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Vegetarian, Americas

Baked ziti with green salad

Baked ziti is an Italian American pasta bake with tomato sauce, ricotta, and mozzarella, for 4 people, ready in 55 minutes, easy level, at €2.10 per serving. The key to success is pulling the pasta 3 minutes early and saving some mozzarella for the top, which melts into a golden, stretchy crust.

Tonight we're heading to the New York suburbs with a baked ziti bubbling under a blanket of mozzarella.

Baked ziti with green salad
Total time
55 min
Difficulty
Easy
Cost per person
€2.10
Calories per person
580 kcalcalculated by Kiloach, your weight coach
Season
Winter, Fall, Spring
The kids
They generally like it

Baked ziti is the kind of dish that pulls everyone to one still steaming pan. Pasta soaked in a garlicky onion tomato sauce mixes with ricotta, which gives a quiet creaminess under the broiled mozzarella and Parmesan crust. Fresh basil scattered on top at the end cuts through the richness without weighing it down.

It's a weeknight dinner that barely needs watching once it's in the oven, perfect for nights when you want to cook once and feed the whole family. Kids love the stretchy cheese pull, adults go for the crispy edges where the pasta peeks out. Serve it with the lemony green salad to balance things out, and it also holds up well for a relaxed dinner with friends.

The ingredients

4 people

Pantry

  • Ziti or penne pastaoften in the pantry 350 g
  • Tomato passataoften in the pantry 700 g
  • Olive oiloften in the pantry 5 tbsp
  • Vinegaroften in the pantry 1 tbsp
  • Oreganooften in the pantry 1 tsp
  • Saltoften in the pantry 1 pinch
  • Pepperoften in the pantry 1 pinch

Dairy

  • Ricotta 250 g
  • Mozzarella 250 g
  • Grated Parmesan 50 g

Fruits and vegetables

  • Onion 1
  • Garlic 3 cloves
  • Basil 8 sprigs
  • Green salad 1

Allergens Gluten, Lactose

The step by step recipe

  1. Chop the onion and garlic, cook them in 2 tablespoons of oil, add the passata and oregano, season with salt and pepper, and let it simmer. 15 min

    A pinch of sugar in the sauce cuts the tomato's acidity without tasting sweet.

  2. Cook the pasta in a large pot of salted water, but pull it out 3 minutes before the package time. 8 min

    It finishes cooking in the oven, if you cook it fully it turns mushy.

  3. Mix the drained pasta with the sauce, the ricotta, and two thirds of the mozzarella cut into cubes.

    Mash the ricotta with a fork first, it spreads everywhere instead of staying in clumps.

  4. Pour into a baking dish, top with the remaining mozzarella and Parmesan, then bake at 200°C until the top is golden. 20 min

    The pasta edges that stick out get crispy, that's the part everyone fights over.

  5. Meanwhile, dress the salad with the vinegar, remaining oil, salt and pepper, and scatter the chopped basil over the dish as it comes out of the oven.

    Let the dish rest 5 minutes, the cheese sets slightly and the portions hold together.

Our tips to get it right

  • Pick a wide baking dish rather than a deep one, the pasta cooks more evenly and you get more golden surface area.
  • Drain the tomato passata if it looks watery, otherwise the bake releases liquid at the bottom of the dish.
  • Grate the Parmesan yourself if you can, it melts better and clings to the mozzarella as it bakes.

The variations

  • Swap the ziti for penne or rigatoni, any tube shape holds the sauce just as well.
  • Stir cooked, squeezed spinach into the pasta and ricotta mixture for a veggie packed version, without changing the cheese amounts.
  • For a quick kid friendly version, skip the homemade sauce step and use a ready seasoned passata, the dish is still good and comes together 10 minutes faster.

What to serve it with

  • Crusty garlic bread
  • Sparkling water with lemon
  • Extra roasted vegetables

Storage

Baked ziti keeps for 3 days in the fridge in a sealed container. It freezes very well, raw or already baked, for up to 2 months. Reheat in the oven at 180°C for about 20 minutes, covered with foil so the top doesn't burn.

Questions about this dish

Can you make baked ziti ahead of time?

Yes, you can assemble the dish up to the baking step, cover it, and keep it in the fridge a day ahead. Just add a few extra minutes in the oven since it's starting cold.

Can you replace the ricotta with another cheese?

Drained cottage cheese or a soft fresh cheese works well in place of ricotta. The texture will be slightly less creamy but the dish still turns out great.

Does baked ziti freeze well?

Yes, raw or baked, it freezes for up to 2 months in a freezer safe dish. Thaw it in the fridge overnight before reheating it in the oven.

How do you keep the pasta from turning mushy?

Pull the pasta from the boiling water 3 minutes before the package time suggests. It finishes cooking in the oven while soaking up the sauce, without going soft.

How long does it take to make a baked ziti with green salad?

Count 55 min in total, prep and cooking included. The recipe is rated “easy”.

How many calories are in a baked ziti with green salad?

About 580 kcal per serving, for a recipe meant for 4 people. Calories are calculated by Kiloach, your weight coach, the app that partners with Mon Chou.

How much does a baked ziti with green salad cost?

About €2.10 per serving, or €8.40 for 4 people, based on average supermarket prices.

What allergens does this recipe contain?

This recipe contains gluten, lactose. Always check the labels of the products you buy.

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