Easy to prepare and sure to please, Baked Ziti is the ultimate crowd-pleaser when comfort food is on the menu!
Loaded with a meaty marinara sauce, cheesy goodness and pasta that gets mixed together and topped with cheese, this easy baked ziti recipe comes together quickly and tastes amazing. It is also freezer-friendly!
This is a meal that brings you back to grandma's kitchen, where food was both an art and a love language. You don't have to be a top-notch chef to master this recipe. Baked Ziti is all about simplicity and comfort. This is my ultimate get dinner on the table quick recipe because we're not layering anything (if you love to layer tasty ingredients, try my scrumptious lasagna recipe). Traditional baked ziti recipes layer the ingredients in a casserole dish, but we're not doing that in this easy recipe!
Why You Should Make This Recipe
Why You'll Love Making and Eating Baked Ziti:
- It's Super Comforting: Nothing says "warm hug on a plate" like a big helping of Baked Ziti with ricotta and mozzarella.
- Easy to Prepare: With a handful of ingredients and a few steps, you can whip this up with minimal culinary skills.
- Crowd Pleaser: Everyone loves a hearty meat sauce, cheese and pasta that is baked until bubbly and golden brown!
- Versatile: Mix it with various ingredients and make it your own.
- Great for Leftovers: This is one of those rare dishes that tastes even better the next day!
Ingredients Needed
- garlic
- onion
- ground beef
- Italian sausage
- marinara, pasta or spaghetti sauce (any jarred sauce or homemade marinara sauce)
- Italian seasoning
- red pepper flakes
- ziti noodles
- mozzarella cheese
- ricotta cheese
- Parmesan cheese
- fresh parsley
- eggs
See the printable recipe card below for exact quantities.
How to Make
Dive into the world of comfort food with our irresistible baked ziti recipe with ricotta and mozzarella. Here's how to make this easy dinner:
- Cook your pasta and meat.
- Combine pasta, meat, sauce and cheeses.
- Bake until golden and bubbly.
- Enjoy the cheesy goodness!
See the printable recipe card below for exact recipe instructions.
Serving Suggestions and Storage Instructions
Serve your baked ziti recipe with a side of garlic bread or a simple green salad. For storage, cool completely before refrigerating. Leftovers will last for up to 3-4 days in the refrigerator when stored in an airtight container or in the freezer for 3 months.
Ingredient Swaps
Protein:
- Ground Turkey: Lighter but just as tasty.
- Spicy Italian Sausage: A flavor profile with some heat.
- Plant-Based Meat: A great vegetarian option.
Cheese:
- Provolone: For a more assertive flavor.
- Parmesan: For a nuttier, savory taste.
- Vegan Cheese: To make it plant-based.
Pasta:
- Penne: A great alternative to Ziti.
- Rigatoni: Bigger tubes for more sauce!
- Gluten-Free Pasta: To accommodate dietary needs.
Sauce:
- Alfredo: For a creamy, indulgent twist.
- Pesto: For a fresh, herbaceous change.
- Vegan Tomato Sauce: To make it plant-based.
FAQs
This recipe calls for baking the casserole uncovered.
Make it saucy! The key is to add enough sauce. Too little and your baked ziti recipe with ground beef and sausage could turn into the Sahara Desert. But fear not, we've got the perfect ratios for you in the recipe below.
Cottage cheese or cream cheese can be great substitutes. But if you want to keep it Italian, try mascarpone.
Ziti is the name of the pasta itself - it's a tube-shaped pasta, slightly smaller and narrower than penne.
Baked Ziti is pasta tossed with sauce and cheese, then baked until bubbly and delicious. Ziti is just the pasta. As for lasagna, it's a similar dish but uses flat lasagna noodles layered with sauce and cheese.
Absolutely! You can assemble this pasta casserole up to a day ahead of time and refrigerate it until you're ready to bake it.
Yes, you can freeze this easy baked ziti recipe for up to 3 months. Cook the ingredients and assemble the casserole per the recipe instructions below. Let the dish cool entirely prior to wrapping tightly in plastic wrap and then a double layer of aluminum foil before freezing.
When you're ready to eat it, let it thaw in the refrigerator overnight before reheating it in the oven. (I like to use these pans so they can go from freezer to oven. A bonus is that they are disposable so there are fewer dishes too!)
First, peel back the foil and remove the plastic wrap. Next, cover the top with new foil and bake for 60-70 minutes at 375° or until heated through. A thermometer inserted in the center should read 165°. Remove the foil and bake the ziti casserole for 10 more minutes or so to brown the top. Pull the dish from the oven and let it sit for another 10 minutes before serving.
If you give this recipe a try, please leave a comment below, rate the recipe, and don’t forget to tag me @homesweetfarmhome on Instagram. I’d love to see what you come up with and share with our community. Cheers!
PrintEasy Baked Ziti
Easy to prepare and sure to please, Baked Ziti is the ultimate crowd-pleaser when comfort food is on the menu!
- Prep Time: 20
- Cook Time: 20
- Total Time: 40 minutes
- Yield: 12 1x
- Category: Dinner
- Method: Baking
- Cuisine: American
Ingredients
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 3 cloves garlic, minced
- 1 small onion, diced
- 1-pound ground beef
- 1-pound Italian sausage
- 48-ounce jarred marinara or pasta sauce
- 2 teaspoons Italian seasoning
- ½ teaspoon red pepper flakes
- 1 pound ziti pasta
- 1 ½ pounds mozzarella cheese, grated
- One 15-ounce container whole-milk ricotta
- ½ cup grated Parmesan cheese
- 2 eggs
- 2 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley (or 2 teaspoons dried parsley), plus more for sprinkling
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 375°F.
- Heat the olive oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add the garlic and onion and sauté for several minutes until softened.
- Add the ground beef and Italian sausage and cook until browned.
- Next, add the jarred marinara sauce, Italian seasoning and red pepper flakes. Stir and simmer.
- In a large pot of salted water, bring water to a boil and cook Ziti according to package instructions, but not quite al dente. Drain pasta in a colander.
- While pasta is cooking, mix 2 cups of grated mozzarella, ricotta cheese, Parmesan cheese, eggs and parsley in a separate bowl.
- Mix meat sauce, drained pasta and cheese mixture in a large bowl and pour into a large baking dish.
- Top with remaining mozzarella cheese and bake for 20 minutes or until bubbly.
- Let stand 5 minutes before serving and sprinkle chopped parsley over the pasta if desired.
Adriana G. says
This has become a regular in our weekly menu rotation. Easy recipe and kid friendly!
★★★★★