Baked Ziti with Eggplant Recipe

Baked Ziti with Eggplant fresh out of the oven from the top view.

Baked Ziti with Eggplant Recipe

This baked ziti with eggplant recipe is a vegetarian weeknight pasta dish layered with roasted eggplant, homemade tomato basil sauce, and ricotta cheese. The definition of comfort food, this pasta dinner is perfect with a green salad on the side or a side dish with any of your meat dishes.

Course Main Dish

Cuisine Italian

Diet Vegetarian

Prep Time 15

Cook Time 35

Total Time 50

Servings servings

Calories 445kcal

Author Aysegul Sanford

Ingredients

For The Roasted Eggplant:

2 medium-sized globe eggplants cut into 1-inch cubes - 1 lbs each
3 tablespoons olive oil
½ teaspoon salt
¼ teaspoon black pepper
¼ teaspoon dried red pepper flakes optional

For the Baked Ziti:

16 ounces ziti pasta or any other tubular pasta
vegetable spray
2 cups homemade tomato-basil sauce* divided
1 ½ cups whole milk ricotta
½ cup fresh basil leaves chopped – plus more as garnish
½ teaspoon kosher salt
¼ teaspoon black pepper
1 ½ cups shredded mozzarella

Instructions

For the Roasted Eggplant: Pre-heat the oven to 400 degrees. Line two baking sheets with parchment paper and set aside.
Divide the eggplant cubes among the baking sheets. Drizzle them with olive oil and sprinkle them with salt, black pepper, and red pepper flakes (if using). Toss them well to ensure that they are distributed evenly and in a single layer.
Roast in the oven for 30-35 minutes, turning the eggplant halfway through for even roasting. Set aside to cool. Do not turn the oven off.
Meanwhile, cook the pasta. Ten to fifteen minutes before the eggplant is ready, bring a large pot of water to a boil. Season the pasta water generously with salt. Add the pasta and cook until it is al dente. Timing might differ depending on the brand you use, so be sure to check the instructions on the packaging. Mine took about 9-10 minutes.
Reserve 1 cup of the pasta water. Then drain the pasta, and place it in a large bowl. Pour the tomato sauce into the bowl and toss to combine, ensuring that the pasta is fully coated with the sauce. If the pasta sticks, feel free to use some of the reserved pasta water to keep it moist.
In a separate small bowl, mix together the ricotta and chopped basil. Season with kosher salt and black pepper.
To assemble, spray a large oven-proof casserole dish (9X13 is ideal) with vegetable spray and oil on the sides of the dish.
Place half of the ziti and tomato sauce mixture at the bottom of the casserole dish. Spread half of the baked eggplant cubes evenly on top.
Add half of the ricotta-basil mixture on top in dollops.
Sprinkle the whole thing with half of the shredded mozzarella.
Repeat the same steps for the second layer, starting with the rest of the ziti, eggplant cubes, and ricotta. Finish it off with an even sprinkling of the remaining mozzarella cheese.
Bake for 30-35 minutes or until it is bubbly and the cheese on top is lightly browned.
When ready to serve, sprinkle it with fresh basil leaves. Serve while still warm.

Notes

Yields: This recipe makes a large casserole dish (9X13) baked ziti, which is ideal for 8 servings. The nutritional values below are per serving.
Tomato Sauce: While I used homemade tomato sauce, your favorite store-bought tomato or marinara sauce would perfectly work in this recipe.
Storage: Like any pasta dish, this baked ziti is best served the day it is baked. However, you can store the leftovers in the fridge in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 4 days.
Freeze: While I don’t necessarily recommend freezing, you can freeze the baked pasta in a freezer-safe container for up to 1 month. But for best results, I recommend making a batch and freezing before baking. Thaw the frozen baked eggplant ziti (either baked or unbaked) overnight in the refrigerator.
Reheat: If you are reheating leftovers, reheat in a 350-degree F oven for 15-20 minutes. If reheating frozen then thawed, follow the recipe instructions as written and bake in a 350-degree F oven for 30-35 minutes.

Nutrition