You know when people ask you what you would bring to a deserted island? Well, I would bring baked ziti. I could eat it all day everyday! I love this version cause I put in some extra yummy veggies. This crowd pleasing dish can also be made a day ahead : )
Baked Ziti
This recipe serves 4 (you can easily double and bake in a 9×12 dish)
1/2 lb. of ziti
1/2 eggplant, cut into 1 inch cubes
tomato sauce, yours or my recipe
1 cup ricotta cheese
a couple handfuls of fresh spinach, roughly chopped
a few leaves of fresh basil, roughly sliced
2 cups shredded mozzarella cheese
a handful of grated parmesan cheese
a sprinkle of dried oregano
What you'll do:
Preheat your oven to 350 degrees. Make your tomato sauce. Cook the pasta according to the directions on the box until very al dente (chewy) The noodle will cook more in the oven and you don't want them to get too limp. When the noodles are done, toss them in some tomato sauce to coat. (this will prevent sticking) Lightly saute the eggplant cubes in some olive oil with a pinch of salt till they just begin to turn golden.
Now for assembly. Spread some tomato sauce at the bottom of the baking dish. (so the pasta doesn't stick)
then put a couple spoonfuls of pasta down, the eggplant, the roughly chopped spinach, some chopped basil and the ricotta cheese. (for an extra surprise, sprinkle in some toasted pine nuts)
Add another layer of ziti, then a little more sauce, mozzarella, parmesan and sprinkle with just a little dried oregano.
Bake for about 30 minutes or until the cheese starts to bubble and turn golden. Serve with some extra tomato sauce for people like me who love tons of sauce!
I hope you enjoy as much as I do!
This is a great vegetarian version of a classic. I’ll have to try this!
Oh that looks great! And we have some eggplant at home so this would be great! I love Eggplant! Thanks!
This looks really good! I loooovve eggplant!
I think this is slated for tomorrow night. It’s already making my stomach growl…
Delicious! So many wonderful recipes… I’m vegetarian, but my hubby still eats meat. He would love this though! Thanks for a great recipe. I look forward to visiting again.
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Perfect! This is what I am bringing to my dad’s for dinner tonight!
What size baking dish do you use?
Mary, this was a 9×9 baking dish
This recipe sounds delicious ! I like it because it`s vegetarian .
Leslie, I am making this for a family member who is recovering from surgery. Does this dish freeze well? Can I make it then freeze it for them to thaw and bake at their convenience? I don’t know how eggplant freezes. Does it get mushy?
DN, this dish freezes beautifully! Just make sure when you make it to leave the pasta pretty al dente because it will continue to absorb liquid as it sits. Good luck to your family member!!