Baked Ziti is an easy to make casserole that reminds me of lasagna. Enjoy it with our homemade sauce, or cut prep time down by using your favorite jar of marinara.
Why this recipe works
My kids have always been huge pasta fans, and baked ziti is definitely their favorite meal for dinner. When they all lived at home they asked for this dish what seemed like every other night. Luckily, it’s pretty simple to make.
This recipe requires easy to find ingredients that you can find at most grocery stores. In fact, the most exotic ingredient is ricotta.
After you put the ingredients together and get it in the oven, sit back and enjoy the aroma of fresh baked ziti while it cooks.
Ingredients you will need
How to Make Homemade Baked Ziti
In this baked ziti recipe, we are providing a homemade sauce. If you prefer a really easy baked ziti, you can absolutely cut down the prep time by using your favorite jarred sauce.
These step by step photos and instructions are here to help you visualize how to make this recipe. You can Jump to Recipe to get the printable version of this recipe, complete with measurements and instructions at the bottom.
- Preheat the oven to 375 degrees.
- In a skillet, add the olive oil and the diced onion. Cook for 5 minutes, or until translucent, soft and fragrant.
- Add in the ground beef and spices, cook until no pink remains, about 5-7 minutes. Remove from heat.
- In a saucepan, add the tomato sauce and the whole tomatoes. Using a slotted spoon, scoop in the cooked ground beef, draining the excess fat as you go. Bring to a simmer and allow to cook for 20-25 minutes.
- While the tomato sauce mixture is simmering, cook the pasta noodles until just slightly al dente. Drain and rinse with cold water to stop the cooking.
- In a large bowl, combine 3 cups of the mozzarella cheese, 1 ½ cup of the parmesan cheese and the ricotta.
- Add in the noodles and stir to combine.
- In a 9×13 casserole dish, spread 1 cup of the meat mixture in the bottom of the baking dish. Scoop in ½ of the cheese and pasta mixture over the meat sauce.
- Add another layer of meat sauce, using ½ of the remaining meat sauce. Cover with the second ½ of the pasta and the remaining meat sauce.
- Top with the rest of the mozzarella cheese.
- Bake for 25 minutes or until the cheese is melted, starting to brown and the sauce is bubbling up on the sides.
- Remove from oven, allow to cool, and enjoy.
Frequently Asked Questions
When we make this, we enjoy the leftovers for a few days. Store leftovers in an airtight container with a lid. You can also leave it in the casserole dish and cover it tightly with aluminum foil. Leftover ziti will keep for up to a week in the refrigerator with the proper covering.
We use the microwave to reheat individual servings, however you could add a tablespoon of water to the pan, cover it with foil, and reheat in the oven as well.
You need 2 pounds of ground meat for this recipe. If you prefer, instead of ground beef you can use ground pork, ground chicken or ground turkey. Classic baked ziti uses sausage, so feel free to use whatever suits your tastes.
Ziti is a tube-shaped pasta, similar to rigatoni and penne, but with straight cut ends instead of angled. You can use any tube pasta you like.
Yes, you can freeze baked ziti. Allow the cooked casserole to cool completely. Cover with aluminum foil, making sure to wrap it tightly around the casserole dish. Place in the freezer for up to a month. To reheat the dish, allow to thaw in the refrigerator then place in the oven to heat through. You can reheat at 375 degrees for 10-15 minutes, or until bubbling.
We love this baked ziti served with salad and warm, fresh Italian bread. A real crowd pleaser, this baked casserole it pure comfort food.
More Dinner Recipes
- Macaroni and Cheese Casserole with Ham and Peas
- John Wayne Casserole
- Homemade Green Bean Casserole
- Bacon Cheeseburger Pasta
- Cheesy Garlic Bread
- Chicken Alfredo
- Lasagna Roll Ups
- Million Dollar Spaghetti
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Baked Ziti
IMPORTANT – There are often Frequently Asked Questions within the blog post that you may find helpful. Simply scroll back up to read them!
Print It Rate ItIngredients
- 1 large onion diced (1 cup)
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 2 pounds ground beef
- 2 tablespoons garlic powder
- 2 tablespoons onion powder
- 1 teaspoon oregano
- ½ teaspoon red pepper flakes
- Salt and pepper to taste
- 29 ounces tomato sauce Two 14.5 ounce cans
- 28 ounce whole tomatoes canned
- 31 ounces mozzarella cheese divided (4 cups)
- 7 ounces grated Parmesan cheese divided (2 cups) see notes
- 15 ounces whole milk ricotta
- 16 ounces ziti noodles or similar pasta
- Fresh parsley
Things You’ll Need
Before You Begin
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 375 degrees.
- In a skillet, add the olive oil and the diced onion. Cook for 5 minutes, or until translucent, soft and fragrant.
- Add in the ground beef and cook until no pink remains, about 5-7 minutes.
- Add in the spices, stir to combine and cook for another minute. Remove from heat.
- In a saucepan, add the tomato sauce and the whole tomatoes. Using a slotted spoon, scoop in the cooked ground beef, draining the excess fat as you go. Bring to a simmer and allow to cook for 20-25 minutes.
- While the tomato sauce mixture is simmering, cook the pasta noodles until just slightly al dente. Drain and rinse with cold water to stop the cooking.
- In a large bowl, combine 3 cups of the mozzarella cheese, 1 ½ cup of the parmesan cheese and the ricotta. Add in the noodles and stir to combine.
- In a 9×13 casserole dish, spread 1 cup of the meat mixture in the bottom of the baking dish. Scoop in ½ of the cheese and pasta mixture over the meat sauce.
- Add another layer of meat sauce, using ½ of the remaining meat sauce. Cover with the second ½ of the pasta and the remaining meat sauce.
- Top with the rest of the mozzarella cheese.
- Bake for 25 minutes or until the cheese is melted, starting to brown and the sauce is bubbling up on the sides.
- Remove, allow to cool and enjoy.
Nutrition
This post was originally published on this blog on May 2, 2010.
Amanda Davis
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Anonymous says
I dont like pasta but thought I would make this for my kids..You dont mention when to use the parmesan cheese…
badbadkitty says
One of my favorites as well
Amanda says
Hi Anonymous – Everyone has different tastes :) That's what nice about a recipe, you can adapt it to fit your own and your family's preference. We prefer it as written.
Anonymous says
way too much ricotta and way too much meat. I'd use 1/4 lb of beef and 7 oz ricotta instead and add 2 to 3 more cups of sauce. Otherwise this becomes a meat dominated pasta with no sauce taste.
Amanda says
Thanks Anonymous! i've corrected the error :)
Anonymous says
although its obviously a given, you don't actually list pasta in your ingredients list
Culinary Cory says
I LOVE baked ziti. Yum!
Chef Fresco says
Casseroles are the best! Thanks for sharing this baked ziti recipe!
Megan says
this looks like a crowd pleaser and a perfect weeknight meal!
Mandy says
Amanda, that made me want to come by for dinner! YUMMY!!
Bob says
This looks wicked good, backed ziti is the bomb. I'd been tinkering with my recipe, although I haven't made it in a while. I think it's well past time. Heh.
Lana @ Never Enough Thyme says
Who doesn't love a great ziti bake? Add a salad and some garlic bread and I'm happy as I can be. Thanks for sharing a great recipe, Amanda.
Grumpy and HoneyB says
We love anything pasta! I really love the cheesieness of your dish, looks YUM!
Marie says
Now THAT'S cooking!! Fantastic comfort food! Love it!!
Mary at Deep South Dish says
That looks fantastic! Love me some baked ziti – talk about comfort food.
5 Star Foodie says
So yummy and super comforting!
Lisa says
Looks Great..Yummy !!
Mags says
Look at all that cheesy goodness. YUM!
LDH says
Looks really good, Amanda!
Leslie says
Looks light a might fine photo to me! I would dig right in!