Easy Meatless Baked Ziti (Vegetarian)

I love creating this meatless baked ziti as a make-ahead recipe, making it more convenient to have a delicious, filling meal on busy evenings. This fast and easy dish comes together in a few minutes and is perfect for picky eaters.

This yummy recipe includes chewy noodles, a tomato-forward sauce, and ooey, gooey mozzarella pieces throughout.

This is an amazing recipe to meal prep and eat throughout the week. Click here for a more in-depth article on how to reheat baked ziti.

Why this recipe

This no-fuss meatless baked ziti is so easy to make – it only requires 10 minutes of prep time! You can hang out with family and friends the rest of the cook time while this vegetarian baked ziti gets a crispy, cheesy crust in the oven!

This baked ziti recipe (vegetarian-style) is a great option for those who want to eat less meat during the week. Keeping this veggie-baked ziti meatless also helps keep the cost per serving down.

I’ve packed this baked ziti no-meat dish with veggies, including aubergine and mushrooms. However, you can easily use other veg you prefer, like spinach and sweet peppers.

Bonus – This budget-friendly, easy weeknight dinner also makes for a great freezer meal. Once cooked and cooled, freeze the baked ziti in portions and defrost before eating them.

What is Baked Ziti?

Baked ziti is an Italian-American dish made with noodles, pasta sauce, cheese, veggies, and meat (if you want). It’s bubbly, gooey, and has a crunchy cheese topping that makes it stand out from other pasta dishes.

Baked Ziti Vs. Lasagna

A few differences exist between baked ziti (like this meatless baked ziti dish) and lasagna. Baked ziti ingredients are tossed together before baking in a pan. Lasagna ingredients are placed in a baking pan in layers. Additionally, the type of pasta each requires is different.

Satisfy pasta cravings with these additional cosy, comforting pasta recipes: Creamy Bacon Pasta, Caramelized Shallot Pasta, or Easy Sun Dried Tomato Pasta.

Ingredients

Fusilli
I love using fusilli noodles for this meatless baked ziti recipe since it bakes well. However, you can use other noodle varieties like ziti or rigatoni in this dish.

Chopped tomatoes
For this recipe, I love using canned plum tomatoes for a sauce since it’s easier to adjust the flavour to your preference. However, you can use marinara or another pasta sauce instead.

Mozzarella
Avoid using pre-shredded mozzarella as it typically has an anti-clumping agent, which makes the cheese not melt as well. Instead, use freshly grated mozzarella cheese or mozzarella balls.

See the recipe card for full information on all ingredients and quantities.

Variations

This yummy meatless baked ziti is quite versatile! You can use various noodles in this classic meatless baked ziti. Options like rigatoni, penne, shells, egg noodles, etc. work well in this recipe. Avoid long noodles, like spaghetti, as it makes it challenging to eat this dish.

You can also turn this vegetarian cooked pasta dish into a higher protein recipe by including meat or meat sauce. Ensure any meat you add is already cooked to avoid undercooked meat bits.

What is a substitute for ricotta cheese in baked ziti?

You can use cottage cheese or mascarpone instead if you don’t have ricotta cheese on hand for this meatless baked ziti with ricotta and mozzarella. Both options will provide an equally cheesy meatless baked ziti dish. However, the consistency will be slightly different when using these swaps.

Does Baked Ziti need egg?

Many meatless baked ziti recipes have an egg in them to help bind the pasta and other ingredients together. However, I’ve included mozzarella cheese instead. This swap helps keep the price per serving down. If you’re not as concerned about budget, you can always add an egg for a denser baked ziti.

How to make meatless baked ziti

1. Prepare the sauce by, adding the extra virgin olive oil, aubergine cubes, mushrooms and onion to a large saucepan. Season generously with salt and stir to combine. Place a lid over the pan and leave to fry for 5 minutes, stirring occasionally. Add the garlic, tomato puree and flour into the pan to fry for 2 minutes before adding your plum tomatoes, stock and Italian seasoning. Set your timer to 20 minutes and reduce the heat to medium/low. Cover with a lid (Image 1).
2. After 10 minutes add your pasta to heavily salted boiling water. Set a second timer to the packet time minus 2 minutes (Image 2). Preheat your grill to 200°C at this point. 

3. Drain the pasta, reserving some pasta water. Combine a few ladles of tomato sauce with the pasta in the pasta saucepan. Loosen with a ladle or two of pasta water (Image 3).

4. Time to assemble the ziti! Add a ladle of the tomato sauce into your baking dish. Next add half of the pasta (Image 4).

5. Add a few ladles of sauce over the pasta (Image 5).

6. Then scatter small dollops of the ricotta (all of it) over this layer, add half of the mozzarella (the cubes) and half of the parmesan (Image 6).

7. Top the final layer with torn mozzarella scattered over the top  (Image 7).

8. Place under the grill for 8-10 minutes, or until the cheese is golden and crispy. Place under the grill for 8-10 minutes, or until the cheese is golden and crispy (Image 8).

Other vegetarian pasta recipes you should try out …

Roasted Mediterranean Vegetables With Halloumi and Baked Orzo, Mushroom Rigatoni Ragu and Creamy Gochujang Pasta

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Easy Meatless Baked Ziti

by Mimi Harrison

Print

5 from 11 votes

Prep Time: 10 minutes mins

Cook Time: 40 minutes mins

Total Time: 50 minutes mins

£1.46

mains

Italian

Freezable

Servings: 6

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MetricUS Standard

This meatless baked ziti is a yummy take on a cheesy baked ziti. It’s yummy, easy, versatile, freezable, and budget-friendly!

Ingredients

• ▢ 2 aubergines, sliced into cubes (£0.85x2)=(£1.70)
• ▢ 250 g chestnut mushrooms, sliced into quarters (£1.00)
• ▢ 1 white onion, finely diced (£0.16)
• ▢ 4-5 garlic cloves, minced (£0.39)
• ▢ 800 g (2 tins) plum tomatoes (£0.32x2)=(£0.64)
• ▢ 600 g rigatoni (£0.50)
• ▢ 250 g whole milk ricotta cheese (£1.35)
• ▢ 75 g parmesan, finely grated (£1.70/2)=(£0.85)
• ▢ 250 g (2 balls) mozzarella (1 torn, the other cubed) (£1.10x2)=(£2.20)
• ▢ Side salad or broccoli

Cupboard Essentials

• ▢ 2 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
• ▢ 4 tbsp tomato puree
• ▢ 1 tbsp flour
• ▢ ½ tbsp italian seasoning
• ▢ Salt & Pepper
• ▢ 600 ml vegetable stock
• ▢ Optional red pepper flakes

Method

• To a large saucepan, add the extra virgin olive oil, aubergine cubes, mushrooms and onion. Season generously with salt and stir to combine. Place a lid over the pan and leave to fry for 5 minutes, stirring occasionally.
• Next, remove the lid and continue to fry for another 5 minutes or until all the excess moisture is fried off.
• Add the garlic, tomato puree and flour into the pan to fry for 2 minutes before adding your plum tomatoes, stock and Italian seasoning. Set your timer to 20 minutes and reduce the heat to medium/low. Cover with a lid.
• After 10 minutes add your pasta to heavily salted boiling water. Set a second timer to the packet time minus 2 minutes.

Preheat your grill to 200°C at the same time as you start to cook the pasta.

• Drain the pasta, reserving some pasta water. Combine a few ladles of tomato sauce with the pasta in the pasta saucepan. Loosen with a ladle or two of pasta water.
• Time to assemble to ziti! Add a ladle of the tomato sauce into your baking dish. Next add half of pasta and then half of the roasted veggies. Scatter small dollops of the ricotta (all of it) over this layer and ⅓ of the mozzarella cubes. Add a few ladles of sauce and repeat. With the final layer consisting of only parmesan and mozzarella cubes for the crispiest cheese.
• Place under the grill for 8-10 minutes, or until the cheese is golden and crispy.

Notes

• Boil the ziti noodles until slightly undercooked to prevent them from becoming mushy in the oven.
• Leave the ziti uncovered in the oven for a gooey pasta mixture with a crispy cheese topping.
• Slice into serving-sized pieces and freeze in airtight containers or baggies for up to three months.
• Prep the dish and refrigerate for up to two days before baking when you're ready to serve.

Nutrition

Servings: 6 servings

Fat: 30g

Calories: 674kcal

Carbohydrates: 87g

Protein: 37g