Vegan Baked Ziti With Vegetables (2024)

Vegan Baked Ziti is a comforting and delicious dinner any day of the week. We replaced the dairy and meat found in classic baked ziti recipes with simple vegan alternatives AND added colorful veggies just for fun. It's easily customized, a great way to feed a crowd, and leftovers taste amazing! Gluten-free and oil-free options.

If you love lasagna you've gotta love baked ziti. It's like lasagna's laid-back, low-maintenance best friend. You get all the amazing flavors of lasagna without having to fuss with broken noodles or careful layering.

And unlike classic baked ziti, which is full of dairy - and sometimes meat - thisvegan baked ziti is loaded with plant-based goodness (ahem, fiber is the new protein, you know).

It has the pasta and tomato sauce you expect and instead of dairy, the ricotta in this recipe is aclassic almond ricotta, which bakes up like a creamy and comforting, dairy-free dream! If you've never tried it in a hot dish before, I promise you'll be impressed.

Or for even more protein, try this creamy vegan ricotta. It's made with firm tofu, lemon juice, and plain vegan yogurt, and comes together in 1 bowl in about 5 minutes. Seriously easy!

Ingredients

• ziti - ziti is a small, tubular pasta with a smooth surface. It's not always as easy to come by as other similar-sized pastas, like penne. Feel free to substitute as needed.
• tomato sauce - any jarred marinara you enjoy is perfect. You'll need about 1 ½ jars (24 oz. each). You can also use canned crushed tomatoes if that's what you have in the pantry, and add an extra pinch of Italian herbs.
• ricotta - my favorite vegan ricotta is made with a base of firm tofu, lemon, and plain non-dairy yogurt. If you prefer a soy-free option I recommend this easy 2-ingredient almond ricotta.
• sausage - any Italian-style vegan sausage works well here. Use homemade vegan ground beef for a whole-food option or save time with a meat substitute like Beyond Beef.
• vegan parmesan - the ziti you see in the photos is topped with this easy homemade vegan Parmesan. For a creamier, melted cheese, you can use store-bought vegan shredded cheese or this pourable vegan mozzarella.
• veggies - traditionally ziti doesn't include the extra vegetables you see here, and you can obviously add, subtract, or swap them out as you like. But I figured why not add a little color and nutrition, right? I used onion, mushrooms, red bell pepper, and collard greens.

  More veggie ideas:
  During summer try zucchini or yellow squash. In fall and winter, shredded Brussels sprouts are a great option.

How to Make Vegan Baked Ziti

1. Prep the homemade vegan Parm, if using (pictured). Alternatively, prepare this vegan mozzarella OR use store-bought shredded vegan cheese.
2. Prep the vegan ricotta (takes 5 minutes).
3. Preheat the ovento 375 degrees F.
4. Boil the pastain a large pot of salted water until al dente. With about 2 minutes left on the timer, add the chopped collards or kale to the pot. Drain in a colander and set aside.
5. Saute the veggies, aromatics, and vegan sausage. Season with a pinch of salt.
6. Add half of a jar of marinara sauce to the saute pan. Stir and cook until hot.
7. Return the cooked pasta and greens to the large pot. Add 1 jar marinara and stir so the pasta is well-coated in sauce.
8. Spread half of the pastainto the casserole dish. Dollop half of the ricotta on top and gently spread around. Then, top with half of the vegetable mixture. Repeat the 3 layers, finishing with the veggies on top.
   *If using my pourable cashew mozzarella instead of nut parm, pour it on top of the casserole and spread into a thin layer.
   *Or if using vegan shreds, sprinkle all over the top, and cover the dish tightly with foil.
9. Bake for 25 minutes. Sprinkle with nut Parm and bake for another 5 minutes or until piping hot in the center.
   *If you covered the dish to melt the store-bought cheese, uncover and check to see if it's melted. Re-cover and bake for another 5 minutes if needed.
   

Substitutions

• ziti - use any gluten-free pasta you like. If you can't find ziti try penne or rigatoni.
• vegan sausage - if you're not into vegan sausage, or you want to easily transform this into a gluten-free meal, simply omit it. And not that you have to, but you could replace it with white beans or gluten-free Beyond sausages.

Baked Ziti FAQs

Top Tips

Always salt the pasta water. Cover the pot of water to help it quickly come to a boil, then add 1 to 2 teaspoons of salt and the dry pasta. Stir, return to a boil, and cook uncovered until al dente.

Plan ahead. Since this recipe uses two homemade vegan cheeses,ricotta and parmesan (or mozzarella), it does require some planning ahead. The great thing is that the cheeses are quick, easy, and can be made in advance.

But if you find yourself short on time, you can substitute store-bought vegan mozzarella. Spread it all throughout the dish, inside and on top. Cover the baking dish with foil to help the cheese melt.

More Vegan Pasta Recipes

I hope you enjoy this Vegan Baked Ziti. If you try it I would love to hear from you! Leave a comment and rate the recipe, and tag @myquietkitchen on instagram to show off your delicious dish.

Recipe