Baked ziti is an easy casserole that tastes like you’ve been cooking all day, but it’s surprisingly quick.
Layers of tender ziti noodles with a meaty zesty Italian sausage sauce and a cream creamy ricotta cheese layer.
Top it all with a generous helping of mozzarella cheese and bake until bubbly!
Everyone Raves About This Baked Ziti Because…
- The flavors are similar to a classic lasagna recipe, but it’s easier to make.
- It has tons of zesty flavor.
- Adding Italian sausage makes a quick sauce taste like it’s been cooking for hours.
- This ziti dish is perfect to make ahead, and it reheats and freezes well.
Ingredients for Baked Ziti
Meat: Italian sausage adds great flavor to the sauce. Feel free to replace it with ground beef (or ground turkey).
Sauce: This should be browned before adding to the casserole. Add more seasonings, spices (and some chili flakes for heat), and a tablespoon of olive oil for flavor. To make this dish vegetarian, use finely minced vegetables like mushrooms, eggplant, or zucchini.
Pasta: I use ziti in this recipe however, penne, rigatoni, or other tube-shaped pasta can be used in place.
Cheese: Ricotta cheese makes the creamy cheese layer in this recipe. Replace it by blending cottage cheese with an egg until smooth. Feel free to add spinach or additional herbs to the cheese mixture.
Topping: I sprinkle mozzarella cheese overtop for a browned bubbly topping. Just before serving, I love to add freshly grated parmesan cheese and some fresh herbs like parsley or basil.
Variations
- Swap the sausage with turkey sausage or another ground meat of your choice. Add extra seasonings, salt, and a couple of cloves garlic if not using sausage.
- Add 1/2 cup heavy cream to the simmering tomato sauce if desired.
- More fresh herbs can be added to the cheese mixture or on top before serving.
How to Make Baked Ziti
- Brown the sausage and onion (per the recipe below) in a large sauté pan. Add sauce ingredients and simmer.
- Cook the pasta in a large pot of salted water.
- Combine the cheese mixture in a small bowl.
- In a greased casserole dish, layer sauce, ziti, and the ricotta mixture.
- Top with the remaining shredded mozzarella and bake.
Serving Suggestions
This easy baked ziti recipe is a hearty meal on its own, but I often add sides to stretch it a bit further (and to ensure we have leftovers for two meals!).
- Salad: Add a tossed salad with Italian dressing or Caesar salad.
- Bread: I love serving baked pasta with bread. Try garlic bread, dinner rolls, our my favorite artisan bread.
- Veggies: If you’d like to add a veggie side, this pairs well with steamed broccoli or buttery green beans.
Tips for a Great Baked Ziti
- Use a large skillet for browning meat so the sauce can simmer in the same pan.
- Cook the pasta al dente (firm) as it will continue to cook as it bakes.
- To make baked ziti ahead of time, prepare as directed, cover with plastic wrap, and refrigerate for up to 48 hours. Remove it from the fridge at least 30 minutes before baking, and add 10 to 15 minutes of baking time.
- If desired, this pasta casserole can be divided into two 9-inch baking dishes, and half can be frozen. Thaw overnight in the fridge and bake until hot and bubbly.
Did you enjoy this Baked Ziti? Be sure to leave a rating and a comment below!
Easy Baked Ziti
Equipment
Ingredients
- 1 pound Italian sausage
- 1 small yellow onion diced
- 28 ounces pasta sauce or marinara sauce
- 14 ounces canned diced tomatoes undrained
- 2 teaspoons Italian seasoning
- ½ cup water
- 16 ounces ziti
- 15 ounces ricotta cheese
- 1 large egg
- 2 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley
- 2 cups shredded mozzarella cheese
- ¼ cup shredded Parmesan cheese
- thinly sliced fresh basil leaves or chopped fresh parsley for garnish, optional
Instructions
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Preheat the oven to 375°F. Grease a 9x13inch baking dish.
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In a large skillet, over medium-high heat, brown the sausage and onion, breaking it up with a spoon until the sausage is fairly fine. Drain any fat.
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Add the pasta sauce, tomatoes, water, and Italian seasoning. Simmer uncovered for 12 minutes or until thickened, stirring occasionally. Season with salt and pepper to taste,
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Meanwhile, boil ziti in a large pot of salted water until al dente. Drain well.
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In a small bowl, mix ricotta, egg, parsley, 1 cup mozzarella cheese, and parmesan cheese.
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Add 1 cup of sauce to the bottom of the prepared baking dish. Layer half of the ziti, top with all of the ricotta mixture, and half of the sauce.
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Add remaining ziti, remaining sauce, and top with remaining mozzarella cheese.
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Bake uncovered for 25-30 minutes or until golden and bubbly.
Video
Notes
Nutrition Information
Nutrition information provided is an estimate and will vary based on cooking methods and brands of ingredients used.
Course Casserole, Main Course, Pasta
Cuisine Italian
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I like this recipe except for the fact that you neglected to mention whether or not one might need a different size baking dish if the plan is to say triple or double the recipe. in other word, is a 9x13x2 inch deep baking dish too small if you want to triple the recipe? etc.
Thanks Mark! When using the 2x 3x on the recipe card, it will update only the ingredients, not the written directions. I hope that helps!
This was so easy and it made so much. I added more sauce after reading reviews. next time I’ll cover with foil but this was a winner for sure!
This is the best baked ziti that I have ever made!
I have made so many of your recipes! I am making this to send for a bachelor weekend. Can I double and put in a larger derp dish foil pan, or is it better to make 2 separate pans? If doubled in one- what temp and how much time to bake? Thanks so much!!
Hi Pamela, this recipe has not been tested doubled so for consistent results I would recommend preparing it in two separate pans.
If I am freezing half of this what is the best way to do that?
It freeze great before and after cooking. To freeze after cooking I love doing individual containers so I can take out one serving at a time to reheat. If freezing before cooking you could prepare them in two smaller container, but watch the cooking time as they will cook faster.
This was great! Only thing I would do differently in the future would be less Noodles. Otherwise, perfect! So easy to make. It was a hit!
I have made this dish many times. Its been a life saver to serving many people at a gathering. Can’t recommend it enough!
We love this recipe! It’s a staple at our house and on our meal rotation.
This was incredible! My husband is Italian and picky, but loved it.
Thank goodness I found it again. I forgot to save it. My kids well they are adults now both love this better than lasagna, it is so easy and flavourful thank you for your great recipes
I made this for the first time for a dinner party with my friends. I swapped out the ziti for penne, and it was so delicious! I also used chicken sausage, and added some minced garlic with the onion/sausage mixture. Instead of canned tomatoes, I cut up some grape tomatoes I had on hand. Everyone loved it and went back for seconds. Thanks for this recipe! I will definitely save it in my favorites.
Great recipe! I used ground beef as my meat and I also added fresh garlic before letting the meat and sauce simmer. It turned out to be delicious! Doubled the recipe and made a pan to freeze for another night.
this is one of the best baked ziti recipes I’ve used in a while. easy and delicious. highly recommend.
sweet or hot Italian sausage?
Either will work, I prefer hot.
Awesome recipe, the entire family enjoyed it. I opted out of using the can tomato because our spaghetti sauce is chunky garden vegetable. And the recipe was delicious!! Paired wonderfully with a creamy Italian Romain salad and lightly toasted garlic bread!!