Ingredients
Serves 4-6
- 12oz gluten free ziti or penne pasta (see notes)
- 4 cups high quality marinara or spaghetti sauce, divided
- 1 heaping cup ricotta cheese
- 1/3 cup freshly grated parmesan cheese
- 1-1/2 cups shredded mozzarella cheese
Directions
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Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Bring a large pot of water to a boil then add a couple Tablespoons salt (optional) and pasta, then cook until pasta is al dente (do not overcook as the pasta will continue to cook in the oven.) Drain.
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Meanwhile, add 2-1/2 cups marinara sauce, ricotta and parmesan cheeses to a large bowl then stir to combine. Add drained pasta then mix to combine. Pour mixture into a medium-sized baking dish (I used an 11x7.5”) then top with mozzarella cheese, cover with foil, and bake for 15-20 minutes or until sauce is bubbly. Uncover then bake for an additional 5-7 minutes to fully melt cheese (cheese does not need to brown - just melt.) Warm remaining marinara sauce then scoop Baked Ziti onto plates, spoon warm marinara sauce over top, and serve.
Notes
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I use Full Circle Organic Penne pasta, which has a ziti-like shape. I recommend using a corn/rice blend gluten free pasta for this dish, instead of a bean, lentil, or brown rice-based pasta.
- If you DO NOT eat gluten free: most non-gluten free pasta shapes are sold in 16oz packages vs the 12oz packages most gluten free pastas are sold in. To follow this recipe using regular pasta either remove 4oz pasta from your 16oz package before cooking, OR increase the amount of marinara sauce and both cheeses in the sauce to avoid a dry dish. This dish will not be GF if using regular pasta.
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Use the highest quality marinara or spaghetti sauce you can find in this dish - it REALLY makes a difference in making it taste like the “real thing”! I use Gino’s Spaghetti Sauce (their marinara sauce is also great but is too spicy for my kids.)