Meatless Baked Ziti with Ricotta + Mozzarella

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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 and topped with seasoned tomato sauce, and generous amounts of Mozzarella cheese. This is a sure crowd-pleaser and is finger-licking goodness on a plate.

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.

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!

NEED MORE QUICK, EASY MEAL IDEAS FOR THE DAYS AHEAD?

These Quick + Easy Funfetti Vegan Pancakes are the perfect, healthy twist to kick start your day! Completely fluffy, airy, and a fun pop of color, these pancakes are truly irresistible—especially for the entire family!

These Roasted Chickpea Quinoa Sweet Potato Chipotle Ranch Tacos are the absolute perfect tacos your taste buds will ever taste! An easy vegetarian option for the entire family that is weeknight-friendly, meal-prep ready, made in under 45 minutes, and jam-packed with bold, savory flavors. 

This Creamy Vegan White Bean Soup + Sautéed Broccolini is the perfect comfort in a bowl situation. Filled with delicious herbs and spices, made with cauliflower and white kidney bean, and topped with easily sautéed broccolini, this soup is quite the healthy meal and uses mostly pantry staple ingredients to get the job done.

These Healthy Vegan Stuffed Sweet Potatoes are the epitome of a delicious savory meal. These Vegan + GF stuffed sweet potatoes are tender, perfectly filled with roasted cajun chickpeas, kale, and topped with yogurt.

This Veggie Pizza is absolutely one of my favorite homemade pizzas to date. It comes loaded with mozzarella cheese, grape tomatoes, and broccoli and comes based with a crispy, fluffy whole wheat crust. 

Of course, you can always search ‘weeknight meals‘ on our site for more deliciousness.

5 REASONS WHY YOU’LL LOVE THIS PASTA!

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!

Full of flavor + well seasoned! (The best reason!)

Perfect for any time of day—Dinner, Lunch, Breakfast (if that’s your thing), whatever!

WHAT GOES INSIDE THIS BAKED ZITI EXACTLY?

Ok, so when it comes to making this baked ziti, I chose to keep ingredients miniminal for ease.

For starters, you need your dry ziti pasta, then to follow—-organic tomato sauce (a 15oz. can works), mozzarella cheese, parmesan cheese (for extra flavor + cheesiness), ricotta cheese (I use part-skim) and your seasonings + herbs.

SERCRET TO A CREAMY FILLING?

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 this Creamy Lobster Spinach Linguine as well! With little heavy cream involved, the creaminess comes more so from the parmesan cheese that adds a nice kick of flavor.

Who said seafood couldn’t work well with cheese? I definitely don’t concur! The star of this dish—the lobster, posses as the best kept little secret!

This Savory Lemon Garlic Shrimp Pasta recipe is a real special dish. Packed with bold, savory flavors (especially from the Sweeet Heat seasoning)–this recipe is a sure crowd pleaser and is finger-licking goodness on a plate. Absolutely creamy, easy to make, and a best kept secret star!

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!

OK, let’s dig right into this recipe—shall we?

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 the meantime, in a pot on medium-high heat, add oil (1 Tbsp) and add the tomato sauce. Add veggie stock and stir. Add in seasonings and herbs (including garlic cloves) and stir continue well combined.

Let sauce bubble for 2-3 minutes before removing from heat.

Meanwhile, add ricotta cheese and a few Tbsps (2-3 at most) of pasta water and stir using a spatula until smooth. Fold in parmesan cheese.

Add drained pasta and gently stir until everything is well incorporated.

Add a bit of the tomato sauce to the base of the baking dish and add pasta-ricotta mixture. Spread evenly. Sprinkle a nice layer of mozzarella cheese (1 cup) for extra cheesiness.

Top with remaining tomato sauce and sprinkle with mozzarella cheese.

Loosely cover with foil and bake for 20-25 minutes. Remove foil paper and bake for another 5 minutes or so, until cheese has fully melted and browned slightly.

Remove from oven and serve with your favorite salad or bread.

Bon Appetit!

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Meatless Baked Ziti with Ricotta + Mozzarella 

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 and topped with seasoned tomato sauce, and generous amounts of Mozzarella cheese. This is a sure crowd-pleaser and is finger-licking goodness on a plate.

Course: Main Course

Keyword baked, classic, dinner, easy, food, healthy, homemade, indulge, pasta, plant-based, recipe, savory, skillet, vegetarian

Prep Time: 15 minutes

Cook Time: 35 minutes

Total Time: 50 minutes

Servings: 4 servings

Creator Shanika | Orchids + Sweet Tea

Must-Haves:

• 1 (16 oz.) package ziti pasta, organic
• 1 cup grated parmesan cheese
• 3 cups shredded mozzarella cheese, organic (I use Organic Valley)
• 3-4 cups ricotta cheese (I use Part Skim; You can use regular if preferred)
• 2-3 Tbsps pasta water (See Instructions!)

Tomato Sauce:

• 1 (15 oz.) can organic tomato sauce
• 2-3 Tbsps veggie stock, organic (I use Pacific Foods)
• 2 garlic cloves, minced
• 1 tsp dried basil
• 1 tsp oregano
• 1/2 tsp sea salt
• 1/2 tsp black pepper
• pinch of red papper flakes
• 1/4 tsp smoked paprika
• 1 Tbsp dried parsley
• 1 tsp onion powder
• 1 tsp garlic powder
• 1 Tbsp extra virgin olive oil (I use California Olive Ranch)

Instructions:

1. 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).

2. Preheat oven to 400 degrees Fahrenheit, lightly grease a standard baking dish.

3. In the meantime, in a pot on medium-high heat, add oil (1 Tbsp) and add the tomato sauce. Add veggie stock and stir. Add in seasonings and herbs (including garlic cloves) and stir continue well combined.

4. Let sauce bubble for 2-3 minutes before removing from heat.

5. Meanwhile, add ricotta cheese and a few Tbsps (2-3 at most) of pasta water and stir using a spatula until smooth. Fold in parmesan cheese.

6. Add drained pasta and gently stir until everything is well incorporated.

7. Add a bit of the tomato sauce to the base of the baking dish and add pasta-ricotta mixture. Spread evenly. Sprinkle a nice layer of mozzarella cheese (1 cup) for extra cheesiness.

8. Top with remaining tomato sauce and sprinkle with mozzarella cheese.

9. Loosely cover with foil and bake for 20-25 minutes. Remove foil paper and bake for another 5 minutes or so, until cheese has fully melted and browned slightly.

10. Remove from oven and serve with your favorite salad or bread.

11. Bon Appetit!

Tips | Notes:

STORAGE: Any leftovers can be kept in a tightly sealed container and refrigerated for up to 3-4 days.

 

Meatless Baked Ziti with Ricotta + Mozzarella.