The Best Gluten Free Baked Ziti is an easy to make dish that is always a hit! A classic comfort food made with gluten free pasta, tomato sauce, Italian seasoning and melted cheese.

Baked ziti has always been my favorite meal. It was my request for my birthday dinner every year without fail. It’s also what my mom made every time I came home from college. There was nothing better than coming home to homemade baked ziti after living off of college food. To me, ziti is the ultimate comfort food and I had to take the recipe my mom used and recreate a gluten free version!

Ingredients:

Onion
Minced garlic
Tomato sauce
Extra virgin olive oil
Oregano
Basil
Salt
Pepper
Gluten free penne
Mozzarella cheese

A Note About Gluten Free Pasta

Gluten free pasta can be tricky because sometimes it can get too soft and mushy or, on the other hand, it can be hard if not eaten right after it’s cooked. Therefore, I highly recommend using Jovial brand gluten free pasta for this recipe. It works great for this recipe because it doesn’t get too mushy AND it doesn’t get hard. You can even keep the leftovers in the refrigerator and reheat it in the microwave (which is unheard of for gluten free pasta). I love Jovial pasta so I didn’t even test this recipe with other brands, so it may or may not turn out the same if you decide to use a different brand.

How to Make The Best Gluten Free Baked Ziti

Step One: Boil the water

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Add water to a medium sized pot and bring to a boil. Follow the cooking instructions on the back of the pasta box.

Step Two: Prep ingredients

While the pasta is cooking, dice the onion and shred the mozzarella cheese. Add the extra virgin olive oil to a large skillet on high heat. Add the onions and garlic to the skillet and cook until the onions become translucent.

Step Three: Tomato sauce

Add the tomato sauce, oregano, basil, salt and pepper to the skillet and stir to combine. Reduce to medium heat and continue to cook for 5 minutes then remove from the heat.

Step Four: Combine and Cook

Drain the pasta and add to the skillet with 1.5 cups of cheese. Stir until all the ingredients are combined and then transfer to a 9 by 13 baking dish. Sprinkle the remaining 1/2 cup of cheese on top and cover with foil. Bake at 350 degrees for 20 minutes then remove foil and continue to cook for 10 minutes.

More Gluten Free Dinner Ideas:

The name of this recipe says it all, this is the best gluten free baked ziti there is! If you don’t believe me, try it yourself and let me know what you think by leaving a comment below. I hope you enjoy this recipe as much as I do!

-Kelsey