Easy Vegetarian Baked Ziti

Preheat oven to 375 F.

Into a large bowl, combine the ricotta, half the Parmesan cheese, and a sprinkle of salt and pepper.

Add the pasta and 1 1/2 cups of the marinara to the ricotta mixture, and stir to combine. The mixture should be creamy and still have lots of whole chunks of ricotta.

Pour half of the pasta mixture into the bottom of a large baking dish (9×13 and at least 3 inches deep, or you can use two smaller dishes). Top with half of the remaining marinara and half of the mozzarella.

Add the second half of the pasta mixture to the baking dish. Top with the remaining marinara, then the remaining mozzarella, then the remaining Parmesan cheese.

Bake at 375 F for 20-30 minutes or until bubbly and slightly brown on top.

Tips:
– Feel free to add cooked ground beef (as much as you like) into the marinara sauce if you’d like!
– This can be kept in the fridge covered for 3 days before baking, or frozen and then baked from frozen (covered in foil) for 1 hour until bubbly.

For the quick homemade marinara:

In a large skillet, add the chopped onion with crushed red pepper and olive oil over medium heat. Stir for 3 minutes until onion starts to soften, then add garlic and stir one minute more. Add crushed or whole tomatoes with their juices, a sprinkle of salt, and a pinch of sugar. Stir until bubbly, taste, and use however you’d like!