
- Zucchini – for extra veggies in the dish.
- Italian Seasoning – for flavor.
- Salt – table salt, Himalayan, Sea salt etc.
- Marinara Sauce – any flavor: vodka, basil, cheese, tomato marinara etc.
- Ricotta Cheese – to make it creamy.
- Mozzarella Cheese – to make it extra cheesy. You can substitute with marble jack cheese.
- Basil – fresh or dry can be used.
How to make Vegetarian Baked Ziti
- (Full recipe and video below). Heat oil in large pan, add onion, sautee, add garlic and zucchini, Italian seasoning and salt.
- Add marinara sauce and ricotta cheese, mix in.
- Mix the sauce with penne pasta, pour into 9″ x 9″ deep pan, top it with mozzarella cheese and basil. Bake for 15-20 minutes at 350 F.
Meatless Baked Ziti Tips
- Sautee diced onion before making the sauce, this will bring lots of flavor.
- SUBSTITUTIONS: You can use different pasta shape than penne, however I’ve noticed bigger shapes are better for this recipe, don’t choose small pasta or spaghetti. Penne, rigatoni, farfalle, fussili, ziti etc. are all good to be used.
- You can use any type of marinara sauce: tomato basil, four cheese, vodka, vegetable, roasted garlic etc. Basically, any type of sauce is good for this recipe.
- Meal Prep Tips: You can store leftover baked ziti with ricotta in glass/plastic container. Get organized and save time with this meal planning printable.
Ziti Faq’s
You can cover the dish when baking with aluminum foil if you prefer, however it’s not necessary since the baking time is short about 15-20 minutes.
Serve by itself or add garlic bread, Bruschetta some veggies like Baked Carrot Fries or Corn and Kale Salad.
Yes, the pasta needs to be al dente, you don’t want to end up with mushy meal.
Use the perfect ratio of wet and dry ingredients. Lots of tomato sauce prevents pasta to become dry. You can also add few tablespoons of water to make it wet.
Other Dinner Recipes
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Easy Vegetarian Baked Ziti
Ingredients
- 2 cups penne pasta not cooked
- 1 Tbsp. vegetable oil
- 1 onion small, diced
- 2 garlic cloves minced
- 1 zucchini small, shredded
- 1/2 tsp. salt
- 1/2 tsp. Italian seasoning
- 22 oz. marinara sauce 650 ml jar
- 1/2 cup ricotta cheese
- 1 cup mozzarella cheese shredded
- 1 tsp. dried basil
Instructions
- Bring a pot with water to boil. Cook pasta al dente according to package instructions, approximately 10 minutes.2 cups penne pasta
- Heat large frying pan, add oil and onion, sautee for 3 minutes.1 Tbsp. vegetable oil, 1 onion
- Add garlic and zucchini, salt and Italian seasoning, cook on low heat for 2 minutes.2 garlic cloves, 1 zucchini, 1/2 tsp. salt, 1/2 tsp. Italian seasoning
- Add marinara sauce, cook for 2-5 minutes until heat it through.22 oz. marinara sauce
- Add ricotta cheese, mix in.1/2 cup ricotta cheese
- Preheat oven to 350 F.
- In a large bowl combine pasta with sauce. Pour into 8 x 8-inch baking pan.
- Top it with mozzarella cheese and basil.1 cup mozzarella cheese, 1 tsp. dried basil
- Bake for 15-20 minutes.
Video
Notes
- Sautee diced onion before making the sauce, this will bring lots of flavor.
- SUBSTITUTIONS: You can use different pasta shape than penne, however I’ve noticed bigger shapes are better for this recipe, don’t choose small pasta or spaghetti. Penne, rigatoni, farfalle, fussili, ziti etc. are all good to be used.
- You can use any type of marinara sauce: tomato basil, four cheese, vodka, vegetable, roasted garlic etc. Basically, any type of sauce is good for this recipe.
- Meal Prep Tips: You can store leftover baked ziti with ricotta in glass/plastic container. Get organized and save time with this meal planning printable.
Nutrition
Update Notes: This recipe was originally posted in September 2022, it was updated with new tips in May, 2023.
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