Baked Vegetarian Ziti (One Skillet)

Name: Baked Vegetarian Ziti (One Skillet)
Prep time: 5 min
Cook time: 45 min
Total time: 50 min
Ingredients: 1 (24oz) can marinara sauce; 1 teaspoon olive oil; 1 small zucchini; 1 teaspoon coarse kosher salt (divided); 1 red or orange bell pepper; 6 garlic cloves (minced or grated); 3 cups water; 12 oz ziti pasta; 2 tablespoons heavy cream; ½ cup grated Parmesan cheese; ¼ cup chopped fresh basil; 4 oz mozzarella cheese (1 cup shredded)

This baked vegetarian ziti is the best and easiest recipe because it’s all made in one skillet. There is no separate boiling of the noodles required! We wanted to keep this pasta recipe simple, so we made sure the ingredient list was 10 ingredients or less.

The inspiration behind this vegetarian baked ziti was to serve it as a side dish at a potluck we were hosting. It turned out to be the side that everyone loved the most and now we’ve made it as a quick, stress-free weeknight meal several times. It’s so simple to customize with any vegetables you already have in your fridge at home. We love a delicious pasta meal, our creamy pesto pasta and easy spaghetti and meatballs are two other favorites.

Baked vegetarian baked ziti with a serving spoon in a white skillet.

Why you’ll love this recipe

10-ingredient pasta recipe. A short ingredient list keeps prep and grocery shopping quick and easy.
Everything is cooked in one skillet for easy clean up. You don’t even have the boil the noodles separately! They bake until al dente right in the skillet.
A gourmet pasta that’s easy to make on a weeknight. With just 5 minutes of prep time, you can make this vegetarian baked ziti any day of the week since the stovetop and the oven do most of the work for you.

Tips for Busy Cooks

You can assemble this baked vegetarian ziti in advance in the skillet up to the step of sprinkling the top with mozzarella cheese. Let it pasta cool and store covered for up to 1 day in the fridge. When you are ready to serve, sprinkle with mozzarella cheese and bake.

Key Ingredient Notes

Marinara sauce – Use your favorite high quality brand here.
Olive oil – Cooking fat for the pasta recipe.
Zucchini – One of the key vegetables we love for this baked ziti.
Red or orange bell pepper – We like adding the natural sweetness of bell pepper to the veggie baked ziti.
Garlic cloves – Infuses every bite with rich garlic flavor.
Ziti pasta – The key noodles for a baked ziti recipe. Our version doesn’t require you to boil them in advance, they are cooked right in the skillet.
Heavy cream – Adds creaminess to the pasta.
Grated Parmesan cheese – The cheese that adds richness and a hint of saltiness to every bite.
Chopped fresh basil – The herb that gives lots of freshness.
Mozzarella cheese – Shredded cheese for that gooey goodness.

How to make baked vegetarian ziti

Preheat the oven to 475°F.

Chopped zucchini and red bell pepper on a plastic cutting board.

Step 1: Dice the zucchini into small cubes. Core and dice the bell pepper.

A skillet with zucchini, red bell pepper, and garlic cooking.

Step 2: Heat a 12-inch oven-safe skillet over medium-high heat and add oil. Once the oil is hot, add the zucchini, bell pepper, garlic, and ½ teaspoon salt. Cook the vegetables for about 5 minutes, stirring frequently.

Marinara sauce being poured into the skillet with the zucchini and red bell pepper cooking.

Step 3: Add the marinara sauce and salt and bring it to a simmer. Reduce the heat to medium-low and continue cooking the sauce for 10 minutes.

Ziti noodles are added with water to the marinara sauce and vegetables.

Step 4: Pour in water and add the pasta. Stir well and cover. Increase the heat to medium-high and cook, stirring frequently, until the pasta is nice and tender, about 15 minutes. (It’s important to keep the sauce at an active simmer, adjusting the heat as needed.)

Cooked ziti noodles in marinara sauce with basil, cream, and parmesan cheese and a wooden spoon in a white skillet.

Step 5: Stir in heavy cream, Parmesan cheese, and basil.

Baked vegetarian ziti in a white skillet.

Step 6: Sprinkle the mozzarella cheese evenly on top.

Bake for about 10 minutes, or until the cheese is melted and browned.

Expert Tips:

Cook the vegetables until they are partially softened before adding the sauce. This ensures that they don’t get soggy or mushy while they cook.
Watch the ziti noodles simmer on the stove top, they should just be cooked to al dente before placing the skillet in the oven. The oven helps everything to bake together and the mozzarella cheese on top to melt.
Add the cream and the parmesan cheese right before placing the skillet in the oven so the sauce doesn’t break. If you stir the heavy cream in too early, you could risk the marinara sauce curdling.
Customize the vegetables to your liking. You can also add onion, mushrooms, eggplant, yellow squash, spinach or another leafy green. It’s simple to make this easy baked ziti your own with vegetabels you already have at home!

Storage

Store any leftovers in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 3 days. Reheat in the microwave or in the oven for a few minutes until warmed through.

This vegetarian baked ziti also freezes well. Just transfer to an airtight container and freeze for up to 2 months. Thaw overnight in the fridge and reheat.

A white plate with baked vegetarian ziti and a black fork.

FAQs

Do I need to cook the pasta noodles in advance for vegetarian baked ziti?

Not in our one pan skillet version, but if you are making a regular vegetarian baked ziti, then yes you could cook the noodles 2 minutes less than the package instructions.

What other vegetabels would taste good in a vegetarian baked ziti?

We like to add spinach, mushrooms, eggplant, onions, and yellow squash.

How do I keep the vegetarian baked ziti from becoming watery?

Make sure you cook the vegetables on the stovetop first before adding the marinara sauce and the pasta, so some of their liquid evaporates. Any vegetables, like frozen spinach, need to be thawed and squeezed of excess liquid before stirring in.