Cheesy Baked Ziti

Cheesy Baked Ziti is a wonderful vegetarian dish and a perfect combination of layered pasta, three types of cheese and plenty of fresh basil. There's an easy way to make a fresh pasta red sauce here too. This made from scratch yummy main meal will inspire you to grab a big pasta bowl, scoop up and dig in.

Ingredients to have on hand

• Ziti pasta
• Ricotta, mozzarella and parmesan cheese
• Canned, crushed tomatoes
• Italian seasoning
• Fresh basil
• Fresh garlic and onion

Pasta

Ziti pasta does work best in Cheesy Baked Ziti, hence the name. But it's not the only type of pasta you can use. Any tube-shaped pasta, such as penne will create great results.

No Meat in This Recipe

This Cheesy Baked Ziti has no meat and is the ideal recipe to serve your vegetarian friends and family. The red sauce, the cheese sauce - everything is meat-free. But make no mistake, this hearty pasta dish is full of delicious cheeses and the red sauce is brimming with seasoning and garlic so there's no skimping on flavor.

San Marzano Tomatoes

I highly recommend using the San Marzano variety of canned tomatoes for this recipe. That's an heirloom type tomato and similar to Roma tomatoes, which are my favorite to make pasta sauces and soups. The San Marzanos have a slightly sweeter taste, which is why I love them in this recipe. I use this canned variety, but there are lots of great options for crushed tomatoes in the canned tomato aisle. Be sure to use crushed, not diced tomatoes.

Plenty of Red Sauce

This pasta recipe calls for three 28 ounce cans of tomato sauce, which means there will be plenty of sauce leftover after you're assembled the ziti in the dish. Keep the extra pasta red sauce warm on the stove and serve it with the baked ziti. Spoon the extra sauce on top of each serving, it's delicious this way and is especially good on baked ziti leftovers.

Other Pasta Recipes

Cheesy Baked Ziti will likely remind you of dinner at your favorite Italian restaurant, and if you are in the mood for other pasta options I've got a few ideas for you! Make Butternut Squash Mac and Cheese and wow your crowd with a classic comfort food. Or how about an option for the meat-lover in the family? My Homemade Meatballs are the perfect addition to a big plate of spaghetti, and this Tomato-Sauce and Fresh Pesto are delicious on any type of pasta. Enjoy!

Cheesy Baked Ziti

This made from scratch vegetarian meal will inspire you to grab a big pasta bowl, scoop up and dig in. Serve with plenty of the homemade red sauce.

5 from 42 votes

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Prep Time: 20 minutes

Cook Time: 30 minutes

Servings: 10

Calories: 432kcal

Author: Melinda O'Malley Keckler

Ingredients 

1x2x3x

• 1, 16 ounce package ziti pasta
• 2 ½ cups ricotta cheese divided
• 1 ½ cups mozzarella cheese grated
• 1 cup parmesan cheese shredded
• 1 egg
• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• 1 small onion
• 2 tablespoons garlic minced
• 3, 28 ounce cans San Marzano Style crushed tomatoes
• 2 tablespoons sugar
• 2 teaspoons salt plus additional for salting the pasta water
• ½ teaspoon pepper to taste freshly ground
• 3 tablespoons Italian seasoning
• ⅓ cup fresh basil leaves chopped

Instructions

Cook Pasta, Prep Cheese

• On the stove, bring a large pot of water to a boil. Add a teaspoon or two of salt then the ziti pasta and cook for about 10 minutes or until al dente. Drain pasta, rinse quickly with cool water and set aside. Grate the mozzarella and parmesan cheeses and set aside.

Make the Tomato Sauce

• Use the same pot that you cooked the pasta in and return it to the stove on medium heat, add olive oil and heat until shimmering. Add onions and garlic and cook until fragrant and softened, about 4 or 5 minutes. Add crushed tomatoes, sugar, salt, pepper, Italian season and fresh basil. Simmer the sauce on low heat for about 20 minutes, stir occasionally.
• Preheat oven to 375°
• Spray a 9" x 13” glass baking dish with Pam or grease with shortening.

Make the Cheese Mixture

• In a large mixing bowl, combine 1 ½ cups ricotta, 1 cup mozzarella and parmesan cheeses. Add egg and mix well. Stir in about 1 cup of tomato sauce. Add cooled pasta to the bowl and mix well.

Assemble

• Place half of the pasta mixture in the baking dish and dot the surface with about ½ cup of ricotta cheese. Top with the remaining pasta and pour three cups of the remaining tomato sauce on top. Dollop with remaining ricotta cheese and sprinkle with the remaining mozzarella.There will still be plenty of tomato sauce left, keep it warm while the ziti bakes and use it for dipping or adding additionl sauce ot each serving.

Bake

• Bake uncovered for 30 minutes, or until bubbly around the edges and lightly browned on top. If there are any fresh basil leaves remaining, chop and sprinkle on top with additional parmesan.

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Notes

This recipe makes plenty of red sauce, be sure to add a few spoonfuls to each serving. Delicious!

Nutrition

Calories: 432kcalCarbohydrates: 50gProtein: 23gFat: 16gSaturated Fat: 9gCholesterol: 68mgSodium: 909mgPotassium: 499mgFiber: 4gSugar: 9gVitamin A: 746IUVitamin C: 10mgCalcium: 404mgIron: 3mg

Please note, the nutrition details are estimated using a food database and are offered here only as a guideline for informational purposes.

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