VEGETARIAN ITALIAN BAKED ZITI

Vegetarian Italian Baked Ziti image

A long simmered sauce with mushrooms and vegetables flavors this rich, meatless Italian dish. Don't let the cook time fool you--while the sauce is simmering and the ziti is baking, you can relax!

Provided by laura

Categories Pasta and Noodles Pasta by Shape Recipes

Time 3h40m

Yield 10

Number Of Ingredients 18

Ingredients

2 tablespoons olive oil
3 large portobello mushroom caps, chopped
1 medium white onion, chopped
1 medium bell pepper, chopped
2 stalks celery, diced
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 (28 ounce) jar meatless spaghetti sauce
2 large tomatoes, chopped
1 tablespoon minced fresh Italian parsley
1 ½ teaspoons dried oregano
1 teaspoon dried basil
½ (16 ounce) package ziti pasta
2 cups cottage cheese
1 cup shredded fresh mozzarella cheese
¾ cup non-dairy Parmesan cheese substitute
1 large egg, slightly beaten
½ teaspoon salt
¼ teaspoon ground black pepper

Steps:

Heat olive oil in a 12-inch skillet over medium-high heat. Add mushrooms, onion, bell pepper, celery, and garlic; saute until tender, 5 to 7 minutes. Stir in spaghetti sauce, tomatoes, parsley, 1 teaspoon oregano, and basil. Cover, reduce heat, and simmer for 2 hours.
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Oil a 9x13-inch baking pan.
Just before the sauce is finished, bring a large pot of lightly salted water to a boil. Add ziti and cook, stirring occasionally, until tender yet firm to the bite, about 11 minutes. Drain.
Combine cottage cheese, mozzarella cheese, 1/2 of the Parmesan substitute, egg, salt, and pepper in a bowl. Mix remaining Parmesan substitute and 1/2 teaspoon oregano in another small bowl.
Spread 1 cup sauce in the bottom of the prepared pan. Layer 1/3 cup ziti, 1 cup sauce, and 1/3 cottage cheese mixture; repeat layers twice more. Top with any remaining sauce, then sprinkle with oregano-Parmesan blend.
Cover with foil and bake in the preheated oven until bubbly, about 1 hour.

Nutrition Facts : Calories 352.9 calories, Carbohydrate 36.6 g, Cholesterol 36.3 mg, Fat 15.8 g, Fiber 7.5 g, Protein 17 g, SaturatedFat 4.2 g, Sodium 781 mg, Sugar 9.8 g