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This recipe for Baked Ziti is the ultimate comfort food. Made with ground sausage, tomatoes, and loaded with cheese. This warm and cheesy dinner recipe is best served with homemade garlic bread and a dinner the entire family will love.  

top-down view of the Baked Ziti in the baking dish.
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What is Baked Ziti

Baked Ziti is classic American comfort food. It’s made traditionally with a meat sauce, ziti pasta, and loaded with cheese. It is made with traditional Italian ingredients, but it is not considered a traditional Italian dish.

How to make Baked Ziti:

The preparation of Baked Ziti is a little bit more involved than some of the other meals I have on the blog. Your prep work will be in 3 main steps.

Cook: You will need to cook your Ziti paste according to the box directions. You want the noodles to be al dente, as they will be baked later and cook more.

Prep: You will need to prepare your ricotta cheese blend and mixture and prepare your meat sauce.

Layer: Once everything is prepared and made you will need to layer the ingredients much like my Easy Classic Lasagna. Layer your ingredients with the sauce first, then noodles and then cheese.

Bake: Do this until your baking dish is full. Top with shredded mozzarella before baking.

Ingredient Notes:

  • Ziti – Ziti is a small tube-shaped pasta. You can easily make this with whatever pasta you have on hand.
  • Ricotta cheese – the best choice of cheese in a layered pasta dish.
  • Egg – is a binder for the ricotta cheese so it holds together.
  • Oil – for cooking the sausage. Use any oil you typically use while cooking.
  • Mild Italian Sausage – adds a great flavor to the dish than just ground beef.
  • Crushed Tomatoes – 1 large can, unseasoned.
  • Petite Diced Tomatoes – 1 large can, unseasoned.
  • Seasoning – I used oregano, basil, onion powder, garlic powder, and pepper.
  • Shredded Mozzarella – I used a bag of shredded mozzarella for this dish.
closeup of the Baked Ziti in a casserole dish.

Directions

Step One: Get started by preheating your oven to 350° F. Then go ahead and prepare a 9×13 casserole dish with nonstick cooking spray and set aside.

Step Two: Next cook your ziti according to package directions. Once it’s cooked drain and set aside.

Recipe Tip

Other pasta can be used and is discussed below in the FAQ.

cooked ziti pasta in a colander.

Step Three: Now in a separate bowl mix together your ricotta cheese, egg, and oregano.

You can go ahead and set aside for later.

mixing together the ingredients for the ricotta cheese spread.

Step Four: Now you are going to work on your simple meat sauce. Start by heating your oil on the stovetop in a large skillet or pot.

Then add in your mild Italian sausage and cook and crumble. While cooking go ahead and drain fat as needed. Draining will depend on how much fat is in your meat.

cooking the meat in a skillet to make the sauce.

Step Five: To your sausage add in crushed tomatoes and petite diced tomatoes.

Then you want to season it with basil, onion powder, garlic powder, and pepper. You can add more or less of each to taste.

Once it’s all seasoned allow simmering for 10-15 minutes

adding the seasonings and tomatoes to the meat to make the sauce.

Step Six: Now we want to start layer the ingredients starting with ½ of tomato sauce.

Then we are going to add ½ of ziti on top of the sauce. Next, add all ricotta cheese mixture and spread evenly over pasta.

laying the sauce and the ziti in the baking dish.

Step Seven: To finish off your recipe add the remaining cooked ziti and then the remaining tomato sauce to the casserole.

And last we just top it with shredded mozzarella.

topping the Baked Ziti with shredded mozzarella before baking.

Baking Directions

Step Eight: Bake for 20-25 minutes or until cheese is melted and bubbly.

Then you can remove it from the oven and serve.

closeup of the finished Baked Ziti in the baking dish.

Tips and FAQ

Can I uses Ground Beef instead? Yes, you can use ground beef in the place of ground sausage. You can even do a half and half mixture.

Can I use another pasta? Yes, you can easily use penne pasta in the place of ziti. You can really toss any pasta you enjoy with this or use whatever you have on hand.

closeup of serving the Baked Ziti out of the baking dish.

How to make Baked Ziti ahead of time:

Cook your sauce and pasta then allow them to cool completely. Once they are cooled assemble your ingredients and place it in a fridge or freezer-safe casserole dish.

Cover it and keep it in the fridge for 2-3 days or in the freezer for 2-3 months. Once your baked ziti is thawed you can bake it according to the directions until it is warm throughout.

serving spoon with a scoop of the Baked Ziti on it.

Try some of my other favorite pasta dishes:

Cheesy Taco PastaThis Cheesy Taco Pasta is SO simple to make and SO delicious! With just 5 ingredients this recipe is made in less than 30 minutes and one that your entire family will love. 

Pasta BakeThe perfect simple dinner recipe! This Pasta Bake is a favorite with my family and it’s so simple to make. 

Homemade Alfredo SauceNothing is better than homemade. This simple recipe for Homemade Alfredo Sauce is my favorite thing to serve with pasta. It is rich and creamy and a perfect traditional Italian Alfredo Sauce.

Baked Ziti served on a white plate.

 

If you tried any of my recipes I would love to hear from you, leave me a comment below. You can also connect with me on FACEBOOK, INSTAGRAM, and PINTEREST. I would love for you to follow along and discover more amazing recipes.

Show me what you are making, use hashtag #TDOARH

 

Baked Ziti

Baked Ziti

This recipe for Baked Ziti is the ultimate comfort food. Made with ground sausage, tomatos, and loaded with cheese.
Prep: 30 minutes
Cook: 25 minutes
Total: 55 minutes
Servings: 8 servings
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Ingredients 

  • 16 oz ziti
  • 15 oz ricotta cheese
  • 1 large egg
  • ½ tsp oregano
  • 1 tablespoon oil
  • 1 pound mild Italian sausage
  • 28 oz crushed tomatoes
  • 14.5 oz petite diced tomatoes
  • 1 tsp basil
  • ½ tsp onion powder
  • ¼ tsp garlic powder
  • tsp pepper
  • 3 ½ cups shredded mozzarella

Instructions 

  • Preheat oven to 350° F. Prepare a 9×13 casserole dish with nonstick cooking spray and set aside.
  • Cook ziti according to package directions. Once cooked drain and set aside.
  • In a seperate bowl mix together ricotta cheese, egg, and oregano. Set aside for later.
  • Heat oil on the stove top in a large skillet or pot. Add mild Italian sausage and cook and crumble. Drain fat as needed.
  • To your sausage add in crushed tomatoes and petite diced tomatoes. Season with basil, onion powder, garlic powder, and pepper. Allow to simmer for 10-15 minutes.
  • Start layer your ingredients starting with 1/2 of tomato sauce. Then 1/2 of ziti on top of sauce. Then add all ricotta cheese mixture and spread evenly over pasta.
  • Add the remaining cooked ziti and then the remaining tomato sauce to the casserole. Last top with shredded mozzarella.
  • Bake for 20-25 minutes or until cheese is melted and bubbly. Serve and enjoy.

Video

Notes

Can I uses Ground Beef instead? Yes, you can use ground beef in the place of ground sausage. You can even do a half and half mixture. 
Can I use another pasta? Yes, you can easily use penne pasta in the place of ziti. You can really toss any pasta you enjoy with this or use whatever you have on hand. 
How to make it ahead of time: Cook your sauce and pasta then allow them to cool completely. Once they are cooled assemble your ingredients and place it in a fridge or freezer-safe casserole dish. Cover it and keep it in the fridge for 2-3 days or in the freezer for 2-3 months. Once your baked ziti is thawed you can bake it according to the directions until it is warm throughout.

Nutrition

Calories: 695kcal | Carbohydrates: 56g | Protein: 36g | Fat: 36g | Saturated Fat: 16g | Trans Fat: 1g | Cholesterol: 127mg | Sodium: 923mg | Potassium: 813mg | Fiber: 5g | Sugar: 9g | Vitamin A: 967IU | Vitamin C: 14mg | Calcium: 431mg | Iron: 4mg
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About Jennie

I'm Jennie! I'm a busy mom of three and I love cooking and sharing easy recipes. From slow cooker meals to casseroles all my recipes are simple to make and ones the entire family will love.

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