Cooking and Serving: 55 minutes | 5 servings
Ingredients
How to make gluten free baked ziti | Ingredient substitutions
Description
Prep Time: 20 minutes | Cook Time: 35 minutes | Total Time: 55 minutes | Servings: 5 servings
Ingredients
How to make gluten free baked ziti
Expert tips
Ingredient substitutions
Notes
* How to make gluten free baked ziti
* Ingredient substitutions
* Gluten Free Baked Ziti Recipe
* Storage instructions
The ultimate Italian comfort food, this gluten free baked ziti recipe has only a
few ingredients, most of which you probably already have in your kitchen. You
can make it ahead of time and freeze it for at least a month, and it even holds
up really well as leftovers.
We use store-bought tomato sauce and thicken it with tomato paste for plenty of
flavor that sticks to the pasta. We make sure it’s more than just pasta with
sauce and cheese . But this ziti’s even
My favorite gluten free pasta shape to use here is rigatoni, but penne and even
fusilli would work. Boil your pasta 2 minutes less than the package says, and it
will keep its texture for way longer than you expect!
ingredients in gluten free baked ziti in small bowls and containers with bold
black type with names of ingredients
in gluten free baked ziti in small bowls and containers with bold black type
with names of ingredients
* Gluten free pasta: I like Rummo brand gluten free rigatoni pasta best for
this recipe. You need something that’s similar in size and shape to ziti, and
rigatoni comes very close. Also try penne.
* Tomato sauce & tomato paste: I use a 24 ounce jar of Rao’s brand tomato herb
or marinara pasta with 4 to 6 ounces of tomato paste for extra richness and
* Egg: Helps bind the ricotta cheese mixture together.
* Ricotta cheese: Adds a creamy richness, so the dish is more than just pasta
with sauce and shredded cheese. Try draining some cottage cheese until it’s
as thick as ricotta as an alternative.
* Mozzarella cheese: Adds a mild, cheesy texture and melts so easily.
* Parmesan cheese: Adds tons of depth of flavor.
* Basil: The slightly peppery, fresh flavor cuts the creamy richness.
* Salt/pepper: To brighten the flavor of the ricotta filling.
HOW TO MAKE GLUTEN FREE BAKED ZITI
* Whisk together a jar of tomato sauce with some tomato paste to thicken it
* Boil your pasta to an al dente texture and add about 1/4 of the tomato sauce
* Whisk together one egg, ricotta cheese, salt, pepper, about 4 ounces of
shredded mozzarella cheese, 1 tablespoon of grated Parmesan, and chopped
Round metal mixing bowl with red tomato sauce and metal wire whisk in bowl
metal mixing bowl with red tomato sauce and metal wire whisk in bowl
Large black oval stock pot with cooked gf rigatoni noodles covered in tomato
sauce with metal mixing spoon
black oval stock pot with cooked gf rigatoni noodles covered in tomato sauce
with metal mixing spoon
Medium size round metal mixing bowl with white ricotta cheese whisked with egg
and spices with wire whisk
size round metal mixing bowl with white ricotta cheese whisked with egg and
spices with wire whisk
Same mixing bowl with mozzarella and fresh chopped basil mixed in
mixing bowl with mozzarella and fresh chopped basil mixed in
* Start with some sauce, then layer half of the boiled pasta with its sauce;
* Top with half of the ricotta cheese mixture;
* Add a layer of sauce, then a layer of mozzarella and Parmesan cheeses;
* Repeat the layers, ending with about half of the total mozzarella and
* Bake at 375°F for about 35 minutes, or until the cheese is golden brown on
* Let sit for about 15 minutes before serving warm.
Large white oval casserole dish with layer of red tomato sauce on bottom
white oval casserole dish with layer of red tomato sauce on bottom
Same dish with layer of cooked rigatoni pasta in sauce on top
dish with layer of cooked rigatoni pasta in sauce on top
Same dish with layer of ricotta, mozzarella and basil on top
dish with layer of ricotta, mozzarella and basil on top
Same dish with thin layer of tomato sauce on top
dish with thin layer of tomato sauce on top
Same dish with top layer of white shredded mozzarella and white finely grated
Parmesan cheese with some sauce peeking out around perimeter of dish
dish with top layer of white shredded mozzarella and white finely grated
Parmesan cheese with some sauce peeking out around perimeter of dish
Finished baked ziti in casserole dish with browned spots on cheese and fresh
chopped basil scattered on top
baked ziti in casserole dish with browned spots on cheese and fresh chopped
basil scattered on top
The pasta is boiled first, and then baked in sauce and cheese. We begin by
undercooking it to a very al dente texture during boiling, reducing the boiling
time on the package lower end of the range. Even the very best gluten free pasta has a tendency to
fall apart when overcooked. Plus, we want to be able to have delicious
A lot of baked ziti recipes recommend covering the baking dish at the start of
baking. But we add enough sauce that our baked ziti won’t dry out. And leaving
the dish uncovered means you get that beautiful golden brown cheesy top.
Side of white oval casserole dish with baked ziti being lifted on metal serving
spoon revealing tomato sauce, cooked pasta and ricotta cheese, with top layer of
of white oval casserole dish with baked ziti being lifted on metal serving spoon
revealing tomato sauce, cooked pasta and ricotta cheese, with top layer of
INGREDIENT SUBSTITUTIONS
There’s only one egg in this recipe in the ricotta cheese mixture. If you can’t
have eggs, just leave it out. I don’t generally advocate eliminating an
ingredient in a recipe without replacing it, but it only helps to bind together
the ricotta mixture a bit. If you’re not using an egg, use pre-shredded
mozzarella cheese so it absorbs more of the moisture in the ricotta.
There is a lot of cheese in this recipe, and to make the dish dairy free, we’ll
need to replace each kind. Luckily, there are so many excellent dairy free
cheeses on the market today! For Parmesan cheese, I love Follow Your Heart vegan
grated Parmesan. Violife also sells a vegan Parm block. For mozzarella cheese, I
can recommend Daiya, Miyoko’s Creamery, Violife and Whole Foods 365 brands. For
ricotta cheese, the only one I’ve tried is Kite Hill. It’s a bit nutty, but it
works well. Miyoko’s Creamery has a dairy free cottage cheese that you can
GLUTEN FREE PASTA SHAPES
There are so many good brands of dried gluten free pasta available today. My
hands-down favorite brand is Rummo’s gluten free line .
They have a gluten free rigatoni shape that is similar in size to ziti, and has
ridges to hold sauce that ziti doesn’t have. It’s my favorite for this recipe. I
linked to Amazon’s Rummo gluten free “store,” but you can usually find better
prices in grocery stores and other places online, so shop around. You can also
* Giadzy brand gluten free ziti corti
* Bionaturae brand gluten free rigatoni pasta
* Barilla brand gluten free penne pasta
* Colavita brand gluten free penne pasta
black round dish with gold fork and serving of gluten free baked ziti with
ricotta, rigatoni pasta, ricotta and chopped fresh basil from side
round dish with gold fork and serving of gluten free baked ziti with ricotta,
rigatoni pasta, ricotta and chopped fresh basil from side
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GLUTEN FREE BAKED ZITI RECIPE
Prep Time: 20 minutes mins
Cook Time: 35 minutes mins
Resting time: 15 minutes mins
Gluten free baked ziti overhead image on brown paper with chopped fresh basil
free baked ziti overhead image on brown paper with chopped fresh basil leaves on
* Pasta pot for boiling the pasta
* Casserole dish 9-inch x 13-inch x 2-inch oven safe dish
* 1 egg, any size, at room temperature
* 15 ounces ricotta cheese, at room temperature
* 16 ounces shredded mozzarella cheese, plus more, as needed
* ¼ cup (1 ounce) finely grated Parmesan cheese, plus more, as needed
* ⅓ cup chopped fresh basil leaves
* ⅛ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
* ¼ teaspoon kosher salt
* 24 ounces jarred gluten free tomato sauce, at room temperature; I love
Rao’s brand tomato herb and marinara varieties
* 4 ounces pure tomato paste, you can use up to 6 ounces for a thicker sauce
* 12 ounces dried gluten free rigatoni pasta, or other ziti-style pasta (See
* Preheat your oven to 375°F. Grease a 9-inch x 13-inch x 2-inch (or similar
size) baking dish and set it aside.
* Set a large stockpot of water to boil on the stovetop. You can salt the water
MAKE THE CHEESE FILLING
* In a medium-size mixing bowl, place the egg, and beat well.
* Add all 15 ounces of the ricotta cheese, 1 tablespoon of the Parmesan cheese,
salt, and pepper, and whisk well to combine. If the ricotta cheese is cold,
you may need to mix with a spoon rather than using a whisk.
* Add the chopped basil leaves and about 1/4 of the total grated mozzarella
cheese (4 ounces) to the ricotta mixture, and mix to combine. Set the bowl
* In a separate medium-size bowl, place the tomato sauce. Add 4 to 6 ounces of
tomato paste, and whisk to combine well. Set the bowl aside.
* Place the dried pasta in the boiling water and boil, stirring occasionally to
prevent it from sticking to the bottom of the pot.
* Boil the pasta for about 2 minutes less than whatever cooking time is
recommended on the package. If there is a range of cooking time, boil for 2
minutes less than the low end of the range.
* Drain the cooked pasta, return it to the pot, and toss it with one quarter
(about 7 ounces) of the total marinara sauce mixture. Set the pasta and sauce
LAYER THE BAKED ZITI INGREDIENTS
* In the prepared casserole dish, place about one third of the remaining tomato
sauce mixture (about 7 ounces) in a single layer and spread into an even
* Top with an even layer of half of the pasta with sauce.
* Dollop about half of the ricotta cheese mixture evenly across the top, and
spread it gently into an even layer.
* Drizzle about half of the remaining pasta sauce (7 ounces) evenly across the
top of the ricotta mixture.
* Sprinkle about half of the remaining mozzarella cheese (4 ounces) and 1
tablespoon of Parmesan cheese evenly on top.
* Layer on top all the sauce that remains (7 ounces).
* Dollop the remaining half of the ricotta cheese mixture evenly across the
top, and spread it gently into an even layer.
* Add the second half of the pasta with sauce mixture in an even layer on top
of the ricotta mixture.
* End with the remaining mozzarella cheese (8 ounces) in a single layer, then
sprinkle the remaining 2 tablespoons of grated Parmesan cheese on top.
* Bake in the preheated oven for 30 to 35 minutes or until the cheese on top is
golden brown in spots.
* Remove the dish from the oven and run a thin silicone or nylon spatula or
knife around the perimeter to unstick the edges.
* Let stand for 10 to 15 minutes before serving warm.
Picking a gluten free pasta
There are so many good brands of dried gluten free pasta available today. My
hands-down favorite brand is Rummo’s gluten free line .
They have a gluten free rigatoni shape that is similar in size to ziti, and has
ridges to hold sauce that ziti doesn’t have. It’s my favorite for this recipe. I
linked to Amazon’s Rummo gluten free “store,” but you can usually find better
prices in grocery stores and other places online, so shop around.
* Giadzy brand gluten free ziti corti
* Bionaturae brand gluten free rigatoni pasta
* Barilla brand gluten free penne pasta
* Colavita brand gluten free penne pasta
Trans Fat: 0.004g | Cholesterol: 152mg | Sodium: 1718mg | Potassium: 819mg |
Fiber: 4g | Sugar: 9g | Vitamin A: 2102IU | Vitamin C: 15mg | Calcium: 714mg |
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an
Because we undercook the pasta and then bake it in plenty of sauce and cheese,
this dish holds up really well as leftovers. Store leftovers in a sealed
container in the refrigerator for 5 days. Warm up in a 300°F toaster oven or in
For longer storage, place baked leftovers in a sealed freezer-safe container and
freeze for up to 1 month. Defrost in the refrigerator, and then let come to room
temperature before warming up in a 300°F oven or microwave.
You can cook the pasta al dente, and follow all of the instructions for layering
the ingredients ahead of time, and then store it covered tightly in the
refrigerator for at least 3 days, unbaked. You can also store it in the same
manner in the freezer for up to a month, then defrost in the refrigerator. Let
it come to room temperature, and then bake as directed.
Can I add meat to the recipe?
Yes! Brown up to 1/2 pound of ground beef or bulk sausage (out of the casing)
first, then add it to the cooked and drained pasta or as its own layer after the
ricotta cheese mixture.
Would chickpea or Banza pasta hold up in this dish?
I think it would work! I think that chickpea pasta and lentil pasta hold up
really well in sauce and baked dishes. Banza even has a rigatoni shape.
Can I make this dish with regular pasta?
This is a recipe for gluten free baked ziti, but if you don’t have to be gluten
free, you can make it with regular wheat based ziti or rigatoni pasta.