Meatless Baked Ziti

Prep time: 20 min
Cook time: 45 min
Servings: 12
Yield: 12 servings

Description

Easy to prepare and great for entertaining, this meatless baked ziti is a cheesy, comforting dish for chilly nights.

Ingredients

1 (16 ounce) package ziti pasta
1 pound shredded part-skim mozzarella cheese
1 (15 ounce) container whole-milk ricotta cheese
1 cup grated Parmesan cheese, divided
1/2 cup grated Romano cheese
1/2 medium yellow onion, chopped
1/4 cup chopped fresh parsley
1 large egg
2 teaspoons minced garlic
1 teaspoon dried basil
1 teaspoon dried oregano
1/4 teaspoon ground thyme
salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste
4 cups marinara sauce, divided

Directions

1 Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C).
2 Bring a large pot of lightly salted water to a boil. Add ziti and cook, stirring occasionally, until tender yet firm to the bite, about 8 minutes. Drain.
3 Combine mozzarella cheese, ricotta cheese, 1/2 cup Parmesan cheese, Romano cheese, onion, parsley, egg, garlic, basil, oregano, thyme, salt, and pepper in a large bowl. Stir in ziti and 2 cups marinara sauce.
4 Spread 1 cup marinara in the bottom of a 9x13-inch baking dish to coat. Pour ziti mixture into the dish; top with remaining 1 cup marinara, and sprinkle with remaining 1/2 cup Parmesan cheese. Cover dish with aluminum foil.
5 Bake in the preheated oven until heated through, about 20 minutes. Remove foil; continue baking until bubbly and cheese browned, about 10 minutes more. Remove from the oven; let sit 10 minutes before serving.