I figure we all had our fill of meat over the weekend, so let’s prepare an easy cheesy vegetarian pasta casserole made in one pot in 30 minutes! This really tastes similar to lasagna without the mess, work and clean up! You can make baked ziti ahead, keep it refrigerated and then pop it in the oven when you’re ready. Any leftovers can be frozen.
One-Pot Baked Ziti with Ricotta
Ingredients
- ziti or penne pasta
- 1-2 Tbsp olive oil
- 1 Tbsp butter
- 1 medium onion, chopped
- 2 cloves garlic
- 3 cups crushed tomatoes with juice
- 1/2 tsp Italian seasoning (oregano, basil, and thyme)
- 1-2 tsp sugar
- 1 Tbsp red wine, optional
- 2 cups of water
- salt, black pepper
- 1 cup ricotta cheese
- 1/2 cup mozzarella, cut into small cubes
- 1/4 cup Parmesan cheese grated
- 1 small egg
Instructions
- OPTIONAL STEP: Soak ziti pasta in salty water while you’re preparing the sauce (to shorten cooking time).
- Saute onion in olive oil and butter until soft. Add garlic, tomatoes, wine, sugar, and seasonings and cook for about 5-10 minutes.
- Drain pasta, add it together with 2 cups water to tomato sauce in the pot. Bring to boil, cover and cook on a low boil, stirring from time to time, until pasta is tender about 10-15 minutes.
- Combine ricotta, mozzarella, Parmesan cheese, and egg. Season with salt. Stir half of the mixture into pasta and dollop remaining on top.
- Transfer the pan to the 500 F (260 C) preheated oven. Bake until cheese has melted and starts browning, about 5 minutes.
