Baked Veggie Ziti Recipes

BEST VEGETARIAN BAKED ZITI

Steps:

• Heat oven to 375 degrees F.
• Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. When ready, add the pasta and cook to al dante according to package. When ready, drain pasta but save about 1/2 cup cooking water.
• While the pasta is cooking , cook the vegetables. In a large skillet, heat 2 tbsp extra virgin olive oil over medium heat until shimmering but not smoking. Add onions and cook for 3 minutes or so, tossing regularly, then add diced zucchini, bell pepper, and garlic. Raise heat to medium-high and cook for about 6 to 8 minutes, tossing regularly, until vegetables have softened and cooked through. Season with kosher salt, oregano and paprika. Sit aside till needed.
• In a mixing bowl, combine the ricotta, 1/4 cup grated Paremsan and 3 tbsp Mozzarella. Mix well. (If needed, add a drizzle of extra virgin olive oil to help mix the cheese)
• Once the pasta has been cooked and drained, bring it back to the cooking pot. Add 1/2 of the marinara sauce and starchy cooking water you reserved (1/2 cup). Mix well to coat the pasta with the sauce. Fold in the ricotta cheese filling. Mix again to combine, but leave some big "pockets" of the cheese mixture.
• Grab a 9 1/2" x 13" casserole dish. Pour a little marinara sauce to the bottom of the dish, spread. Spread half the pasta. Now add the cooked vegetables and some of the torn basil on top and spread well across the pasta layer. Sprinkle a little bit of shredded mozzarella on top (leave more mozzarella for very top layer.) Add remaining pasta. Spread remaining marinara sauce on top and add remaining mozzarella cheese and Parmesan cheese.
• Place the casserole dish on the middle rack of your heated oven. Bake uncovered for 30 minutes or so. Remove from heat and let rest about 10 to 15 minutes before cutting through. garnish with fresh basil.

BAKED ZITI WITH ROASTED VEGETABLES

Steps:

• 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 1/2 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 1/2 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.

VEGETARIAN BAKED ZITI

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F (190 degrees C). Spray a 3-quart baking dish with cooking spray.
• Heat oil in a large saute pan over medium heat. Add eggplant, zucchini, tomatoes, bell pepper, onion, and garlic; cook, stirring occasionally until vegetables are tender, about 10 minutes. Sprinkle with Italian seasoning and salt; stir to combined.
• Meanwhile, bring a large pot of lightly salted water to a boil. Add ziti and cook, stirring occasionally, until tender yet firm to the bite, about 11 minutes. Drain and rinse in cold water.
• Mix spaghetti sauce and diced tomatoes together in a medium bowl.
• Spread 1/3 of the sauce mixture in the bottom of the prepared casserole. Layer ingredients as follows: 1/2 of the ziti, 1/2 of the vegetable mixture, 1/2 of the Parmesan substitute, 1/2 of the mozzarella slices, 1/2 of the remaining sauce, all of the remaining ziti, all of the remaining vegetables, all of the remaining Parmesan substitute, and all of the remaining sauce. Set remaining mozzarella slices aside.
• Cover loosely and bake in the preheated oven until bubbly, 25 to 30 minutes. Remove from the oven, uncover, and top with remaining mozzarella slices. Return to the oven and bake, uncovered, until cheese is melted and slightly browned, 10 to 15 minutes longer.

ROASTED VEGETABLE BAKED ZITI

Steps:

• Preheat broiler. Make sauce: In a saucepan, melt butter. Stir in flour and cook, whisking about 2 minutes. Stir in vegetable stock, a little bit at a time. Add onion and Parmesan cook until the thickness you would like. Remove onion. Set aside. In a roasting pan arrange tomatoes, eggplant, red peppers, onion and toss with garlic, olives and oil. Place pan in the oven on the top shelf for 30 minutes or until vegetables are beginning to brown. Remove from oven to a cutting board and roughly chop all the vegetables. Transfer them to a bowl. Preheat oven to 375 degrees F. Ladle about 1/3 of sauce on the bottom of a 9 by 13-inch pan. Layer 1/2 of vegetables, 1/2 cooked pasta, 1/2 of mozzarella, 1/2 pasta, 1/3 sauce, 1/2 mozzarella, 1/2 vegetables, 1/3 sauce, Parmesan. Bake, covered with foil, for approximately 35 minutes. Remove foil and bake for 10 minutes more or until bubbly.

BAKED VEGGIE ZITI

Steps:

• In a large bowl add Ricotta, Mozzarella (16 oz), Parmesan, eggs, and Italian seasoning - Mix well and set aside.
• Grate both zucchini and eggplant. Squeeze out as much water as possible. Add to the cheese mixture.
• Open and drain the can of diced tomatoes and place in another bowl.
• Open spaghetti sauce and add to the diced tomatoes.
• Add the sauce mixture to the cheese mixture and mix well.
• In a large lasagna pan, pour in half of the ziti and mix in half the cheese/sauce mixture.
• Pour in the remaining ziti and cheese/sauce mixture and mix well.
• Cover pan and bake at 350 for 40 minutes.
• After the ziti bakes for 40 minutes, remove the cover, sprinkle 8 oz of Mozzarella cheese on top and bake for an additional 10 minutes.
• ENJOY!

VEGETARIAN BAKED ZITI

Steps:

• Cook the ziti to just before al dente.
• Coat a 9'x12" baking dish with olive oil. Set aside.
• In a skillet, heat the remaining olive oil over medium-high heat. Cook the onion until translucent.
• Add the garlic and cook for 1 minute. Don't let the garlic brown.
• Crush the tomatoes with your hands and add to the skillet. Add in the juice from the can.
• Cook for 3-5 minutes.
• In a large bowl mix the ricotta and mozarella cheeses.
• Add the parsley, basil, oregano, salt, red pepper, a few grinds of pepper, and mix.
• Add the tomato-onion mixture and mix well.
• When the ziti is drained add to the cheese mixture and toss well to coat the pasta.
• Spoon the mixture into the baking dish.
• Sprinkle the bread crumbs and parmesan cheese on top of the pasta.
• Bake at 400F for 20-30 minutes, or until lightly browned.
• Allow to rest for 5 minutes before serving.