Vegetarian Baked Ziti Recipe

The meatless baked ziti is covered in parmesan cheese on a plate.

5 from 43 votes

Enjoy the ultimate comfort food experience with this Meatless Baked Ziti recipe! This hearty and wholesome dish combines perfectly cooked ziti pasta with a rich and flavorful tomato sauce, and a delightful blend of gooey mozzarella cheese and creamy ricotta.

Prep Time10

Cook Time45

Total Time55

Course: Main Course

Cuisine: Italian

Servings: Servings

Calories: 540kcal

Author: Lynn Polito

Equipment

Ingredients

1 lb Pasta Ziti or Penne
1 lb Ricotta Cheese Whole Milk or Part-Skim
1 tablespoon Italian Seasoning
3 cups Mozzarella Divided
3 Eggs
½ cup Parmesan Cheese
10 ounce Frozen Spinach 1 box, defrosted and drained
1 Onion
1 tablespoon Olive Oil
28 ounce Tomato Sauce Canned, or 1 jar of your favorite prepared tomato sauce

Instructions

Preheat the oven to 375 degrees. Bring a large pot of water to a boil. Add 2 tablespoons of salt and add the pasta to the pot. Cook for 2-3 minutes less than the package directions.
While the pasta cooks, add the olive oil and chopped onion to a small saucepan. Cook for 2-3 minutes until softened. Add the canned tomato sauce and cook for 5 minutes over medium heat to medium-high heat. Season with salt and black pepper.
In a large bowl, add the ricotta, Italian seasoning, eggs, parmesan cheese, and 2 cups of mozzarella. Add the defrosted and drained spinach. Mix well until a creamy mixture forms.
Add 2 cups of the tomato sauce to the large bowl and mix well.
Drain the pasta and add the cooked pasta to the large bowl. Mix well. Spoon the pasta mixture into a 9x13 inch baking dish. Sprinkle the top of the pasta with the rest of the mozzarella. Bake for 20 minutes or until the top is golden brown and bubbly. Serve immediately.

Notes

If you are using fresh spinach, use 2 cups of spinach and boil them for 5 minutes until wilted and then drain all the liquid out of the spinach.
You'll want at least a 9x13x2 inch baking dish. This recipe makes a lot of pasta.
Don't overcook the pasta! Cook the pasta for 2-3 minutes less than what the box says. When it bakes in the oven, the pasta will cook more and you don't want overcooked ziti pasta.
To prevent the baked ziti from browning too quickly, cover the casserole dish with aluminum foil to prevent the top from burning.
To make this even cheesier, chunk the mozzarella instead of using shredded mozzarella. That will give you those long pulls of mozzarella throughout the baked ziti.
Sprinkle the top of the pasta with chopped fresh basil, chopped fresh parsley, or your favorite fresh herbs.

Nutrition