Vegetarian Baked Ziti
Feast your eyes on the BEST vegetarian baked ziti that contains real ingredients and is super healthy!
Most vegetarian pasta dishes have zucchini in place of real pasta, but that’s not how we do it around here. Want to know why? Because we don’t believe that any food is off-limits.
Is pasta full of carbs? Yes, but guess what your body needs carbs no matter what! You can still be healthy and eat pasta. This is a concept that even as a nutritionist I have learned to accept. If you want to hear my viewpoint on calories, read 5 reasons calories are stupid.
Matter of fact, brands like Banza are amazing because they are plant-based, gluten-free, and protein-packed which we would all benefit from (more protein)! This type is pasta is a great way to add protein to vegan and vegetarian dishes without compromising the taste or texture and can often be swapped in most conventional recipes.
Ingredients for Vegetarian Baked Ziti
Pasta – ziti or penne will work; technically you can use whatever pasta you like!
Marinara sauce – if you are using store-bought use a healthy brand like Rao’s or Trader Joe’s. You should also try my homemade marinara sauce!
Red bell pepper
Mushrooms
Onion
Garlic cloves – try to use fresh if possible! If you don’t have cloves you can use garlic powder
Oregano
Olive oil
Cottage cheese – we use 4%
Mozzarella cheese
Parmesan
Salt and pepper
Fresh basil – totally optional but makes a nice garnish and adds lots of flavor
How to Make Vegetarian Ziti in the Oven
Cook your pasta according to the instructions on the packaging and preheat your oven to 375 degrees.
In the meantime, chop all of your veggies into small bite-size pieces and place them in a 9×13 casserole dish. Add the salt, pepper, and oregano along with the olive and toss until they are coated evenly.
Bake the veggies until they start to soften up, this will take about 10 minutes.
Take the vegetables out of the oven and place them in a bowl.
Next, we will layer the ziti by adding in half of the pasta, sauce, veggies, cottage cheese, and mozzarella.
Repeat the same step again until all of the ingredients are in the baking dish.
Sprinkle with parmesan cheese and fresh basil (if you are going to use basil).
Bake for about 15 to 20 minutes, then serve!
Storing for Later
Vegetarian Baked Ziti makes for great leftovers so that also means it’s perfect for meal prepping your lunch! Pair a serving with a soup or salad for a super easy lunch idea that the whole family will love!
Can You Freeze Baked Ziti?
Pasta dishes work really well for freezing and reheating. So if you have room in your freezer, prepare the ziti as instructed but instead of cooking it, toss it in the freezer after you wrap it with plastic wrap and aluminum foil. Those tin pans hold up well, and it will stay fresh for about 1 month.
Once you make it, don’t forget to tag me on Instagram!
PIN ME FOR LATER
More Vegetarian Recipes That Are Easy to Make:
- Buffalo Tofu
- 14 BEST Ever Dairy Free Mac and Cheese Recipes
- 27 Vegetarian Recipes for Your Next BBQ
- Cauliflower Potato Soup
- Instant Pot Broccoli Cheddar Soup {Gluten Free}
- Quinoa Pasta Salad
Vegetarian Baked Ziti
Ingredients
- 8 oz. box ziti or penne pasta dry
- 4 cups quality marinara sauce
- 1 red bell pepper medium
- 10 oz. mushrooms
- 1 sweet yellow onion roughly chopped
- 2 cloves garlic minced
- 1 tsp dried oregano
- 1 Tbsp olive oil
- 1/2 cup 4% cottage cheese
- 1 1/2 cups shredded mozzarella
- 1/2 cup parmesan
- salt/pepper
- fresh basil optional
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 375 degrees.
- Cook the pasta according to directions and drain.
- While the pasta is cooking, chop the vegetables into small pieces.
- Place the vegetables in a 9×13 casserole dish, drizzle with olive oil, and add salt/pepper/dried oregano to taste.
- Bake the vegetables for about 10 minutes (or until they start getting soft).
- Remove the vegetables from the oven and set aside.
- Layer half of everything as follows: pasta, pasta sauce, vegetables, cottage cheese, mozzarella.
- Repeat a second layer of everything in the casserole dish.
- Top the casserole dish with parmesan and fresh basil (optional).
- Bake for about 15-20 minutes.
- Serve and enjoy!
