Baked Ziti And Summer Vegetables Recipes

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.

BAKED ROASTED VEGETABLE ZITI

Steps:

• Preheat your oven to 450 degrees.
• Toss the vegetables with olive oil, salt, pepper, and Italian seasoning. Roast for 15 minutes or until tender. Set aside one serving for lunch later in the week.
• Turn the oven down to 400 degrees.
• Meanwhile, cook the pasta according to package directions but take out of the water after 8 minutes or when the pasta is very al dente. It will cook again in the oven so this will prevent it from over-cooking.
• Toss together the roasted vegetables, pasta, and marinara sauce. Pour into a prepared baking dish. Top with mozzarella and Parmesan cheese.
• Bake for 20 minutes until cheese is melted and bubbling.

SUMMER VEGETABLES BAKED ZITTI

Steps:

• Cook rotini pasta for 5 minutes. DO NOT overcook your pasta. Rest of the cooking process will continue in the oven.
• Drain and toss pasta with 1 tbsp. olive oil. Set it aside.
• Meanwhile, wash and pat dry the veggies. Cut into cubes.
• Heat oil in a pan. Add broccoli florets and cook for 2 minutes on medium-low flame.
• Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Add mushrooms, bell pepper, and onions. Cook until fork-tender.
• Pour in the sauce along with fresh basil leaves, chili flakes, white wine, and salt.
• Give the sauce a good stir.
• Grease a baking tray. Start by spreading a layer of tomato-veggie sauce at the bottom of the pan. Layer it with a single layer of pasta followed by cheese. Then add another layer of tomato-veggie sauce followed by pasta and cheese. Keep repeating until you reach the top.
• Finish the casserole with shredded cheese.
• Cover with foil and bake in a preheated oven for 20 minutes or until the cheese layer is all melted and gooey.
• Remove from oven.
• Garnish with fresh basil leaves.
• Serve hot with your favorite bread for a great meal tonight.
• Or treat yourself to an individual baked ziti bowl.

BAKED ZITI WITH SUMMER VEGGIES

Steps:

• Cook ziti according to package directions; drain. Set aside.
• Preheat oven to 375º F.
• Heat oil in a large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat.
• Add onion; cook, stirring frequently, for 4 to 6 minutes, or until onion is translucent.
• Add garlic; cook, stirring frequently, for 1 minute.
• Add tomatoes, summer squash, and zucchini; cook, stirring frequently, for 3 to 4 minutes.
• Combine onion mixture, pasta, basil, salt, pepper, red pepper flakes (if desired), ½ cup mozzarella cheese, Parmesan cheese, and ricotta cheese in a large bowl; mix well. Place in a 2½ to 3-quart casserole that is lightly coated with spray.
• Top evenly with remaining ¼ cup mozzarella cheese. Bake, covered with aluminum foil, for 35 minutes. Remove foil and bake an additional 10 minutes, or until cheese is bubbly.

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 AND SUMMER VEGETABLES

Steps:

• Cook pasta according to package directions, omitting salt, and drain.
• Preheat oven to 400 degrees.
• Heat a large skillet over medium-high heat, and add oil to pan.
• Add squash, zucchini, and onion and saute for 5 minutes.
• Add tomato and garlic and saute 3 minutes, remove from heat and stir in pasta, 1/2 cup mozzarella, all herbs, 1/2 teaspoon salt, and all the pepper.
• Combine ricotta, remaining salt, and egg, and stir into pasta mixture.
• Spoon into an 8-inch square glass, or ceramic baking dish, coated with cooking spray, and sprinkle with remaining mozzarella cheese.
• Bake 400 degrees or until bubbly, and browned.

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.