Here she is, the lightened-up baked ziti of my dreams. This baked ziti has all of lasagna’s saucy, mozzarella-topped appeal, but is easier to pull off on a regular weeknight. Amen.
When I dreamed up this recipe, I wanted to replace a lot of the pasta with roasted vegetables. In the end, I was able to displace half of the ziti (8 ounces) with two pounds (!) of vegetables.
I chose cauliflower, which develops the most irresistible golden edges as it roasts, red bell pepper and yellow onion. I love this combination, but you could easily use your favorite vegetables here.
It took me a while to find the perfect ratio of mozzarella, marinara, and ricotta (I actually used cottage cheese, more on that in a bit). I believe I’ve hit the nail on the head with the final recipe, and can’t wait to hear how it turns out for you.
The Best Baked Ziti
I’ve already mention that this ziti will work on a weeknight, but it’s more versatile than that. Here are a few more reasons to love it:
- This baked ziti would be a great option for a date night or casual entertaining. You’ll have plenty of time between steps to chat and sip wine.
- It’s a quiet recipe to make, too. You don’t have to sauté anything! I feel like this is an underrated recipe quality.
- This ziti can be assembled up to 3 days in advance, so this is a perfect dish to make ahead or bring to a friend who could use a good meal.
- This vegetable-heavy dish is surprisingly high in protein. Each serving offers twenty grams!
- This ziti would be awesome with my chopped Italian salad. Feel free to make a simplified version of it.
Baked Ziti Ingredient Notes
This recipe doesn’t require a long list of ingredients. Here’s what you’ll need:
Pasta
Preferably ziti, but rigatoni or penne will also work. I usually opt for whole wheat noodles (love DeLallo and Bionaturae), but those have been harder to come by lately, so I used Whole Foods’ organic ziti for these pictures. Pasta is generally sold in one-pound boxes so you’ll need half of a box.
I believe you could use a sturdy corn and quinoa pasta blend to make this recipe gluten free.
Marinara
I’m a huge fan of my homemade marinara recipe, but since this recipe is supposed to be simple, I opted for a jarred option from the store. My favorite brand is Rao’s, which tastes pretty close to my homemade sauce. If you do want to make homemade marinara, you’ll need to double my recipe to yield the four cups you’ll need for this ziti.
Vegetables
I used cauliflower, bell pepper and onion. If you’re sensitive to onions, you might want to swap the onion for something else (maybe a sweet potato?).
You can use up your leftover vegetables in this ziti recipe. You’ll need about two pounds prepared vegetables to make it work. Keep in mind that heads of broccoli or cauliflower weigh twice as much as they yield in florets (so a two-pound bunch of broccoli will yield about one pound of florets).
Fresh Basil
Now, you could skip the basil, but it adds a lot of irresistible fresh flavor to jarred marinara, and livens up the cheesy finished dish. In my opinion, it is worth buying!
Mozzarella
Part-skim mozzarella is ideal here, since it develops a beautiful golden shade in the oven. It also makes your finished dish less greasy than it would be if you used full-fat mozzarella.
It’s best to grate your cheese yourself, rather than to buy the pre-shredded kind (you’ll also save money this way). Pre-grated cheese is typically coated in starch or powder that can inhibit its melty factor.
Cottage Cheese (or Ricotta)
Scandalous, I know! I genuinely prefer cottage cheese to ricotta here, even though I can’t stand cottage cheese on its own. Ricotta tends to get gummy when heated, which bothers me, whereas cottage cheese turns magically more creamy and delicious. Use whichever one you prefer in lasagna recipes.
A Few Tips Before You Get Started
Use half-sheet pans. If only everyone owned these basic half-sheet pans (affiliate link). They offer a lot of surface area, so your vegetables have some breathing room while they roast.
Be sure to use a big baker. You’ll need a three quart baker (think 9×13″ with deep sides) for this one. Here’s mine. To err on the side of caution against overflow, I’ve instructed you to place the baker on a clean rimmed baking sheet when it’s in the oven.
Don’t overcook your pasta. In fact, you want it a little bit undercooked, so cook it for the shortest amount of time offered on the package. It should still have a little bite to it when you drain it, since it will continue to cook while it’s in the oven.
Please let me know how this baked ziti recipe turns out for you in the comments! I hope you love it as much as I do.
Craving more Italian comfort food? Don’t miss these recipes on Cookie and Kate:
- Best Vegetable Lasagna
- Baked Ziti with Lentils
- Hearty Spaghetti with Lentils and Marinara Sauce
- Classic Minestrone Soup
Baked Ziti with Roasted Vegetables
- Author:
- Prep Time: 20 minutes
- Cook Time: 1 hour
- Total Time: 1 hour 20 minutes
- Yield: 8 servings 1x
- Category: Main dish
- Method: Baked
- Cuisine: Italian
This amazing baked ziti recipe is lightened up with roasted vegetables. Golden mozzarella, sizzling red sauce and tender pasta make this vegetarian ziti super delicious! Recipe yields 8 servings.
Ingredients
Roasted veggies
- 1 medium head of cauliflower, cut into bite-sized florets
- 1 red bell pepper, cut into 1″ squares
- 1 medium yellow onion, sliced into wedges about ½″ wide
- 2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil, divided
- ¼ teaspoon fine sea salt, divided
Pasta and everything else
- 8 ounces ziti, rigatoni or penne pasta
- 4 cups (32 ounces) marinara sauce (homemade or store-bought), divided
- ¼ cup chopped fresh basil, plus extra for garnish
- 8 ounces (2 packed cups) grated part-skim mozzarella cheese, divided
- 2 cups (16 ounces) cottage cheese or ricotta cheese, divided
Instructions
- To roast the veggies: Preheat the oven to 425 degrees Fahrenheit with racks in the middle and upper third of the oven. Line two large, rimmed baking sheets with parchment paper to prevent the vegetables from sticking.
- Place the cauliflower florets on one pan. On the other pan, combine the bell peppers and onion. Drizzle half of the olive oil over one pan, and the other half over the other pan. Sprinkle the salt over the two pans. Gently toss until the vegetables on each pan are lightly coated in oil.
- Arrange the vegetables in an even layer across each pan. Bake until the vegetables are tender and caramelized on the edges, about 30 to 35 minutes, tossing the veggies and swapping their rack positions halfway (lower rack to upper rack, and vice versa). Leave the oven on at 425, because we’re going to bake the dish at the same temperature. If you end up with any stray burnt onion pieces, discard them, and set the vegetables aside.
- Meanwhile, bring a large pot of salted water to boil. Cook the pasta just until al dente, according to package directions (it will continue to cook while it bakes in the oven, so you want the pasta to still have a little bite to it). Drain and return the pasta to the pot.
- Add 2 cups of the marinara, the chopped basil, and ½ cup of the mozzarella to the pasta. Gently stir to combine.
- It’s assembly time! Spread 1 cup of additional marinara sauce inside a 9×13″ baker. Top with half of the pasta mixture, and gently spread it into an even layer. Evenly sprinkle the roasted cauliflower on top, then dollop 1 cup of the cottage cheese over the cauliflower (it doesn’t need to be spread into an even layer), followed by ½ cup of the mozzarella.
- Top the mozzarella with the remaining pasta. Then sprinkle the roasted peppers and onion on top, dollop the remaining cup of ricotta on top, then dollop the remaining cup of marinara on that, then sprinkle the remaining cheese all over.
- Place a clean, rimmed baking sheet on the lower oven rack to catch any drippings. Place the ziti, uncovered, on top of the baking sheet. Bake for 30 minutes, then transfer to the upper rack for 2 to 5 more minutes until the cheese is deeply golden, if desired.
- Remove the baker from the oven and let it cool for 10 minutes before serving (trust me). Sprinkle freshly torn basil on top, slice with a sharp knife, and serve.
Notes
Recipe adapted from my lentil baked ziti and Allison Roman’s baked ziti.
Make it gluten free: Substitute sturdy gluten-free pasta (such as a corn and quinoa blend).
Advance preparation: You could roast the vegetables up to 3 days in advance. You can also go ahead and assemble the whole thing and refrigerate until baking. It’s probably a good candidate for freezing before baking, too. Please let me know if you try.
Dairy free/vegan note: I’m not sure if this recipe is a good candidate to make vegan, since the cheese offers both volume and structure. My best guess would be to double the recipe for my vegan sour cream (also available in my cookbook, page 217) and use 2 cups instead of the cottage cheese. Omit the mozzarella and use all of the tomato sauce for the final layer. Serve the lasagna with a dollop of additional sour cream on top or, better yet, basil pesto.
Vegetable enthusiast. Dog lover. I'm probably making a big mess in my Kansas City kitchen right now. 
Marie
Hi I just had a question…I was trying to click on doubling the on the x2 scale you provided for doubling the vegetable ziti..but it’s only changing the doubling on the ingredient for basil. Is that a glitch? Or is that the only thing to double? Sorry I was wondering since I’m new for making this type of dish.
Kate
Hi Marie! I will check what is going on. You will want to double everything. Be sure to use a big enough pan or separate it into two.
Mike
I’ve made this recipe a couple of times. I use 16 oz of pasta however.
My family loves all your recipes that I make.
★★★★★
Kate
Thank you for sharing, Mike!
Sharon Vigorito
I’m anxious to try this, but have to ask a question. I have a lot going of food challenges and can not tolerate cauliflower. Any suggestions for a substitute? And, by the way, I use cottage cheese (lactose free) in my lasagna all the time.
★★★★★
shannon w mccarthy
I make something very similar to this recipe and just use whatever veggies I have (squash, zucchini, eggplant, spinach). I have even ordered stuffed veggie pizza and the crust was awful so I scraped the ricotta, meat and veggies out and used that.
★★★★★
Kate
Hi Sharon! You could try broccoli or any other vegetable you like. I hope you like it!
tara
Help!!!
I made the zita a day ahead so I could cook it up tomorrow & I’ve just discovered I’ve left half the cauliflower in the fridge, rather than in the zita where it belongs!!
Obviously I cant disassemble the entire thing to add the missing cauliflower, but is there anyway I can add it into the mix, either before I bake it, tomorrow or after I take it out of the oven???
Kate
Did you already roast the cauliflower? Try mixing it in when you serve.
Eva
I made this last night and, while I have never been a super fan of marinara sauce (much to the dismay of my Italian grandparents), the addition of roasted veggies certainly elevated the flavors of simple red sauce. I debated adding in the basil, but I went ahead and got it and added it and I was so glad I did. It gave that extra little sweet/savory blend that basil is so good at.
The kids totally loved it, even filled with cauliflower and bell pepper. My husband took leftovers to work.
Next time I think I’ll throw in an extra onion and pepper even.
★★★★★
Kate
I’m glad you love it!
Cheryl
Thank you Kate for sharing this delicious recipe. I made it using broccoli instead of cauliflower, and it turned out great. I also didn’t use as many vegetables, and a little more pasta, and it still turned out very well.
★★★★★
Kate
I’m glad you loved it, Cheryl!
Jessica
Kate — your recipes are always so delicious, and this was no exception!! We made this tonight and loved that we got some veggies in our toddler. Thank you!
★★★★★
Kate
You’re welcome, Jessica!
Wendy Josset
Was excited to try a vegetarian ziti recipe. However, this recipe was quite disappointing. Too much sauce and very bland. Perhaps could use more vegetables or a different blend of cheeses. I won’t make this again.
★★
Teddie
Ina Garten has something similar but LOTS more work and cheese. She uses eggplant and zucchini. Going to try that as I love roasted eggplant. This sounds delicious. I don’t normally use jar sauce but found one I love. San Marzano Marinara Oreganata. It says The Silver Plate at the top. It has imported San Marzano whole peeled tomatoes.
Kate
I’m sorry you didn’t love it, Wendy. You would always use your favorite sauce here and add different vegetables.
Zoe
We had this recipe just tonight and wow! It was absolutely wonderful! The perfect balance of cheese, sauce, and vegetables. Thank you so very much, we will be sure to try many more of your amazing recipes in the future!
★★★★★
Kate
You’re welcome, Zoe! Thank you for your review.
Michelle Vietti
I really like the recipe. I added cooked organic brown turkey and mix with ziti. It was a hit at my company potluck and at home. Thank you.
★★★★★
Kate
You’re welcome! Thanks or sharing, Michelle.
Vicki
I used this recipe as a base for creating a vegetarian pasta dish and I loosely followed it. I used a jar of traditional Ragu and 1 small can of tomato paste for the sauce. I went with the low-fat cottage cheese and have to agree with this recipe author, it’s better than ricotta and nobody could believe it was cottage cheese. For veggies, I used sauteed onions, portabella mushrooms, zucchini, carrots, and fresh basil and oregano from my garden. It was crazy good. My finicky dinner guests loved it, saying it was restaurant quality. And they live in NY so that’s a huge compliment. They asked for the recipe so I guess I have to admit that I didn’t make the sauce from scratch!
★★★★★
Kate
I’m happy it was able to provide inspiration, Vicki! Thank you for your review.
Kathy E Gallagher
Hi – I’d like to cut this in half to make it as I am the only one to eat it. Do you foresee any problems if I just halve all the ingredients? Thanks!
Kate
That should work just fine!
Janelle
I’ve made it a couple times and made some changes based on our preferences. I double your marinara sauce recipe and use one package noodles (14 oz) and add one pound sausage. I also sub zucchini for the roasted onion and we split it up into two 8×8 pans since we’re a small family. We love this recipe though and it is a wonderful base!! I start the sauce first and it’s finished by assembly time. Thanks for sharing!
★★★★★
Kate
Thank you for sharing your variation, Janelle!
Lillian
can I use fresh moz? thank you!
Jenn
Making this for the second time! Trying it with broccoli instead of the cauliflower (my husband can’t stand it ) and throwing in some roasted zucchini that needed using. Also using your marinara recipe this time! So excited to eat this again. Thanks for having so many delicious recipes that I can even get carnivores on board with!
★★★★★
Teresa
I loved this recipe! I folowed the recipe with no changes and it turned out so delicious! I was pleasantly surprised at how much I enjoyed the cauliflower in this dish. I used the jarred sauce instead of your marinara sauce recipe (which I love and make probably once a week). I like the red pepper flakes in the marinara recipe so I may add a dash of that to the jarred sauce the next time I make this recipe. Thank you for another great one, Kate!
★★★★★
Allison Redepenning
Thought it was bland. The cauliflower and marinara just didn’t have any zip. Hmm. I think I’m spoiled by your homemade sauces and stuff from the jar just can’t compete.
★★★
Kate
I’m sorry you didn’t love it! Try a different marinara next time or you can add some of your favorite spice. Thanks for your feedback!
Merrily
Hello,
I just discovered your lovely site yesterday and am excited for all the recipes (there are many I want to try right away!). I made this for dinner tonight and it was amazing! I used ricotta and reduced the amount of both cheeses (used about 3/4 the amount) and used a gluten-free penne. Yum!
★★★★★
Kate
Welcome, Merrily! I’m happy you came across the blog. I’m glad you liked this one!
Mary Gilbert
I made this recipe however chose to add some meatballs on the top for my family of carnivores! Everyone loved it. The roasted veggies (I used three colors of sweet peppers and Vidalia onions) really do add a lively flavor to the dish. And I agree the cottage cheese was a great addition and melted beautifully. I will make this again! Maybe next time I can talk them into the all veggie recipe!
★★★★★
Alison
I make my own ricotta–it’s super easy and the results are far superior to the store bought stuff that’s full of gums (which is why it gets grainy when cooked) and sodium.
★★★★★
Steph
Delicious! I used whole wheat penne and subbed the cauliflower for broccoli. I was worried it wouldn’t be enough pasta but with all the veggies it still felt plenty filling. My toddler and husband both devoured it. It was actually perfect for my 1year old as well (just cut up the noodles a bit.) Leftovers tasted even better! Definitely a keeper.
★★★★★
Kate
I’m happy you loved it, Steph!
Lynn M
I made a double recipe for one of my teenage son’s club meetings. One I made with roasted veggies (Vidalia onion, squash and broccoli). I only had frozen broccoli, so I microwaved for a few minutes, chpped up and roasted with the other veggies. Worked great! The other I used ground sirloin for my meat eaters. This was a huge hit!
★★★★★
Melissa
Hello! This sounds so good – I’m new to trying vegetarian cooking and I love this idea. Have you ever tried this recipe with frozen veggies? I’m curious if those would work as well as fresh, simply because I have trouble finding good, fresh produce. Thanks so much!
Kate
That should work fine. Just thaw them out prior to roasting. Let me know how this works for you!