Baked Roasted Vegetable Ziti

Baked Roasted Vegetable Ziti packed with peppers, zucchini, summer squash, and eggplant all tossed with ziti and baked with marinara sauce and mozzarella cheese is a hearty and healthy dish the whole family will love. It's one of the easy pasta dishes we love to make when the weather gets cold along with this Spinach and Artichoke Pasta and Chicken and Mushroom Pasta.

Vegetarian, omnivore, herbivore, meatavore, whatever you call yourself, there's a pasta dish for that. And most pasta dishes can be made to satisfy all of those (though not generally at the same time). Whether I'm feeding myself or a crowd, picky or plentiful eaters, meat or veggie lovers, I know I can always whip up a pasta dish and please just about anyone and everyone.

I know I'm all about healthy, but just because I'm cooking up pasta doesn't mean I've given up. There are many, many ways to make a pasta dish healthy. All you need to do is incorporate some easy changes and add lots of delicious roasted vegetables. You can even add cheese! Pasta and cheese and you're still calling it healthy? I am!

The best part is, you can mix up the vegetables to include your favorites or what you have on hand. You can also add lean ground beef,  sausage, or white beans if you want more protein. Basically, this is a mas-up of two of my favorite pasta recipes - Baked Ziti Bolognese and Roasted Vegetable Pasta.

What You'll Need - Ingredients

• Pasta: Any type of pasta will work in this recipe. Usually, I make it with high-fiber pasta or whole wheat. Alternative pasta like chickpea, lentil, or gluten-free options will also work, just remember to cook them al dente. For a lower-carb option, use cooked spaghetti squash.
• Vegetables:  Any veggies will work in this baked pasta. For this version, I used eggplant, zucchini, summer squash, red bell peppers, and onion. However, feel free to switch this up with whatever vegetables you like. Just make sure to choose vegetables that roast in the same amount of time or adjust the recipe until the vegetables are cooked and tender-crisp.
• Marinara sauce: Any spaghetti sauce will work in this recipe. Normally I just use store-bought sauce like Rao's but you could also make your own homemade marinara.
• Cheese: Classic baked pasta recipes use a combination of shredded mozzarella cheese and Parmesan. You could also add some ricotta cheese or fresh mozzarella if you like.

Side Dishes to Serve with Baked Ziti

I know pasta dishes basically beg for sides of salads and garlic bread. I agree, those items really round out a pasta dish for sure. But, since you're already loading up your pasta with veggies, you don't also have to add a lettuce salad out of obligation. Or, how about trying another type of salad or vegetable, for instance:

• These Shaved Brussels Sprout Salad, Roasted Green Beans, or this Easy Spring Mix Salad dishes all make great sides that can help to incorporate even more veggies.
• Try making your own garlic bread with less butter and preservatives than the frozen stuff.
• Dinner rolls also make a nice addition to a pasta dish. These Two-Ingredient Breadsticks are always a hit.
• Skip the extra veggies and bread and try a side dish of fruit! Slice grapefruit and oranges into wedges and serve together, or buy a pre-cut bowl of mixed berries at the grocery to serve alongside dinner (or save it for dessert!).

Ideas for Customizing 

As I said earlier, pasta is a really great dish to customize. I can think of an almost infinitesimal amount of ways to customize this dish. The easiest ways though would include the following, in no particular order:

• Switch up the veggies. Easy-peasy. What do you like? What do your guests or family members like? Use more of those vegetables. Roast them all together just like the recipe says.
• Swap some of the pasta out for zoodles or extra veggies.
• Use gluten-free, high-fiber, or veggie pasta if you have special dietary limitations.
• Use a white sauce if you don't like marinara sauce (just make sure it's a healthier variety or make your own).
• Try skipping sauces all together and roast the veggies with some minced garlic for a fresh-tasting pasta dish.
• Skip the mozzarella and just use parm (or vice-versa).
• Incorporate those little balls of Buffalo mozzarella in with the pasta and veggies right in the dish before putting in the oven. You'll have little cheesy pockets in each serving.
• Switch this dish up and make it like a lasagne, with pasta layers alternating with veggie layers, alternating with cheesy layers.
• Add in a protein — sausage, ground beef, or turkey, bacon, chicken — just about any cooked meat would blend nicely with this pasta dish.