Baked Ziti With Zucchini and Fire Roasted Tomatoes. This is ultimate comfort food. An easy no fuss recipe. Easy cheesy and no full baked pasta casserole. Simple with cheese, tomatoes, ground beef and zucchini. Great for make ahead and will freeze well.
I mean who doesn’t love a baked cheesy one pot pasta dish???
This recipe is compliments of Muir Glen Tomato products. It’s an easy, no fuss version of baked ziti. The fire roasted tomatoes add a depth of flavor not available with regular tomatoes.
And adding zucchini gives it an extra kick of creaminess.
Since making this baked ziti with zucchini, I’ve tried more complicated, fussy lasagna type versions of baked ziti with ricotta and mozzarella and I must say, this simpler version is just as tasty.
Before Christmas I received an offer from Muir Glen to purchase a pack of their special reserve harvest tomatoes. It was only 7 bucks so I said “what the heck”. Plus, the shipment included a nice little cookbook.
Wanting to try the Fire Roasted Tomatoes first, I saw this recipe, it sounded delicious. And it was.
I even made a special trip to Whole Foods for some good quality ziti. I have a pantry full of whole grain pastas just to stay on the healthier side, but for the first try of this recipe wanted the whole devilishly sinful effect.
I was a little leery that this might taste too tomatoey because it had one can of tomatoes plus one full can of tomato sauce. I was wrong.
This recipe is delicious and the mild. The sweet flavor of those fire roasted tomatoes mixed in with all that mozzarella cheese, ground beef and zucchini makes this a scrumptious pasta dish.
Just serve with your favorite green salad and you’ve got a wonderful meal that you could even serve to guests at a dinner party.
I made absolutely no changes to this recipe from Muir Glen, except for using my Dutch oven on the stove top, so I could easily transfer the meal to the oven. So, without any further ado:
Recipe for Baked Ziti with Zucchini
I hope you give this easy baked pasta casserole a try and if you do, please come back and let me know how you liked it and give the recipe a star rating. Your feedback is valuable to me for developing future recipes.
Easy no fuss recipe for Baked Ziti with Fire Roasted Tomatoes.
- 2 1/2 cups ziti pasta 8 oz, uncooked
- 1/2 pound extra-lean ground beef at least 90%
- 1 cup sweet onion chopped
- 2 cloves garlic finely chopped
- 1 medium zucchini cut in half lengthwise, sliced 1/4 inch thick
- 15 ounce tomato sauce canned
- 14.5 ounce Fire roasted tomatoes diced and drained
- 2 teaspoons fresh oregano leaves chopped
- 1/4 teaspoon salt kosher or sea
- 1/4 teaspoon pepper
- 3/4 cup shredded mozzarella cheese 3 oz
- Heat oven to 375°F. Cook and drain pasta as directed on box.
- Meanwhile, spray 12×8-inch (2 quart) glass baking dish with cooking spray. In 12-inch nonstick skillet, cook beef, onion and garlic over medium heat, stirring frequently, until beef is thoroughly cooked.
- Stir zucchini into beef mixture; cook 2 minutes. Stir in tomato sauce, tomatoes, oregano, salt and pepper. Heat to boiling. Add drained pasta; toss to coat. Spread in baking dish.
- Cover dish tightly with foil; bake 20 minutes. Remove foil; sprinkle with cheese. Bake uncovered about 5 minutes longer or until cheese is melted.
- High Altitude (3500-6500 ft): Increase covered bake time to 30 minutes.
Substitution: If you like, use ground turkey or chicken in place of the ground beef. Substitute 1 teaspoon dried oregano for fresh.
Looking for more Baked Italian Recipe Ideas? How about:
Recipe Link>> Baked Italian Meatballs
Baked Ziti Recipe With Fire Roasted Tomatoes …It’s What’s For Dinner.
This post includes affiliate links.
Linda says
January 22, 2010 at 12:50 amSounds delicious!
Steph says
January 22, 2010 at 4:01 amThis is my kind of dish! Looks great – I wish I had some now!
leaannbrown says
January 22, 2010 at 10:07 pmThanks Steph
donna says
January 22, 2010 at 11:49 amHow in the world do you make ziti photo so well?? It looks gorgeous. I am actaully a fan of their fire roasted tomatoes, I use them in many things. One that comes to mind is Manhattan Clam Chowder. Looking for ward to you trying some other recipes using them:)
leaannbrown says
January 22, 2010 at 10:02 pmDonna that Ziti picture was difficult and I still don’t think it turned out all that hot. Great idea for those tomatoes – love Clam Chowder.
Vickie says
January 22, 2010 at 1:13 pmI love one pot meals and this looks sooo tasty! I have never bought this brand of tomatoes, but will look for them – fire roasted diced tomatoes sound divine! Great Post!
leaannbrown says
January 22, 2010 at 10:01 pmI love this brand of tomatoes. Thanks for stopping by Vic.
buffalo dick says
January 22, 2010 at 2:45 pmGourmet pasta dish, at its finest!
leaannbrown says
January 22, 2010 at 10:00 pmAs always, thanks for stopping by BD
Phoo-D says
January 22, 2010 at 4:40 pmThis looks wonderful and so gooey! I always have cans of the fire roasted tomatoes in my cupboard. They are so good in salsas, enchiladas, and anything else. I’m hooked!
leaannbrown says
January 22, 2010 at 9:59 pmIt was most certainly ooey – gooey good. I’m going to stock up on fire roasted tomatoes and use them just like you do. Thanks for stopping by.
Joanne says
January 22, 2010 at 11:51 amMuir Glen is my favorite company to buy tomatoes from. And baked ziti just happens to be one of my favorite dishes! it looks fantastic. I could use a dish right now…
leaannbrown says
January 22, 2010 at 10:02 pmI could use a dish right now too, I’m getting hungry catching up on all of my food blog reading.
Christine @ Fresh Local and Best says
January 22, 2010 at 10:46 pmThis is indeed a stellar job by the Muir Glen marketing department. The baked ziti with fire roasted tomatoes looks and sounds like a winning recipe. I love the way the mozzarella cheese is drapes over the pasta in silky creaminess. Love it!
leaannbrown says
January 22, 2010 at 10:52 pmThanks for stopping by Christine!
Barbara says
January 23, 2010 at 12:15 amThat “right out of the oven” photo was a killer!
I’ve never heard of fire roasted tomatoes…I’ll start looking for them. Yummy recipe!
Natashya says
January 22, 2010 at 6:27 pmYum, looks delish! I hope we get fire-roasted tomatoes up here soon.
leaannbrown says
January 22, 2010 at 9:53 pmThanks Natashya
pigpigscorner says
January 22, 2010 at 11:45 pmLove tomato based pasta! Looks gorgeous!
anncoo says
January 23, 2010 at 3:00 amI really enjoyed eating this…love the creaminess 🙂
Chris says
January 23, 2010 at 1:44 pmSounds like a great product, I’ve never seen that brand around here. Were the shipping costs much?
leaannbrown says
January 23, 2010 at 1:53 pmShipping was included in the 7 bucks. It is a great product. Whole Foods and Safeway both carry it here. Thanks Chris