Last updated on November 18th, 2024

A steaming bowl of this easy baked ziti with ricotta, fresh mozzarella and Parmesan is perfect for cozy weeknights yet special enough to serve for guests. It’s a favourite here for a simple pre-holiday meal or snowy Sunday dinner!

We’re getting our first snow this week and this baked ziti is on deck. A crowd-pleasing vegetarian option for the holidays, baked ziti is a lot like lasagna but so much easier to make. Tender ziti pasta, a herby marinara and creamy ricotta are layered then topped with fresh mozzarella and baked until golden and bubbling. Delicious!

Here’s everything you’ll need to make this baked ziti

2 teaspoons (10 g) butter
1 tablespoon (15 ml) olive oil
1 large yellow onion, chopped
3 garlic cloves, finely chopped
1 tablespoon (5 g) finely chopped fresh rosemary, sage or basil
1 teaspoon (1 g) dried oregano
½ teaspoon red pepper flakes
¼ cup (55 g) tomato paste
800 ml (28 ounce) can diced tomatoes
3 teaspoons (9 g) kosher salt, divided
2 teaspoons (5 g) freshly ground black pepper, divided
1 lb ziti, penne or rigatoni pasta
2 cups (500 g) whole milk ricotta, divided
1 cup (115 g) grated Parmesan
2 cups (250 g) sliced fresh mozzarella, divided

The key to this lightened up baked ziti is to sauté the aromatics first to add depth of flavour. For this recipe, I like to use lots of fresh rosemary and sage during our colder months and fresh basil and parsley in the summer. The result is a hearty and cozy meatless main (or side!) that will be a hit at your next family gathering.

Ziti pasta substitutions

Penne, rigatoni or any other tubular shaped pasta will all work well in this recipe.

Up the veggie content

You can boost the veggie content by adding shredded carrots, diced zucchini, mushrooms or bell peppers when you sauté the onion, or stir in chopped kale or spinach just before assembling.

This cheesy baked ziti can be made ahead of time and freezes beautifully. Serve it with your favourite crusty bread and a big green salad or roasted broccolini on the side. Make extra and freeze for later!

If you make this recipe, please tag me on Pinterest or Instagram so I can see!

And of course, feel free to leave any questions, comments or reviews. This is the best place to reach me, and I’d love to hear from you!

Equipment

Ingredients

2 teaspoons butter
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 large yellow onion chopped
3 garlic cloves finely chopped
1 tablespoon finely chopped fresh rosemary, sage or basil
1 teaspoon dried oregano
½ teaspoon red pepper flakes
¼ cup tomato paste
800 ml (28 ounce) can diced tomatoes
3 teaspoons kosher salt, divided
2 teaspoons freshly ground black pepper, divided
1 lb ziti penne or rigatoni pasta
2 cups whole milk ricotta, divided
1 cup grated Parmesan
2 cups sliced fresh mozzarella, divided

US Customary – Metric

Instructions

Sauce

Heat the olive oil in a large pot or Dutch oven over medium heat. Add the onion and cook, stirring often until softened, about 10 minutes.
Add the garlic, rosemary, sage, oregano and red pepper flakes and cook until fragrant, about 1 minute. Add the tomato paste and cook for another minute, continuing to stir until the paste is well distributed throughout. Add the canned tomatoes including the juice. Next, add 2 teaspoons kosher salt and 1 teaspoon pepper and stir to combine.
Bring the sauce to a boil then reduce heat, cover and simmer until thickened, about 20 minutes.

Pasta

While the sauce is simmering, preheat oven to 350˚F (175ºC) and butter a 3 Qt baking dish.
In a large pot of salted boiling water, cook pasta for 1 minute less than package instructions for al dente. Drain all but about 1/3 cup pasta water just so that the pasta stays loose in the pot and doesn’t stick to the bottom. Cover and set aside.
In a small bowl, add 1 cup of the ricotta, Parmesan, remaining salt and pepper and stir to combine.
Add both the cooked pasta and ricotta mixture to the pot of tomato sauce and stir until well combined.

To assemble

Add half of the pasta to the buttered baking dish. Top with half of the sliced mozzarella and spoon ½ cup of the ricotta across the top. Add the remaining pasta, then repeat with the remaining ricotta and mozzarella. *At this point, you can cool the pasta completely, cover and refrigerate or freeze to bake another time.
Bake uncovered until the mozzarella is melted and bubbling, about 30 minutes.

Notes

Ziti substitutions: Penne, rigatoni or any other tubular shaped pasta will all work well in this recipe.

Up the veggie content: Add 1 cup shredded carrots, diced zucchini, mushrooms or bell peppers and a little more olive oil when you sauté the onion or stir 1 cup finely chopped kale or spinach into the pasta and sauce just before assembling.

Make ahead and storage: You can assemble this ahead of time and either refrigerate or freeze it until you’re ready to bake. If you freeze it, thaw it in the refrigerator overnight before baking. You can also freeze a baked ziti and reheat it once thawed.

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Vegetarian Baked Ziti

Here’s everything you’ll need to make this baked ziti

Ziti pasta substitutions

Up the veggie content