Dinner · 40 min · italian

Baked Ziti with Ricotta

Ziti does the heavy lifting here, with ricotta rounding it out. An Italian dinner that takes 40 minutes, start to finish. It is weeknight cooking that still hits your targets — 40 grams of protein per serving. Leftovers keep well, so it doubles as next-day lunch without any extra work.

✓ USDA-verified nutrition data

Ingredients

• 2 oz dry Ziti
• 3/4 cup Ricotta
• 1 cup Marinara
• 1/2 cup Mozzarella
• 1 Egg
• 1 tsp Italian seasoning

Steps

1. Preheat the oven to 375°F (190°C) and lightly grease an 8x8-inch baking dish.
2. Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil and cook the ziti 2 minutes shy of the package directions, so it is still firm in the center. Drain it well.
3. In a large bowl, whisk the ricotta, egg, Italian seasoning, and a pinch of salt until smooth.
4. Fold the drained ziti into the ricotta mixture with 3/4 cup of the marinara, then pour everything into the baking dish and spread the remaining 1/4 cup of sauce over the top.
5. Sprinkle the mozzarella evenly over the surface, right to the edges.
6. Bake 18-22 minutes, until the cheese is melted and golden in spots and the edges are bubbling.
7. Rest 5 minutes before scooping so the ziti sets up. It will look loose straight from the oven, but it firms as it cools.

Build my plan — free

Share this recipe

Know someone who would love this? Send it their way.

Copy link

You might also like

← All recipes