Baked Vegetable Ziti with Alfredo

This quick baked vegetable ziti recipe is one of the easiest ways to eat your veggies! Tender ziti pasta is mixed with colorful vegetables, a creamy alfredo sauce, and tons of cheese – what’s not to love?!

Hey cousins! Y’all know I love a good baked pasta casserole. There are so many ways to toss pasta into a dish with your favorite ingredients for an easy dinner.

I’ve shared a few easy baked ziti recipes before – my baked ziti with meat sauce and my creamy seafood baked ziti. Well, today, I’m sharing yet another baked ziti recipe, but this time, it’s meatless! Don’t let that fool you, though. It’s packed with healthy vegetables (which you can customize), alfredo sauce, and cheese!

Vegetarian Baked Ziti Everyone Will Love!

If you have a child that hates vegetables, this is the perfect way to sneak them in! Those picky eaters will be too busy enjoying the cheese and pasta to realize they’re also eating vegetables. (Hey – I’m a mom. My son unknowingly eats veggies, which he claims to hate all the time!)

I know the hallmark of a great baked ziti is a hearty meat or marinara sauce, but I promise you won’t miss it in this alfredo baked ziti! The creamy alfredo sauce mixes with all the melted cheese for the most decadent pasta sauce ever.

You won’t find healthy pasta recipes everywhere, but I swear, the vegetables outweigh all the calories elsewhere… trust me 😉 Baked vegetable ziti is an easy dinner that’s perfect for Meatless Monday meals or if you’re just craving something creamy, cheesy, and delicious. This recipe uses a mix of fresh and frozen vegetables as a shortcut. Y’all know I love using frozen veggies for convenience. Here, I just used what I had on hand – and you should, too!

Ingredients for Vegetable Baked Ziti

This quick and easy baked vegetable ziti recipe takes minimal effort and pays off with major flavor. You only need to grab a few things from the grocery store – you can find exactly what you need in the recipe card below. So, get that shopping list ready and let’s get to it, fam!

• Pasta: obviously, with a baked ziti, you’d want to use ziti noodles. However, if you can’t find them, use a similar pasta shape like penne pasta.
• Alfredo Sauce: I use store-bought jarred alfredo sauce. If you want some tips on how to spice up a jarred sauce, peep my vegetarian lasagna recipe.
• Vegetables: my vegetable mixture is kale, broccoli, and carrots, and while I think that’s a perfect mixture, this is where you can customize it to your tastes!
• Seasoning: I use salt, black pepper, Italian seasoning, onion powder, and garlic powder.
• Shredded Cheese: make delicious, melty, cheesy layers with shredded Colby cheddar and mozzarella cheese.

What different types of vegetables can you use in baked vegetable ziti? 

The sky is the limit, cousins! I highly encourage you to use what you have on hand. If you bought some farmer’s market veggies or have something teetering on the edge of questionable, chop it up and toss it into this pasta bake. Here are some yummy options:

• Spinach (a great option if you don’t love kale)
• Cauliflower
• Mushrooms
• Onions (yellow onion or red onion are tasty)
• Red bell pepper
• Brussels sprouts
• Green beans
• Squash
• Eggplant

If you’re using root vegetables (like squash or eggplant), you’d probably want to roast them a bit beforehand just to ensure they bake all the way through in the casserole. When chopping up the veg, make sure to cut everything into equally sized pieces so everything cooks evenly.

What other type of pasta worked in a baked ziti recipe? 

In this case, we love a good tube-shaped pasta. It holds on to all that creamy, cheesy, flavorful sauce. Use ziti pasta (obviously) or penne for a close swap. Rigatoni is another great option. If you’re trying to use what you have, non-tube-shaped pasta like fusilli, rotini, or cavatappi will work perfectly, too.

How to Make Baked Vegetable Ziti with Alfredo Sauce

Ready to learn how I make my tasty, meatless baked ziti recipe? Thanks to frozen veg and store-bought sauce, this recipe couldn’t be easier to put together. If you want to go for more homemade flavor and make your own alfredo, have at it! But when you need an easy, comforting pasta dish, you gotta try this creamy, cheesy vegetable baked ziti with alfredo.

Watch how I make it in the video tutorial below! Don’t forget to subscribe to I Heart Recipes on YouTube, where I post easy-to-follow recipe videos for everything from super simple dinner recipes to Southern favorites and decadent desserts.

Step 1: Make the Pasta

For this baked pasta dish, we’re pre-cooking the pasta. So, get a large pot of salted water boiling on the stove and cook the pasta until just before al dente. We want the pasta a bit undercooked because it will continue to cook in the oven. Anything past al dente will become too mushy.

Once the pasta is done, drain it and set it aside.

Step 2: Make the Vegetable Mixture

The next step is to toss all the ingredients together. You can mix everything in a large bowl or right in your baking dish (personally, I take any opportunity not to make more dishes for myself, you feel me?!). Be sure to spray the bottom of a large casserole dish with cooking spray to avoid any sticking.

Toss the cooked pasta, vegetables, and shredded Colby/cheddar cheese together, along with the seasonings. Give everything a good stir until well combined. Next, pour a whole jar of your favorite alfredo sauce and stir again, making sure the sauce is mixed well.

Once all your ingredients are mixed, top the mixture with the shredded mozzarella cheese. Use as much as you want – we support decadence in this house, baby!

Step 3: Bake!

Toss that casserole dish into a preheated 350-degree oven and bake for 30 minutes until the top is bubbling and golden brown. Should baked ziti be covered when baking? I prefer to leave it uncovered – I love those crispy golden brown bits! However, if you wish to bake your ziti covered, you can do so. Remove the aluminum foil during the last 10-15 minutes of baking to allow the cheesy top to brown slightly.

What to Serve with Creamy Vegetarian Baked Ziti

Everyone knows that baked pasta dishes are pretty filling on their own, so this baked vegetable ziti doesn’t need much help in the sides department. I’d serve it with garlic bread, breadsticks, or homemade dinner rolls. Add a nice fresh side salad, and you’re good to go!

Tips and Tricks for the Perfect Baked Vegetable Ziti Recipe

Now, cousins… tell me this doesn’t sound delicious!! It’s packed with cheese, your favorite veggies, and tons of flavor. My mouth waters every time I think about this recipe! Y’all know I love to give you Cousin Rosie-approved tips and tricks to kick your cookin’ up a notch, so here are some pro tips for this easy baked pasta recipe.

• The type of cheese you use is entirely up to you. I love the Colby cheddar blend, but an Italian blend works great too! You could also use Parmesan cheese (grated or shredded) in addition to the mozzarella on top.
• Want even more cheese? I’ve got two words for you: ricotta filling! Similar to a lasagna, a layer of ricotta cheese will add creaminess to the dish.
• Feel free to sauté or roast your vegetables for more flavor before combining them with the pasta and sauce. It adds some prep time, but the extra flavor is worth it!
• You’ll need a 9 x 13 casserole dish for this recipe. If you’re using a smaller dish, cut the recipe in half.
• I love to sprinkle some herbs on top of my vegetable ziti for color – use fresh basil or parsley!
• This recipe makes plenty of leftovers. Store leftovers in an airtight container in the fridge for 3 to 5 days.
• Is baked ziti with alfredo freezer-friendly? I don’t typically recommend freezing cream-based sauces as they tend to break when thawed, but if you’ve tried it with your preferred alfredo sauce before, go for it!
• Spice things up with some red pepper flakes. You can sprinkle them on top when serving or mix them in with the other seasonings.

There you have it, fam! A creamy, cheesy, easy baked vegetable ziti recipe. It’s perfect for a meatless meal, when you want to sneak some extra veg into your diet, or you’re just craving a comforting pasta casserole! If you made this recipe, lemme know if y’all loved it by leaving a comment below.

More Crave-Worthy Pasta Dishes from I Heart Recipes

• Lite Creamy Cajun Pasta
• Cheesy Southwestern Pasta Skillet
• Seafood Louie Pasta
• Sun-Dried Tomato Alfredo with Grilled Pork
• Seafood Lasagna Recipe

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