Easy Baked Ziti Recipe
This easy meatless Ziti recipe is sure to knock your socks off! Or, you could always use a meat sauce with it, too. My mom and I adapted this recipe so that it’s easy to follow.
Preparation: 20-25 min
Cooking time: 35-45 minutes
Serves: 4 (main dish) or 8 (side dish)
Dishes and utensils needed:
- Large pot (with lid) to cook pasta
- Large non-stick frying pan (with lid) to cook onions, garlic, spices and sauce
- 9 x 13 inch oven-safe casserole dish
- Sharp knife or grater for cheese
- Slotted spoon to keep pasta from sticking in pot and then to safely remove pasta from pot
- Wooden spoon to stir frying pan ingredients
- Colander for draining pasta
- Timer
- Pot holders or oven mitts
Ingredients:
- 1 pound penne or ziti pasta
- 1-2 tbsp olive oil
- 1 small onion or 1/2 large onion, chopped
- 4 cloves garlic, chopped
- Dried rosemary, basil, and oregano to taste
- Large jar pasta sauce (24 – 32 oz.)
- 1 lb. mozzarella cheese, grated or sliced
- 1 cup parmesan cheese, grated
- Pinch of salt (for pasta)
Instructions:
- Prepare or chop all ingredients first (store on paper towels or small plates until needed):
- Chop 1 small onion or 1/2 large onion
- Peel and chop 4 cloves of garlic
- Thinly slice or grate 1 lb. mozzarella cheese
- Grate 1 cup parmesan cheese
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees F
- Bring a large pot of water to boil, with a little salt added for flavor
- Add the pasta and cook, uncovered. Set timer for cooking pasta to number of minutes for “al dente” doneness
- While the pasta cooks, get out a large frying pan
- Put 1 tablespoon olive oil into pan and turn stove on to medium-high heat
- When oil is hot, add your chopped onions and saute for 4-5 minutes, stirring frequently, until translucent
- Add the chopped garlic and sprinkle in dried spices, stirring to combine
- Cook 1 minute, stirring constantly
- Add the jar of pasta sauce to the frying pan, stir and cover
- Lower the heat and simmer while the pasta cooks, stirring occasionally
- If sauce thickens too much, add a little of the pasta water so it doesn’t stick to the frying pan
- When pasta is done, drain pasta in a colander, using the slotted spoon to lift pasta from pot to colander
- Empty the water from the pasta pot
- Return pasta to the pot, and toss with a little olive oil (this helps the sauce stick)
- Cover the pasta until you’re ready to add the sauce.
- When sauce and pasta are done, spread a thin layer of sauce on the bottom of a 9 x 13 inch casserole dish
- Dot the sauce with half the mozzarella cheese
- Spoon most of the sauce into the pasta pot and stir to combine
- Add the pasta to the casserole dish (on top of the mozzarella cheese you just added)
- Spread the remaining sauce over the pasta in the casserole dish
- Add the rest of the mozzarella cheese on top
- Sprinkle the grated parmesan cheese over the mozzarella
- Bake in the oven 25-35 minutes, until the cheese is melted and browned
- Carefully remove from the oven and place on a cutting board or the stove-top
- Serve and enjoy
Ziti before going in the oven:
Ziti after coming out of the oven!