No-Boil Baked Ziti with Spinach, Mushrooms and Ricotta – a simple, healthy one-pot meal with only 15 minutes of hands-on time before baking in the oven. Vegan and GF adaptable!
Of all the paths you take in life, make sure a few of them are dirt.~ John Muir~
Here’s a simple, no-boil, Baked Ziti with Spinach, Mushrooms and Ricotta that can be made in one pan and is vegan adaptable! It requires about 15 minutes of hands-on time before letting the oven do the rest of the work. Perfect for weeknights when time is short but you still want a hearty wholesome homemade meal.
Tucked inside are heaping handfuls of spinach for added nutrients -of course, feel free to substitute chard or kale.
What I love about this recipe is how adaptable it is! Keep it vegan, by using vegan herbed tofu ricotta, or “beef” it up by adding flavorful Italian sausage. Once you have the basic idea, the recipe can be adapted to your specific preferences. And let me tell you, the leftovers are amazing, so do yourself a favor and pack them up for midweek lunches.
Summer is officially over. I have to tell you…it’s been a very long time since I’ve had a summer with so much time to enjoy the outdoors. Since we decided to cut back on catering, we’ve had a luxurious amount of time to just be outside and bask in the sunshine.
It’s good for the soul. We’ve done a lot of hiking and exploring in our area and it never ceases to amaze me, how one can discover something new, on the same path taken a hundred times before. You just have to have new eyes.
It’s the same with people, and really who I’m really talking about are spouses. Mine in particular. We are so dynamic. Change occurs in us everyday. We don’t always notice this on the surface but pay attention, and you’ll see. Or perhaps we rather not see. There is safety and comfort in the one we depend on, staying the same. I get it.
But how fun is that? Life becomes more of an adventure when I let go and trust the changes that come.
And trust the path of the people we are connected with. Lately, I’ve been feeling very grateful for Brian, for being so incredibly different than me. I used to resist it. To fight against his timing, growth and perspective, and of course, I’m sure I will again. 😉
But today I see how he has helped me in a way, that nothing or no-one else ever could, in his own unique way, without him even being remotely conscious of it.
A gift from the universe.
Back to the recipe. It’s a little hard to tell from the photo above but the left half of the pan is actually vegan – using vegan tofu ricotta, and the other half is loaded up with more cheese for my husband. He needs the calories, and I do not. 🙂
It starts with sautéing shallots, garlic and mushrooms in olive oil.
Add a couple heaping handfuls of greens. Here I’ve used spinach, but keep in mind, kale and chard work well too. Wilt.
Add the dry pasta.
Add 2 cups chicken or veggie stock.
Add one 24-25 ounce jar of your favorite marinara sauce. Of course, you can use homemade tomato sauce if so inclined. I’ve discovered my own personal favorite store-bought marinara sauce, not the one pictured here, but actually Trader Joes Organic Marinara – it is surprisingly really flavorful! I keep a couple of jars on hand for emergencies.
So basically it will look like this. Top with dollops of ricotta.
On the left is the herbed tofu ricotta I keep telling you about which is so easy to make, it literally takes 5 minutes. I use it in vegan lasagna and cannelloni as well.
It really has a similar texture as you can see below on the left. Because it’s made with tofu instead of cashews, it’s a much lower calorie option.
Now at this point, I’ll add grated pecorino and mozzarella cheese mostly to Brian’s side.
The mozzarella gives it the melty stringy yumminess he loves.
Then into the oven it goes to bake. So simple and easy!
Mushroom Baked Ziti with Spinach and Ricotta ( or herbed tofu “ricotta”) – a hearty wholesome fall dish easily adaptable for vegans and meat-eaters alike!
Baked Ziti with Spinach Mushrooms and Ricotta
No-Boil Baked Ziti with Spinach, Mushrooms and Ricotta – a simple, healthy one-pot meal with only 15 minutes of hands-on time before baking in the oven. Vegan and GF adaptable!
- Prep Time: 15
- Cook Time: 30
- Total Time: 45 minutes
- Yield: 4 1x
- Category: main
- Method: Vegan Adaptable
- Cuisine: Italian
Ingredients
- 2 tablespoon olive oil
- 1 shallot, chopped
- 4 garlic cloves, rough chopped
- 8 ounces mushrooms, sliced ( see notes)
- ¼ teaspoon salt, pepper
- 3 ounces baby spinach ( about 2 big handfuls) or chopped kale or chard
- 2 cups chicken stock or veggie broth
- 1 x 24-25 ounce jar marinara sauce- Trader joe’s organic brand is really tasty
- 8 ounces dry penne, or similar
- 8–10 tablespoons ricotta, or herbed tofu ricotta
- ¼ cup finely grated pecorino or parmesan ( optional)
- ¼–½ cup mozzarella ( optional)
- garnish with fresh basil or Italian parsley and optional chili flakes.
Instructions
Preheat oven to 400 F
Heat oil over medium heat, add shallot, garlic and mushrooms and season generously with salt and pepper, cooking and stirring until mushrooms get golden brown, about 10 minutes. Add spinach and wilt, then add 2 cups stock, a jar of marinara sauce and the dry pasta ( about 2 ¾-3 cups dry). Stir, and bring to a simmer. Dot with dollops of ricotta. Sprinkle with optional mozzarella and pecorino. Cover well and place in the oven to bake for 30 minutes.
Uncover and let the cheese get a little golden for a couple minutes. If there seems to be too much liquid left in the pan, simply simmer uncovered on the stove top for 1-2 minutes until it evaporates.
Garnish with fresh herbs and chili flakes if you like.
Notes
Feel free to add or substitute the mushrooms with browned Italian sausage or turkey sausage.
You could also try adding soy sausage.
Keywords: baked ziti, healthy baked ziti, baked ziti vegetarian, baked ziti recipe, baked ziti recipe healthy, baked ziti ricotta, one pan dinner
I loved this one-pot wonder! Delicious and easy to make. Thank you Sylvia!
I need to use gluten-free pasta (corn-rice-quinoa penne). It’s supposed to cook in 11-13 minutes. I’m assuming it will work like regular pasta, using this “no-boil” recipe. What do you think?
Thanks!
I think it should work fine! You tell me…how did it turn out?
I know for me, I use the Jovial gluten free brown rice rotini or spaghetti with this recipe often. It always comes out spot-on! A family favorite!
Thanks!
Can you also make this in a casserole dish or does it need to be made in a cast iron skillet?
Can totally be made in a casserole dish!
Could you make this in a casserole dish, too? Or does it need to be a cast iron skillet?
★★★★★
Oh yum! Oh yum! Another winner!
★★★★★
The BEST BAKED ZITI I’ve ever eaten! So simple to prepare, the kitchen fragrant as it was cooking – it was delicious! I made the Vegan Version for my friends, (who would never consider eating a vegan meal), and they loved it! The Herbed Tofu, er, I mean the ‘Ricotta Cheese’ was the best part. Must have been, as there is none left. I might just tell them one of these days, but not until we try the CHILE RELLENOS recipe that I’ve got my eye on next.
Thank you Sylvia for sharing these delicious Vegan meals!
Thanks so much… and I’m so happy you enjoyed it!!! Yes, the smell of this cooking is divine!
Glad you tried the vegan Herbed Ricotta! Have a great day!
I’m making this this afternoon for my meat eating football fans, but I’m doing the vegan version without mentioning it. I’ll report back after supper. Thanks Sylvia
I was more than happy to search out this web-site.I wanted to thanks to your time for this excellent read!! I positively enjoying every little little bit of it.
★★★★★
Ah Sylvia, all the gooey cheesy in your beautiful photos has made me so hungry, perfect comfort food!
I have almost all the ingredients at hand would love to give this recipe a try. It looks so yummy. However I found pasta was not listed in the ingredient list. I did see you mentioned it in the instructions. How much weight is 2.75 cups – 3 cups dry pasta? Like a pound?
Ooops!!! 8 ounces!