spinach & ricotta baked ziti

If you’re looking for an easy and comforting casserole dish, you’re in the right place! Forget about ricotta and spinach cannelloni and make these baked ziti instead. No more filling of pasta shells, no more mess and it still has all the delicious aspects of traditional spinach & ricotta cannelloni. This is your new go to weeknight dinner that the entire family will LOVE!

I turn to this easy baked ziti recipe anytime I'm serving a crowd. Filled with creamy ricotta, tomato sauce, and fresh spinach, it's comfort food at its best. First of all, as I said earlier, it is SUPER easy to make so it’s perfect for family gatherings, holidays, parties,.. You just toss everything together in a baking dish, you bake it and it’s ready. And second everyone will love it!

What you need.

For this baked ziti recipe you’ll need fresh spinach, tomato sauce, ziti pasta, ricotta (vegan), parmesan (vegan) and optional pesto.

Cook the pasta half way before assembling and sauté the spinach with minced garlic. If done these two steps then you can toss everything together in an oven dish and bake for 40 minutes at 180°C. I made my own tofu ricotta and used my favorite parmesan brand, gondino.

This recipe serves 2-3 people

Ingredients

• 250 gr of ziti pasta

• 200 gr of firm tofu

• 200 gr of fresh spinach

• vegan parmesan, as much as needed. I used approx. 100 gr, grated

• 500 ml of tomato sauce

• Optional, 50 gr basil pesto

• olive oil

• salt & pepper

• 1 garlic clove, minced

• 1/4 tsp nutmeg, grated

How to

1. Start by boiling some salted water to cook the ziti.

2. Meanwhile wash the spinach and sauté in a pan over high heat until wilted.

3. Add the garlic, salt and pepper. Sauté for another 2-3 min and set aside.

4. Cut the tofu into small cubes and blend with 100 ml of water and the nutmeg until smooth. It should be like a creamy ricotta texture. Add more or less water depending on which brand of tofu you are using.

5. Cook pasta half way and drain.

6. Time to assemble.

7. Add a generous amount of tomato sauce onto the bottom of a 20Cm by 20cm baking dish.

8. Add the pasta on top and layer with spinach, ricotta, pesto, and parmesan.

9. Add another layer of pasta and layer again with spinach, ricotta, pesto and parmesan.

10. Cover with the remaining tomato sauce and bake in the oven for 40 minutes at 180°C.

11. Serve straight away.

12. Buon apetito!