Baked Ziti
Ziti tossed with a sausage tomato sauce and creamy ricotta, layered with mozzarella and baked until bubbling with crispy, cheesy edges.
- Everyday Classics
- Oven
- Pork
- Dinner
- 70 min total
- Serves 8
Ingredients
Ingredients for servings
Enter a number of at least ½, in steps of ½.
Original recipe serves 8. Ingredient amounts adjust automatically. Cooking times and pan size may need adjusting separately.
- 1 lb ziti pasta
- 1 tbsp olive oil
- 1 lb mild Italian sausage, casings removed
- 1/2 yellow onion, diced
- 3 cloves garlic, minced
- 24 oz marinara sauce, 1 jar
- 15 oz crushed tomatoes, 1 can
- 1 tsp Italian seasoning
- 15 oz whole-milk ricotta cheese
- 1 egg
- 3/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese, divided
- 2 tbsp fresh parsley, chopped
- 1/2 tsp kosher salt
- 1/4 tsp black pepper
- 3 cups shredded mozzarella cheese, divided
Steps
Step 1: Heat the oven to 375°F. Boil the ziti in well-salted water for 2 minutes less than the package says. Drain.
Step 2: Heat the oil in a large pot over medium-high. Brown the sausage, breaking it up, 6 to 8 minutes. Add the onion and cook 4 minutes, then the garlic for 30 seconds.
Step 3: Stir in the marinara, crushed tomatoes and Italian seasoning. Simmer 10 minutes.
Step 4: In a bowl, mix the ricotta, egg, 1/2 cup of the Parmesan, parsley, salt and pepper.
Step 5: Stir the drained pasta into the sauce.
Step 6: Spread half the pasta in a 9x13 dish. Dollop the ricotta mixture over it and sprinkle with 1 cup mozzarella. Top with the rest of the pasta, then the remaining 2 cups mozzarella and 1/4 cup Parmesan.
Step 7: Cover with foil (spray the underside so it doesn't stick to the cheese) and bake 20 minutes. Uncover and bake 15 to 20 minutes more until bubbly and browned on top.
Step 8: Rest 10 minutes before serving.
Swaps
- Meat: Ground beef or a mix; or skip the meat for a vegetarian ziti.
- Pasta: Penne or rigatoni work exactly the same.
- Cheese: Add sliced provolone to the middle layer.
Tips
- Make ahead: assemble, cover and refrigerate up to 24 hours. Add 10 minutes to the covered bake.
- It freezes well before baking. Thaw overnight in the fridge.
The story
HAM Cooking. Let’s fire it up.
Baked ziti is lasagna’s laid-back cousin. Same flavors, same cheesy pull, none of the careful layering. You toss it, dump it, cheese it and bake it. It’s perfect for potlucks, game days, or any time you need to feed a crowd without losing your mind.
Two tricks make it great. Undercooking the pasta is key, because it keeps soaking up sauce in the oven and would otherwise go soft. Also, mixing an egg and Parmesan into the ricotta keeps it creamy and helps it set into rich pockets instead of melting into a grainy mess.
Covering the dish for the first part of baking lets everything heat through without drying out. Uncovering it at the end lets the top brown and the edges go crispy. Everyone fights over the corner pieces. Plan accordingly.
HAM out.
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