This Meatless Baked Ziti with Ricotta + Mozzarella is a classic recipe for the entire family! Packed with bold, savory flavors, this recipe is the perfect vegetarian option that is made with creamy ricotta, chunks of kales, and topped with well-seasoned tomato sauce, and generous amounts of Mozzarella cheese + parmesan cheeses. This is a sure crowd-pleaser and is finger-licking goodness on a plate. Make ahead option.
Meatless Baked Ziti with Ricotta + Mozzarella——-I love past dishes, especially pasta bakes. Honestly, they are the perfect lazy meals for during week or on weekends.
This meatless baked ziti is truly something delicious. This vegetarian option pasta bake is truly amazing. Nothing short of flavor and it’s even perfect once reheated!
With us being in the house fully these past days, I’ve been creating recipes that not only help to keep our Immune Systems boosted, but also our tase buds satisfied.
It’s totally different when you can’t find yourself getting your normal Starbucks run in the mornings or grab a bite to eat on a Friday or lazy day when you don’t feel like cooking.
So, these quick, easy meals come in real handy, especially on those days!
Of course, you can always search ‘weeknight meals‘ on our site for more deliciousness.
It’s absolutely delicious—-creamy + velvety!
Super easy to make and quick (plus, no crazy clean-up! Can we say–Everything in a skillet?)
Loaded with Cheesy flavors, velvety ricotta, + chunks of kale.
Full of flavor + well seasoned! (The best reason!)
Perfect for any time of day—Dinner, Lunch, Breakfast (if that’s your thing), whatever!
Dried Ziti Pasta – My fave has been by Ancient Harvest. This version is packed with protein and made entirely from green lentils
Mozzarella Cheese – Makes things nice + creamy; plus, adds such rich cheesy flavor
Parmesan Cheese – Makes things rich in cheese flavor in addition to mozzarella
Kale – Adds great earthy flavor to everything
Herbs + Seasonings – A great addition of flavor. Adds such savoriness nice + a beautiful kick of spice
Tomato Sauce – Can be homemade or store-bought. Always add seasoning to enhance the taste
Ricotta Cheese – Adds such a creaminess to everything
Veggie Stock – Helps to add extra flavor and creaminess
Olive Oil – Used for cooking
Of course, you can always search ‘weeknight meals‘ on our site for more deliciousness.
The ricotta mixture. Simple!
In order to ensure that your filling for the pasta bake is smooth and creamy, you must ensure that your ricotta mixture is nice in velvety.
Since ricotta cheese usually comes out a bit thick, the trick to the ultimate creaminess is in mixing in a bit of the boiled pasta water. Yup. You’ve read right.
A few Tbsps of boiled pasta water loosens things up nicely and creates a nice smooth texture. So, once you fold in the parmesan and any other ingredients (i.e. kale or spinach), you’re good to go!
Since we’re on the topic of pasta—-I figured that you would really love the following Vegan + Vegetarian options below.
This One Pot Creamy Vegan Tuscan Kale Pasta recipe is a delicious weeknight meal option for the entire family. Packed with bold, savory flavors, this recipe is the perfect vegan and dairy-free option that is made with a creamy based made from cashews and filled with a nice velvety texture from the kale and tomatoes.
This Vegan Sweet Potato Pasta w/ Kale + Spinach is the perfect way to enjoy a good plate of creamy pasta much like the classic Alfredo version, without the dairy and cheese and of course with the amazing texture of Pappardelle noddles. This recipe is easy to make, light, bursting with ‘cheesy flavor’ from the use of nutritional yeast, dairy-free, and so healthy!
This Gluten-Free Weeknight Baked Meatball Penne Pasta Casserole is a healthier classic recipe for the entire family! Packed with bold, savory flavors, this recipe is the perfect hearty, vegetarian option that is made with creamy ricotta + vegan meatballs tucked away in between the penne pasta and topped with a seasoned tomato sauce, and generous amounts of Mozzarella cheese. This is a sure crowd-pleaser and is finger-licking goodness on a plate.
It’s all about the seasoning! Whether you choose to make your tomato sauce from scratch or use a store-bought version, adding seasoning to your sauce is KEY! Adding flavor to the base of your sauce with garlic and seasonings will add more depth to your pasta bake and allow everything else to marry together well.
Just let it all simmer together and slowly bubble as the seasonings infuse deeply.
Begin by cooking ziti pasta according to the directions of the packaging (about 8-10 minutes) and drain (leaving aside 2-3 Tbsps of pasta water for later).
Preheat oven to 400 degrees Fahrenheit.
Lightly grease a standard baking dish.
In a pot on medium-high heat, add oil (1 Tbsp) and add the tomato sauce.
Add veggie stock, stir. Add seasonings and herbs (including garlic cloves), stir.
Let sauce bubble for 2-3 minutes.
Remove from heat.
Add ricotta cheese and a few Tbsps of pasta water, stir until smooth.
Fold in parmesan cheese + kale.
Add drained pasta, stir.
Add a bit of the tomato sauce to the base of the baking dish.
Add pasta-ricotta mixture. Spread evenly. Sprinkle a nice layer of mozzarella cheese.
Top with remaining tomato sauce + mozzarella cheese.
Loosely cover with foil.
Bake for 20-25 minutes.
Remove foil paper and bake for another 5 minutes.
Remove from oven and serve!
Bon Appetit!
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Meatless Baked Ziti with Ricotta + Mozzarella.
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This pasta bake totally hits the spots. It is not only meatless but also looks so delicious and comforting.
Sooooo ready to give it a shot! I have all the ingredients and i cannot wait to indulge
This is so good, you don’t even miss the meat!
This recipe is perfect to implement into our ‘meatless Monday” rotation. You hardly miss the meats at all- as all of the other flavors are so robust. So happy I came across this one!
Love baked pasta dishes!! SO easy and always so good!!
This looks absolutely yummy! I love that it’s meatless!
Thanks so much, Christy! It’s SO GOOD!
I love a good pasta and this recipe looks delicious!
I need this in my life!! I’ve been trying to incorporate more meatless recipes in my daily routine. Thank you for this!
Girl you put your WHOLE foot in this recipe!!
Such a flavorful pasta dish! I love that it is meatless! My family will love this
I really loved making our Monday meals meatless, so this is definitely going on next week’s menu.
My pantry is stocked with plenty of pasta, so I can’t wait to make this ziti this week. Thanks for sharing!
This looks amazing! I know my family would love this. Pinning for later!
This pasta is so delicious! Thank you for sharing the recipe!
I’m glad this is meatless. I’m saving the recipe to try out next week for lunch.
WOW this ziti looks so delicious and comforting! I need to make this for my family, they would love it!