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
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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.
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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.
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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.
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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.
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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. 
Vanessa
This was DELICIOUS! My husband the carnivore raved about it! So happy there are plenty of leftovers since it’s just the 2 of us and can’t wait to make it again for a bigger crowd. Do you reheat in the oven or microwave?
★★★★★
Kate
Hi Vanessa! You can reheat in the microwave. I’m so happy you loved it! Thanks for your review.
Ali M
Hi Kate,
I am an avid follower of tour blog. We cook from it on almost a weekly basis and many of my husband’s favorite recipes are from your blog. We also have your cool book. I see that this recipe is likely to be freezer friendly, as is your lentil ziti recipe. Do you have a list somewhere of freezer friendly recipes that you like? They could be from your blog or somewhere else. We are expecting our first child and would like to get the freezer stocked with healthy meals!
Kate
Hi Ali! Thank you for your note and congratulations! How exciting. I do not have a list yet, but I’m slowly working through my popular casserole dishes to provide in-depth freezing instructions. We’re getting into the warmer months so soups may not sound appealing, but almost all of my soups freeze very well. You might consider some freezer-friendly items that you can freeze in individual portions, like my freezer breakfast burritos. Lindsay of Pinch of Yum came out with a great resource before she had a baby. Hope this helps a bit!
Mansi
Hi Kate!
Recipe turned out to be very nice! I had to use 16 oz of pasta instead of 8 oz.
I skipped Marinara sauce layer on top layer. Love your recipes!
★★★★
Kate
Thank you, Mansi! I appreciate your review.
Madhu Mittal
Hi Kathryne,
My daughter in law made this baked ziti yesterday for our family dinner, it came out absolutely delicious and everyone loved it ! I had to asked for the recipe so she just forwarded me the recipe. I have read many of recipes and always liked them but not sure if I had made any. From now on I will try them and will let you know.
★★★★★
Kate
A great family meal! Thank you for sharing, Madhu.
Melanie
I made this for dinner tonight and it was delicious! I used your home made marinara recipe (added a splash of red wine) and didn’t see the note about doubling it, but it still turned out great with half the sauce. I roasted broccoli, yellow onion, and yellow squash. Love your book and recipes.
★★★★★
Andreia Santos
Thank you so much for this recipe! I cooked it for my host family ( I am an Aupair) and everyone loved it!! It was sooo yummy and fresh! It took me a couple hours to cook it because I also made the Marinara sauce from scratch but it was worth it! It was amazing. Thank you!
★★★★★
Janet Miller
Could I use 16oz. pasta in this???
Kate
Hi Janet, you can but you would want to increase the other ingredients too as the ratios would change to pasta for the same result.
Janet Miller
Thank you!!!!
Shira
Making this for the second time! Your recipes have been my go-to for me and my two teens (all vegetarian)! We all loved the black bean enchiladas also, and I have made the lentil soup at least 5 times. :)
Thank you!
★★★★★
Kate
I’m happy you all have loved it, Shira! Thanks for sharing.
k8b51
I’ve made this several times to rave reviews. Tonight’s veggies are zucchini, yellow squash, and red & yellow bell peppers with spinach mixed in with the penne/cottage cheese. Homemade marinara. I used shredded Jack cheese between the layers and topped it with mozzarella pearls and a sprinkling of good imported Parmesan. Fabulous and cheesy to the utmost.
★★★★★
Belle Henry
I’m planning to make this for my cauliflower-hating boyfriend, and your substitutions sound delicious! How did you incorporate the spinach?
Kate
Hi Belle! I hope it goes over well. You can just layer it in one of the layers. I suggest toward the bottom.
K8B51
I cooked and cooled fresh spinach, wrung out every bit of liquid, chopped it finely and mixed it into the cottage cheese. Frozen spinach, well drained would probably work too.
★★★★★
Susan
I was worried that this meatless dish would not satisfy my carnivore husband, but it is filled with flavor & he loved it! Putting it in my meal rotation! (I used sweet potatoes and garlic along with the cauliflower, red peppers and onion.
★★★★★
Kate
Wonderful to hear, Susan! I love that it was a hit.
Heather
We replace the cauliflower layer with browned sweet Italian sausage and we use an orange pepper along with 2 zucchini and 2 summer squash for the roasted veggie layer. That’s enough filling for two pans. I use one and freeze one.
Becky Loeffert
I just checked out this recipe and will make it this week for a family gathering. I will try and send a further comment after we have eaten it. I just wanted to thank you for the great directions such as mentioning rack placement and oven temperature. Your recipe directions are very detailed and I very much appreciate the time you took to share them. Looking forward to trying your recipe. Thank you.
Kate
You’re welcome, Becky! I’m happy you thought it was simple to follow and importantly delicious.
petra
Thanks for your great recipes! I love all your stuff! I’m confused about the mozzerella. If I’m using store bought shredded cheese is is 8 oz or 16 oz total? The ingredient list is confusing. Thanks for clarifying!
Kate
Hi! You will need two packed ups, or 8 oz of cheese. I hope that helps!
Izabella
This is the most satisfying vegetarian baked ziti I’ve tried! I would have never thought to throw cauliflower and cottage cheese into a ziti and turns out the flavors mesh together deliciously! I used Newman’s Own tomato basil sauce instead of fresh basil leaves and it turned out great. This is my third recipe so far I’ve tried from you and they have all been AMAZING. Thank you!
★★★★★
Stella
Tried this recipe last night subbing in eggplant, morells, zucchini, red bell pepper and onion. I doubled the recipe and it was FANTASTIC! I also used low fat probiotic cottage cheese. It was a crowd pleaser for sure and now there are tons left over. Super satisfying! Thanks!
★★★★★
Lori Acee
This was a HUGE hit with the athletic guys in my home!
We are trying to eat more veggies, no white flour and very low or no sugar. Always on the lookout for alternate meat proteins too.
I used sweet potato instead of cauliflower and cottage cheese instead of ricotta. What a great recipe! Love, love. It was gone in literally 15 min.!!
★★★★★
Linsey
Second recipe of yours I tried. Both turned out great. On this one I did do 1% cottage cheese and it worked just great. We love onions so I will be using 2 onions. Maybe even some garlic next time too.
Definitely recommend. A healthy pasta dish is difficult to find, but I finally found one.
★★★★
Amanda Panning
Made this on a rainy night. Perfection! Roasted vegetables give the best flavor. My husband loved it!!!
★★★★★
Kate
Hooray! That’s great to hear, Amanda. Thank you for your review!
La
Made this for Father’s Day dinner last night and it turned out SO good! I added some morning star sausage but other than that followed the recipe exactly. I will definitely be making this again!
★★★★★
Rachel
This was great!!
★★★★★
Kate
I’m glad you loved it, Rachel!
Lakshmi
I made this for Father’s Day last Sunday. Also made the Marinara Sauce using your recipe. It was a hit all around and my teens are not easy to please. It was super yummy. Didn’t know cottage cheese can taste so good in a casserole.
I had left over marinara sauce (from the 2x recipe), and mozzarella cheese (from 16 Oz. block) which I used next day to make baguette pizza.
Elsa
Love it! This is the first time I’ve had cottage cheese in maybe my whole life and I am surprised to find that I really like it, so thank you for the encouragement to try it! This dish has all sorts of tasty textures and was not complicated to put together. I used broccoli and a green bell pepper instead of cauliflower and red bell pepper, and added oregano and red pepper flakes to 2 cans of tomato sauce as my “marinara”. Super good!
★★★★★
May
Excellent recipe! I didn’t have exactly the same veggies. I roasted a small diced zucchini, summer squash & mushrooms for the first veggie layer. Small yellow pepper, jalapeño & onion for the 2nd roasted veggie layer. Our gluten free corn pasta held up ok, might boil it for an even shorter time next time. Def making this again though!
★★★★★
Marcia
I LOVE this recipe! Made it for my small birthday gathering during lockdown with neighbors, but I had leftovers which I love to have! Thanks for the great recipe, made twice since and I love the others I’ve tried, happy to have found your site!!
★★★★★
Carey
Kate, this is an amazing recipe. So delicious and easy! I wanted to say thank you, I have made SO many of your recipes. My family loves them so much and we feel good (not bloated or stuffed) after eating them.
I have your cookbook as well, which I love. I am now making at least 1 recipe of yours a week and couldn’t be happier. Please continue to bring whole food, fresh meals to our families. We SO appreciate them. Let us know how we can return the favor and help you.
Thank you, Kate!
★★★★★
Olyn
This was amazing! My husband and I both loved it, and it was a great healthier and more budget friendly alternative to lasagna!
★★★★★
Ashley
Thank you for this healthy recipe! I did freeze it before baking and the result after cooking was a kind of watery ziti. It was still delicious though!
★★★★
Kate
Hi Ashely! Thank you for sharing. That has been my experience too with recipes like this if non baking and then freezing. But, I’m glad you were still able to enjoy it.
Carolyn
Loved this. I think I could squeeze in even more veggies and have it still be creamy and tasty. Even reheating as leftovers didn’t try out at all and remained delicious tasting!
★★★★★
Jennifer
I don’t normally go for the baked pasta dishes at Italian restaurants, as I find them too rich and cheese-laden. This, however, is absolutely fabulous – not really all that cheesy at all! In fact, I was short about 1/2 cup of mozzarella, and it turned out perfect, in my opinion.
I opted to make your homemade marinara sauce, as it’s easy enough to throw together and let simmer before getting started on the veggies. And I’m glad I did. I think your marina is lighter and fresher than any jarred variety I can find here in Ireland (and probably, back in the states too). The cauliflower is a really good “meat” replacement for texture, and the roasted flavor is delicious. One difference is that I used fusili pasta, as the local shop I rely on didn’t have any other whole wheat options. I do think fusili works great, with all its coils picking up the bits and sauce very well. (I also like using fusili in your roasted vegetable ratatouille.)
★★★★★
Kate
I’m happy you ended up tryin it, Jennifer! Thank you for taking the time to provide such a detailed comment.
Clare
I used cottage cheese and gluten free noodles and did everything else as written. My husband, sister and I ate the entire pan at dinner last night. Shameful, I know. But it’s that good.
★★★★★
Melissa
I made this as a half recipe in an 8×8 pan (since it’s only my husband and I) and it was delicious! Loved using broccoli in this!
Rebecca
This was divine! The only thing I would do differently for kids is mix in the ricotta instead of mozzarella in the first step.
Yum!
★★★★★
Holly Bologna
Can this be assembled a day ahead of time then baked or maybe bake half way and freeze for later?
Kate
Hi Holly! I haven’t tried freezing this one yet. Sometimes with recipes like this there is a lot of liquid that settles from the ingredients when frozen. But, if you try it let me know!
Bizz
Oh my gosh, deeee-licious. Love the roasted vegetables snuck in there. We used cottage cheese and doubled the onion. Can’t wait to have it again! Thank you for so many fabulous recipes. We love your flavor combinations.
★★★★★
Anita Richner
We don’t like cottage cheese or ricotta cheese, how can we substitute this?
Kate
Hi Anita! I would suggest looking at the vegan note options. You could try my vegan sour cream here.
Melanie
My boyfriend and I have made your baked ziti 3 or 4 times now since the sprint and LOVE it. The roasted veggies create such a delicious flavor. Last night, after a long week of online teaching for me, my boyfriend made this for us, and we added broccoli to the roasted veggies — great addition for anyone wanting to make it more veggie centric. We use part skim ricotta instead of cottage cheese too. Such a perfect date night comfort meal!
Side note: We also love your lentil soup and black bean, quinoa tacos!
★★★★★
Diane
It’s a rainy chilly day here in the northeast and so I decided to make this veggie ziti!
Absolutely delicious!
Thanks so much!