Vegetarian Baked Ziti with Cauliflower
Published Oct 17, 2023•Updated Jan 10, 2025
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Tender cauliflower florets melt into a rich sauce in this Vegetarian Baked Ziti with a hidden vegetable boost. It makes a cheesy meatless baked pasta that you can assemble up to a day ahead and bake whenever you’re ready.
Baked ziti is lasagna’s lazier cousin, and I am totally here for it. You still get all the layers of flavorful sauce, melty cheese, and tender pasta without the need to carefully stack all of those layers. Just mix it all together, pour it in a casserole dish and bake until it’s bubbly and golden on top.
This version has a little sneaky vegetable action that adds nothing but delicious flavor and texture in the form of tender, creamy cauliflower. It doesn’t take any extra effort or dishes because you’ll add the cauliflower florets to the pasta as it boils.
And if you’re into more veggie-packed pasta, try my Sweet Potato Mac and Cheese.
There’s really nothing complicated about this ziti. It uses store-bought pasta sauce and cauliflower florets which add a savory flavor and a bit of texture to balance the springy noodles.
The thing that makes the sauce here extra rich and creamy is a tip I borrowed from Martha Stewart to fold cream cheese into the sauce. It’s an easy addition that adds great depth and creaminess to the dish.
Cozy, warm, and with sneaky vegetables, let’s make this one together. Here’s how.
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Ingredients
- Dried Pasta – Use a shape that will soak up sauce and stand up to cheese. Ziti is, of course, the classic shape to use in baked ziti, but I love medium shells, rigatoni, and penne too.
- Marinara Sauce – This is the sort of recipe where it’s best to just keep it simple. Store-bought marinara sauce already has all of the seasoning you need. If you want to make a homemade version, that would be stellar here too.
- Cauliflower Florets – Fresh or frozen will work. Make sure the florets are small – about the same size as the pasta shape you’re using, so that they sort of disappear right into the dish. Both frozen and fresh florets will cook very fast, so add them to the pasta when it is nearly finished boiling.
- Cream Cheese and Shredded Mozzarella – This combo makes the sauce creamy and cheesy.
- Parmesan Cheese – Rich, nutty, savory parmesan cheese adds a key layer of flavor to the dish. Sprinkle some on top so that it gets golden brown and lightly crisp as the dish bakes.
How to Boil Cauliflower with Pasta
You can boil cauliflower florets along with pasta in the same pot. Be sure to season the cooking water generously with salt as this will flavor both the pasta and the vegetables. Boil pasta according to package directions, adding fresh cauliflower 2 minutes before the end of the recommended cook time and frozen cauliflower 1 minute before the end of the recommended cook time. Drain.
Possible Variations
- Make it Gluten-Free – Just use your favorite gluten-free pasta.
- Add Protein – Try adding cooked chicken or, for a vegetarian protein, fold in some white beans.
- Mix up the Cheese – Provolone, havarti, Swiss, or crumbled goat cheese would all work in place of (or in addition to) the mozzarella. Or try using a combination of several types. A half cup of ricotta cheese folded in right before baking adds a nice flavor and texture too.
- Add Fresh Basil – To keep this recipe simple, I used dried basil, but fresh basil is fantastic here too. Fold it into the sauce and then add some chopped basil leaves sprinkled over the top after baking.
More Easy Vegetarian Recipes
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Vegetarian Baked Ziti with Cauliflower
Equipment
- 9×13 Baking Dish
- Stockpot
- Saucepan
Ingredients
- 2 18-ounce jars marinara sauce (use your favorite)
- 1 pound dried pasta, like medium shells, ,ziti, rigatoni, or penne
- 1 head cauliflower, chopped into small florets (or 16 ounces of frozen cauliflower florets)
- 4 ounces cream cheese, cubed
- 8 ounces mozzarella, shredded (about 2 cups)
- 1/2 + 1/4 cup grated parmesan cheese
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 450°F / 232°C. Rub a 9×13 baking dish with oil or spray it with nonstick cooking spray.
- Take a minute to chop the cauliflower into small florets that are about the same size as the pieces of pasta. If you bought frozen cauliflower or are using pre-chopped florets, they'll likely need to be chopped down into smaller bite-sized pieces.
- Fill a large pot with water and season it generously with salt. Boil the pasta according to package directions. (Set a time to be sure it is just al dente and not too soft.) If using fresh cauliflower, add it to the pasta in the last 5 minutes of cooking. If using frozen cauliflower, add it in the last 2 minutes of cooking. Drain the pasta and cauliflower.
- Stir 3 cups of sauce, the cream cheese, and 1/2 cup of parmesan into the pasta and cauliflower.
- Spread 1/2 cup of sauce out into the bottom of the baking dish. Top with half of the shredded mozzarella and then all of the pasta and cauliflower.
- Finish with the remaining 1/2 cup of the sauce and the remaining mozzarella and then gently stir everything together in the pan to combine it. Top the pasta with the 1/4 cup of parmesan cheese.
- Bake until the pasta is bubbly and the cheese is golden and melty, 20 to 25 minutes.
Notes
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
