Looking for a creamy, cheesy meatless baked ziti recipe to effortlessly to throw together? Baked ziti with ricotta and mozzarella uses only five ingredients, is freezer-friendly, and easily adapts into a gluten-free baked pasta as well!
Bring a large pot of salted water (omit salt for gluten-free pasta) to a boil. Cook the pasta to one minute less than called for al dente. Drain and rinse with cold water to stop cooking.
While the pasta is boiling, make the ricotta filling. Whisk the eggs in a medium bowl and then stir in the ricotta, 1 ½ cups mozzarella cheese, and parmesan until well combined.
Spread about 1/4 cup marinara on the bottom of a 9X13 baking dish. Add half the pasta, top with all the ricotta mozzarella filling, then spread on a heaping cup of marinara. Top with the remaining pasta, marinara, and mozzarella cheese.
Bake, uncovered, for 40-45 minutes, or until bubbly and hot throughout, and the cheese is melted on top. Let stand for 10 minutes before serving.
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Notes
Gluten-Free adaptations
The recipe calls for 16 ounces dried pasta, but GF pasta is generally sold in 12 ounce boxes. Therefore, use one 12 ounce box, plus about 1 1/3 cup additional dried penne to equal 16 ounces.
When boiling GF pasta, do not add salt. I find the GF starches absorb salt more than regular pasta, overly salting the dish.
The most important tip is adjusting the boiling time. GF pasta has a tendency to become mushy, or break apart. Therefore, when initially boiling only cook for half the time called for al dente. For example, if the box says to boil 10 minutes for al dente, cook for 5 minutes. After draining, rinse in cold water to stop the cooking before assembling. It will finish cooking in the oven.
Make-ahead / freezer instructions
To make ahead of time, assemble the casserole as directed, but do not bake. Make sure the dish has completely cooled first, then cover securely with plastic wrap. Add an additional layer of foil on top, and freeze up to 3 months.To reheat, thaw overnight in the refrigerator and then set out at room temperature for 1-2 hours. Bake as directed, adding additional time as necessary, depending on how chilled the dish was. If the top becomes overly cooked before the middle is hot, tent a piece of foil over the top.This recipe may also be assembled up to 24 hours ahead of time and refrigerated until ready to bake. For best results, set out at room temperature for 1 hour before baking.
Doubling / Halving the Recipe
For meal-prep you may double the recipe, freezing one for later. Alternatively, divide the recipe between two 8X8 baking dishes, enjoying one now and freezing the other for another dinner. If halving the recipe, bake in a 2-quart (8X8 inch) dish, and bake for 30-40 minutes.
Adding meat or veggies
Either brown one pound bulk Italian sausage, ground beef, or saute veggies (such as chopped zucchini, eggplant, peppers) before assembling. Layer the meat or veggies on top of the ricotta filling before finishing the layers as directed.