Easy Vegetarian Baked Ziti Recipe (Veggie-Packed!)

With well over a dozen 5-star reviews, this vegetable-packed vegetarian baked ziti recipe is the ultimate weeknight dinner. It’s a healthy comfort food with sautéed veggies and spinach ricotta, so you’ll feel good about diving into it. It makes six large portions and is great to make in advance; see notes below!

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Baked ziti is comfort food at its finest. It’s typically heavy, cheese-filled, and delicious – a real crowd-pleaser. But, beyond just creating a vegetarian version, I wanted to develop a healthier version that still delivered on being a delicious crowd-pleaser.

This meatless baked ziti is cheesy, savory, and very filling but doesn’t feel heavy in the stomach, thanks to the generous amount of veggies that are included (like zucchini, eggplant, bell pepper, and white onion). Plus, packed with ricotta, mozzarella cheese, and parmesan cheese, it’s a cheesy dish that everyone will love.

Here’s what you’ll need

This healthy baked ziti is made with three main components: the pasta, the sauce, and the ricotta mixture.

• The Pasta: Baked ziti technically uses ziti noodles, but using a different shape won’t totally mess up your recipe. If you can’t find ziti noodles, try a different type of pasta like penne or rigatoni!
• Veggies: This ziti is packed with zucchini (yellow squash works, too), eggplant, bell pepper (any color is fine), white onion, and garlic. Feel free to add or omit different veggies depending on what you have on hand. Mini peppers, red onion, mushrooms, etc., will all work well!
• The Sauce: For this, you’ll need olive oil, oregano, basil, salt, and marinara sauce. If you want to go full homemade on this dish and need a good marinara recipe, try out my Fresh Tomato Marinara (perfect for using up fresh tomatoes), this Roasted Tomato Sauce, or this creamy Hidden Veggie Pasta Sauce!
• Ricotta Mixture: This portion of the recipe will include ricotta, frozen spinach (thawed), and parmesan.
• More Cheese: In addition to the ricotta mixture, we’ll also be using an easy parmesan and mozzarella blend to sprinkle in the middle and on top (hello cheese).

let’s make baked ziti

This meal requires 30 minutes of prep time as well as 30 minutes of baking time. In just an hour, you have a warm, bubbling tray of delicious vegetable filled baked ziti!

1. Make the Components: Cook the pasta to al dente, saute the veggies together, add the marinara sauce and spices, and mix the ricotta mixture together.
2. Layer the Components: Layer them in this order:
   • Half of the veggie sauce
   • Half of the cooked pasta
   • Half of the ricotta mixture
   • Half of the cheese
3. Repeat: Be sure to use your biggest casserole dish for this one, it’s a lot of food!
4. Bake: Bake the dish for 30 minutes or until bubbly and golden brown. Allow to rest for a few minutes before serving.

Baked Ziti Pro tips

• Layer as Directed: Be sure to layer your ziti as directed in the instructions. The layers go in a specific order that allows the dish to cook to perfection!
• Keep it Moist: If you find that your meatless baked ziti turned out to be too dry, be sure that you’re using the amount of sauce called for in the recipe. Too little sauce can make for a dry bake.
• Use Foil: Place a layer of greased (use cooking spray) aluminum foil over the top of your bake, oiled side down. This helps lock in moisture as it cooks. Remove the foil about 10 minutes before the bake comes out of the oven to allow the cheese to brown up.

Making Ziti Ahead of Time

You can make this baked pasta dish ahead of time and have it ready to pop in the oven 30 minutes before it’s time to eat. Feel free to prepare and assemble your ziti, wrap or cover it, and then stick it in the refrigerator overnight to serve the next day. When ready to cook, remove from the fridge, remove the wrap, and bake as directed.

You can also freeze prepared ziti for up to a month. When ready to cook, allow the ziti to thaw, and then bake as directed.

Sarah’s Tip

I love prepping this recipe in advance when I know I’m going to need to serve a crowd. I brought it to a ski weekend recently, where it fed seven hungry adults famished from a day on the slopes. Everyone loved it!

Sides great for pairing with baked ziti

While your ziti bakes to golden, gooey perfection, whip up a side or two to accompany it!

• Roasted Asparagus with Romesco Sauce: This is a simple and easy recipe that uses many of the same ingredients.
• Vegetarian Caesar Salad: A Caesar salad and pasta dish is the perfect dinner match.
• Vegan Garlic Bread: Dip this toasty garlic bread into the cheesy ziti.

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Easy Vegetarian Baked Ziti Recipe (Veggie-Packed!)

4.87 from 22 votes

By: Sarah Bond

Prep: 30 minutes minutes

Cook: 30 minutes minutes

Total: 1 hour hour

Servings: 6 servings

With well over a dozen 5-star reviews, this vegetable-packed vegetarian baked ziti recipe is the ultimate weeknight dinner. It's a healthy comfort food with sautéed veggies and spinach ricotta, so you'll feel good about diving into it. It makes six large portions and is great to make in advance; see notes below!

Ingredients 

1x2x3x

Pasta

• ▢ 1 lb uncooked ziti pasta, can sub penne or rigatoni, 450 g
• ▢ salt

Veggie Sauce

• ▢ 1 zucchini, diced
• ▢ 1 eggplant, diced
• ▢ 1 bell pepper, diced
• ▢ 1 cup diced white onion, about 1 onion
• ▢ 3 cloves garlic, minced
• ▢ 2 Tbsp olive oil, 30 mL
• ▢ 2 24-oz bottles marinara sauce
• ▢ ¼ cup chopped fresh basil
• ▢ 1 tsp oregano
• ▢ ¼ tsp salt, to taste

Ricotta Mixture

• ▢ 1 15-oz package ricotta cheese, 425 g
• ▢ 10 oz frozen spinach, thawed, 283 g
• ▢ ¼ cup shredded parmesan cheese, 15 g

Cheese

• ▢ 1 cup shredded mozzarella, 100 g
• ▢ ¼ cup shredded parmesan cheese, 15 g

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Instructions 

• Pasta: Bring a large pot of water to a boil, then add a generous spoon of salt (it should taste like ocean water). Add 1 lb uncooked ziti pasta and cook according to the instructions on the package until al dente. When finished, drain and set aside.
• Veggie Sauce: Prep all veggies (1 zucchini, 1 eggplant, 1 bell pepper, and 1 cup diced white onion), finely dicing them so they're about the same size.

  Add 2 Tbsp olive oil to a large saute pan or pot over medium heat. Add zucchini, eggplant, pepper, onion, and 3 cloves garlic, cooking until they're slightly softened, 5 to 7 minutes.

  Add 2 24-oz bottles marinara sauce, ¼ cup chopped fresh basil1 tsp oregano, and ¼ tsp salt to the veggie sauce, cover, and let gently simmer for 15 minutes.
• Ricotta Mixture: Stir together 1 15-oz package ricotta cheese, 10 oz frozen spinach (thawed), and ¼ cup shredded parmesan cheese.
• Cheese: In a small bowl, mix together 1 cup shredded mozzarella and ¼ cup shredded parmesan cheese.
• Assemble: Preheat oven to 350°F (175°C). In a large casserole dish (9×13 inch or similar), you'll layer:

  ½ of the veggie sauce > ½ of the cooked pasta > ½ of the ricotta mixture > ½ of the cheese

  Then repeat that:

  remaining veggie sauce > remaining cooked pasta > remaining ricotta mixture > remaining cheese
• Baked: For about 30 minutes, or until cheese is golden and melted and sauce is bubbling around the outside. If the cheese browns too quickly, cover the dish with aluminum foil. Allow to rest for a few minutes before serving.

Notes

Store in an airtight container in the refrigerator for about 5 days.

Make ahead by either making the components and storing them separately, or assembling and sealing tightly. Can be prepped 24 hours in advance. 

Can be frozen to be baked later. Freeze prepared ziti for up to a month. When ready to cook, allow the ziti to thaw in the refrigerator, then bake as directed.

Nutrition

Serving: 1serving | Calories: 475kcal | Carbohydrates: 62.9g | Protein: 8.3g | Fat: 15.6g | Saturated Fat: 5.7g | Cholesterol: 28mg | Sodium: 604mg | Potassium: 796mg | Fiber: 8.3g | Sugar: 11.8g | Calcium: 351mg | Iron: 4mg

Nutrition information calculated by Sarah Bond, degreed nutritionist.

did you make this?Leave a comment below and tag @liveeatlearn on social media! I love seeing what you’ve made!