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I posted this macro friendly baked ziti on my Instagram page a couple of times and I got a lot of requests for the recipe. Baked ziti can be full of fat and empty carbs so I wanted to find a way to lighten it up a bit. This recipe for baked ziti is a healthier version of the usual favorite filled with tons of protein and made with chickpea pasta.
The nice thing about this recipe is that it makes 6 servings so it's a great dish to use for meal prep or for a big family dinner. My husband loved it and if you have little ones, I'm sure it would please their pasta loving palates as well. Who doesn't love a delicious bowl full of pasta?......I'll wait here while you try to find someone.......Exactly.
Healthy Baked Ziti Ingredients
You don't need too many things to make this recipe and some things are easily substituted making this even easier. Here's what you will need:
- Ziti noodles - I use chickpea pasta from Banza Pasta. It's my favorite way to increase the protein in my pasta dishes and keep them gluten-free. I buy my chickpea pasta at Sprouts or Target. I've even recently found it at my local Costco. Feel free to use your favorite noodles.
- Ground turkey or ground beef - For beef, I like to use 96/4 or 90/10 but you can play around with the type you prefer.
- Cottage cheese - Ok hear me out, I know you typically don't see cottage cheese in baked ziti but it provides a good lean source of creaminess and protein to the meal. If you prefer ricotta you absolutely can and it tastes just as good!
- Egg
- Shredded mozarella
- Your favorite marinara - I love the roasted garlic marinara from Primal Kitchen Foods!
- Some basic seasonings and spices
How To Prepare Baked Ziti
To make this recipe you'll start by cooking the pasta according to package directions. While the noodles are cooking you can get started on the ground beef. Once your hot ingredients are prepared it's just a matter of mixing everything else together. Add the noodles, ground beef, mozzarella, cottage cheese, marinara and egg in a large mixing bowl and set aside. From there, you'll want to add some marinara to the bottom of a 9x11 casserole dish then layer with the ziti mixture.
I like to top the ziti with a little more mozzarella before popping it in the oven. In about 25 minutes you will have a nice cheesy bubbly delicious meal. I also like to broil the casserole for a couple minutes to get the cheese on top nice and crispy.
You can serve this all on it's own or with a side salad to add in some veggies. I have also thrown in some chopped spinach or zucchini to this baked ziti and it works perfectly!
Other pasta dishes you'll love:
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Baked Ziti
- Prep Time: 10 minutes
- Cook Time: 25 minutes
- Total Time: 35 minutes
- Yield: 6 1x
- Category: Main Dishes
- Method: Oven
- Cuisine: Italian
- Diet: Gluten Free
Description
This recipe for a healthy baked ziti is the perfect comforting weeknight meal and also works great for meal prep. It's macro friendly, gluten free and so delicious!
Ingredients
- 1 box ziti pasta noodles (8 oz total)
- 1 ½ lbs ground beed (96/4)
- 3 cups marinara sauce, divided (I love the Roasted Garlic from Primal Kitchen Foods)
- ½ cup cottage cheese
- 4 oz park-skim mozzarella cheese, divided
- 1 egg
- 1 tbs olive oil
- 1 tbs Italian seasoning
- 1 tsp minced garlic
- Salt & Pepper to taste
Instructions
- Cook pasta according to package directions
- While pasta is cooking, heat olive oil in a skillet. Once hot, add garlic and saute for about 1 minute
- Add ground beef and seasonings to skillet and cook until done, breaking into crumbles
- Pre-heat oven to 375 and spray a 9x13 casserole dish with cooking spray
- In a large mixing bowl add ground beef, pasta, 2 cups marinara, half of the mozzarella, cottage cheese and egg.
- Add ½ cup of marinara to the bottom of the casserole dish and spread with a spoon. Then top with contents of the mixing bowl
- Top with another ½ cup of marinara and remaining cheese
- Bake for 25 minutes (I placed in the broiler for about 1-2 minutes after baking as well)
- Divide into 6 servings and top with fresh basil
Notes
Nutrition facts are for ingredients and amounts as listed in recipe
Nutrition
- Serving Size: ⅙ of recipe
- Calories: 422
- Fat: 17
- Carbohydrates: 30
- Fiber: 4.3
- Protein: 40.2
Kristin says
Have you ever tried baking it without cooking the pasta first? Maybe doing a longer time with foil on and then some time with foil off? Just wondering because it would save me a step and pan. It’s in the oven now ? Thanks for the recipe
CJ says
Ziti is traditionally baked with pre-cooked noodles. I wouldn't advise you overbake it all with uncooked noodles.
Molly C says
I just wanted to say that I have been making this for almost two years and it is such a staple in our family! It’s perfect for family dinner and for lunches during the week! Thank you so much!
Jen Lopez says
This makes me so happy to hear thank you!!
Brittney says
Such an easy and tasty recipe! I make it almost once a week. I think it reheats well and also works for meal prep. I use RAOs sauce and the Barilla Protein pasta each time, and sometimes add in some veggies if I need to use them up.
Jen Lopez says
thank you so much for the review!
Rhandi H says
Is there anything you can substitute the cottage cheese for?
Jen Lopez says
You can do ricotta if you prefer!
Tobi says
Can you freeze this meal? If so what are the best ways to do it?
Jen Lopez says
I haven't tried freezing it since I usually use it for meal prep but I would place it first in individual portions once it's cooled before freezing.
Amanda says
This recipe was both delicious and filling!
Jen Lopez says
thank you so much! I'm so glad you liked it!
Heidi says
Is 8oz noodles cooked or uncooked?
Jen Lopez says
Uncooked. The first step in the recipe is to then cook the noodles 🙂
Rowena Santos says
Hi I’m still new in the macro counting part? How do I measure and calculate after being cooked? Your recipe looks awesome by the way.
Jen Lopez says
hi! I create a recipe in my fitness pal and add all the ingredients and put the amount of servings so it divides the nutrient count evenly. Then I just divide the meal into the amount of containers based on the amount of servings a recipe is,
Angie says
Do you taste the cottage cheese in this recipe?
Jen Lopez says
Not at all! It kind of adapts to whatever flavor is around it. You can also blend the cottage cheese first if you want even less texture.
Tracy says
Just made this and it was easy and delicious. I added some onion powder and more mozzarella 😋