This amazing Baked Ziti recipe is layered with Italian sausage, ricotta cheese, sweet marinara sauce, and plenty of mozzarella. It is just as decadent as lasagna without all the fuss. Serve this dish with a simple garden salad and crusty French bread. It is an easy friend and family favorite and serves quite a crowd. No worries if you don’t have a big crowd to feed because leftovers heat up like a dream.
School is right around the corner, and with it brings lots and lots of activity. This yummy Baked Ziti pasta dish is prepared in a few simple steps making it ideal for busy families. So easy that even your tween or teens could pitch in and lend a helping hand. It is a full meal in and of itself! But if it is a special occasion or I am entertaining an extra large crowd, I like to serve it with Italian Chopped Salad with Fresh Italian Dressing and Cheese Garlic Bread.
How to make Baked Ziti
Start by bringing a large pot of salted water to boil. Meanwhile, in a large skillet over medium-high heat, brown your ground Italian sausage breaking it up as you go. Then add the chopped onion and cook for a few minutes. Next, reduce the heat, add the garlic, dried oregano, and basil, and cook for an additional minute. Then drain any excess grease and add the marinara, letting it simmer for about 10 minutes.
Once the water boils, cook your pasta al dente and drain well. Now in a medium bowl, stir together the ricotta cheese, Parmesan cheese, 1/2 cup mozzarella, parsley, black pepper, and egg.
In a large baking dish, spread a thin layer of the sauce, then top with half of the ziti pasta. Next, top with half of the sauce and the ricotta cheese. Then top with the remaining pasta and the rest of the sauce. Now sprinkle with the remaining mozzarella. Finally, cover with aluminum foil and bake for 20 minutes. Then remove the foil and bake for 10 minutes or until the cheese is melted and lightly browned. Garnish with chopped fresh parsley or fresh basil.
Tips and recipe notes for Baked Ziti
- Cook the ziti pasta al dente which means slightly firm. Pasta packaging includes cooking times for firm noodles. The pasta is baked, and no one wants soggy noodles.
- Rigatoni or penne pasta can be substituted for ziti pasta.
- Purchase good quality Italian sausage. My butcher sells it freshly ground and mixed with fresh spices. It adds such great flavor.
- If desired, you can substitute ground beef or ground turkey. Just add 1 teaspoon of Italian seasoning.
- Drain any excess grease from the sausage. It takes just a minute, and it is healthier.
- I use my favorite jarred marinara, but any good quality red pasta or tomato sauce will work as well. If you have the time, homemade marinara sauce is even better.
- Always use good quality mozzarella cheese and Parmesan Cheese. Freshly shredded and grated cheese adds so much flavor without any added preservatives or anti-clumping ingredients.
- Vegetables to consider adding are sautéed mushrooms, broccoli, kale, or spinach.
- Do not overbake the pasta, as you do not want to dry it out. Cook just until the cheese is melted and lightly browned.
- Store leftovers in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 3 days. Reheat in the microwave at reduced power.
Baked Ziti Recipe variations:
- Chicken Baked Ziti: Substitute cooked ground or cooked cubed chicken for the Italian sausage. Rotisserie chicken is excellent for this because it is flavor packed.
- Vegetarian Baked Ziti: Omit sausage and add a can of fire-roasted tomatoes and 10 ounces of thawed frozen spinach (well drained and chopped) to the sauce. Sauteed zucchini and or yellow squash is also a delicious addition.
- Baked Ziti with Meatballs: Substitute 1 – 1 1/2 pounds of fresh or frozen meatballs in place of the Italian sausage. Brown them in the skillet, then add the onion and other spices as directed. Simmer in the marinara.
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Baked Ziti
This Baked Ziti pasta casserole is loaded with Italian Sausage, marinara, ricotta, mozzarella and Parmesan cheese all baked to a hot luscious gooey delight. Serve with a simple garden salad and crusty French bread.
- Prep Time: 20 minutes
- Cook Time: 25 minutes
- Total Time: 45 minutes
- Yield: 8 servings
- Category: main meal pasta
- Method: bake
- Cuisine: Italian
Ingredients
- 1 pound Italian sausage
- 1 small onion chopped
- 2 cloves garlic minced
- 1/2 teaspoon dried oregano
- 1/4 teaspoon dried basil
- 32 ounces marinara sauce or pasta sauce
- kosher salt and fresh ground black pepper to taste
- 1 pound ziti pasta
- 15 ounces ricotta cheese
- 1/2 cup grated Parmesan Cheese
- 2 cups shredded mozzarella cheese
- 1 tablespoon chopped fresh Italian Parsley
- 1/4 teaspoon fresh ground black pepper
- 1 egg
- Chopped fresh parsley or basil
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees Bring a pot of water to a boil.
- In a large sauté pan over medium heat brown the Italian sausage breaking it up as you go. Add the chopped onion; cook for 3-4 minutes. Reduce heat, add garlic, dried oregano and basil; cook for 1 minute. Drain any excess grease. Add the marinara sauce and simmer for 10 minutes. Season with kosher salt and fresh ground black pepper to taste.
- Once the water boils cook pasta al dente and drain well. In a medium bowl stir together the ricotta cheese, Parmesan cheese, 1/2 cup mozzarella cheese, parsley, black pepper, and the egg.
- In a 13 x 9 inch casserole dish spread a thin layer of the sauce mixture. Top with half of the ziti pasta. Then top with half of the sauce mixture and the ricotta cheese mixture. Top with the remaining pasta and the rest of the sauce. Top with the remaining mozzarella.
- Cover with aluminum foil and bake for 20 minutes. Then remove the foil and bake for 10 minutes or until the cheese is melted and lightly browned. Garnish with chopped fresh parsley or fresh basil.
Notes
- Cook the ziti pasta al dente which means slightly firm. Pasta packaging includes cooking times for firm noodles. This is advised as the pasta will be baked and no on wants soggy noodles.
- Purchase good quality Italian sausage. My butcher sells it freshly ground and mixed with fresh spices. It adds such great flavor.
- Drain any excess grease from the sausage. It takes just a minute and it is healthier.
- I use my favorite jarred marinara but any good quality red pasta sauce will work as well. If you have the time homemade is even better.
- Always use good quality mozzarella and Parmesan. Freshly shredded and grated cheese adds so much flavor without any added preservatives or anti-clumping ingredients.
- Do not over bake the pasta as you do not want to dry it out. Cook just until the cheese is melted and lightly browned.
Keywords: easy baked ziti, how to make baked ziti, baked ziti with ricotta, baked ziti with sausage, baked ziti pasta, baked ziti casserole, baked ziti
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NotSure
We also loved this recipe. Added green peppers and portabello mushrooms for some added veggies. Awesome! lasts several days for two.
★★★★★
Beth Pierce
So glad that you liked the baked ziti! We love it too!
Maria
I made this when family came over for dinner, and it was a huge hit! Will definitely he saving this for the future!
★★★★★
Beth Pierce
Thanks. Maria! So glad that you liked it!
Natalie
Cheesy & delicious! My kids love this dish! It’s super family-friendly & very easy to make!
★★★★★
Kara
I’ve made a similar dish with ground beef, but my family loved it so much more with the Italian sausage. So flavorful!
★★★★★
April
One of our favorite meals! It’s so cheesy!
★★★★★
Macie
This pasta is always a crowd pleaser at my house, and it couldn’t be any easier to make. We love it!
★★★★★
Allyson Reed Zea
WE love having this for dinner! So easy and satisfying!!!
★★★★★
Kristyn
We make this a couple times a month, My picky kids love it & it makes for great leftovers!
★★★★★
Natalie
One of my go-to Sunday meals! Hearty & can feed a crowd!
★★★★★
Jessica Burgess
YUM!!! We were craving a pasta dish and I wasn’t sure what to make so I found this one and NEW it was a must. It was delicious, thank you!
★★★★★
Elizabeth
LOVE this dish! My kids ask for it all the time! So easy and delicious!
★★★★★
Jen
This is one of our family favorites! Pair it alongside a side salad and breadsticks and we’re in heaven!
★★★★★
Toni
Such an amazing comfort food! Always a hit at my house!!
★★★★★
Natasha
This recipe was so easy and delicious, a perfect family dinner. We could not get enough of it! Adding this to my dinner lineup this Christmas, it is so good to pass up!
★★★★★
Betsy
WOW! So creamy! So delicious! I’ve had a lot of baked zitis. I have 3 that I love, all for different reasons. This one I love because of how deliciously creamy it is! YUM, YUM, YUM!!!
★★★★★
Toni Dash
This has been a favorite meal at my house!!
★★★★★
Aimee
Really great ziti recipe! My kids love this. It’s a great weeknight dinner that is asked for frequently!
★★★★★
Lisalia
This looks absolutely PERFECT for cold winter nights. The perfect meal to warm me up!
★★★★★
Toni Dash
This is so good!! Such a perfect meal for weeknights!
★★★★★
Lisalia
LOVE all the cheese in this recipe. Ricotta AND mozzarella. YUM!
★★★★★
Betsy
So delicious and easy! Love how cheesy this is! Absolutely perfect weeknight dinner! Yum.
★★★★★
Matt Taylor
I love baked ziti! My mom used to make it when I was growing up. Brings back the memories. This recipe is great and super easy. Love it!
★★★★★
Genevieve | Fitty Foodlicious
I love a good baked ziti recipe and this one looks fantastic! Talk about an easy go-to dinner idea. 🙂
★★★★★
Kylie Archer
Absolute best comfort food recipe ever!
★★★★★
Cindy
I’ve been in such a cooking rut lately, so I’ve been exploring new recipes to make! I happened upon your recipe and I am so glad I did. I made it today and my entire family loved it! Its doing into our menu plan rotation!!
★★★★★
Kelli
Baked ziti is one of my family’s favorites! Love the variation ideas that you included, especially the vegetarian one. Great recipe overall!
★★★★★
Priya Lakshminarayan
OMG I loved this recipe! The flavors are so good…licked off the bowl!
★★★★★
Andrea Metlika
My family loved this baked ziti so much they even ate the leftovers on their own. Perfect comfort food!
★★★★★
Sharon
I find that bakin pasta just adds a whole other layer of deliciousness to pasta dishes. This baked ziti is definenty comfort food!
★★★★★
Gail Montero
Looks like delicious comfort food! My family would love this. Need to try this soon!
★★★★★
Soniya
Oh wow! It’s my kids favorite pasta and I always wanted to make it at home… definitely making it on Sunday.
Lizet
I made it for my family last night. They all asked to include it in our regular menu 😋
Great recipe!
★★★★★
Patricia
I sure do love baked pasta dishes! Love when the cheese is all melty and a little crunchy at the edges! This is a winner of a dish!
★★★★★
Toni Dash
This quickly became a favorite meal at my house!! So easy to make!
★★★★★
Monica
Yum! Baked ziti is one of our absolute favorites, and makes a regular appearance once the temperature drops. Can’t go wrong with those layers of pasta and cheesy goodness!
★★★★★
Kathryn Donangelo
This baked ziti is my favorite!! Such a classic and so comforting, simply delicious!
★★★★★
Sue
This was a big hit with the family – turned out perfectly. Thank you!
★★★★★
Pam Greer
This is our favorite dinner! It makes enough for us to have it for a few days and we never grow tired of it!
★★★★★
Sandra
This is really amazing! My kids loved it!
★★★★★
Suzy
One of our favorite go to meals! Love how easy it is to put together!
★★★★★
Sara Welch
This is my kind of comfort food! Looking forward to enjoying leftovers tonight; easily a new favorite recipe in our home!
★★★★★
Beti | easyweeknightrecipes
I LOVE these baked ziti! Such an incredible pasta dish!
★★★★★
katerina @ diethood.com
Such a fantastic dish! My family would love this! Aaand I LOVE that cheese! YUM!
★★★★★
Catalina
Love how cheesy are these ziti. It’s a great Sunday dinner!
★★★★★
Erin | Dinners,Dishes and Dessert
This Baked Ziti looks absolutely delicious! Yummy!
★★★★★