This Baked Ziti is a cozy pasta casserole that’s hearty, saucy, and wonderfully cheesy. Pasta is layered with savory Italian sausage, rich tomato sauce, and a creamy ricotta mixture for an easy dinner that has all the comfort of lasagna without all the work.
It’s a family favorite for busy weeknights, Sunday dinners, or anytime you need a comforting meal that feeds a crowd.
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Holly’s Recipe Highlights: Baked Ziti
Baked Ziti is a classic pasta dish that’s easy to put together and is always a hit. I love this recipe so much that it was one of the few recipes from the site that made it into my cookbook, Everyday Comfort.
Why Make It: This baked ziti feeds a crowd, can be assembled ahead of time, and bakes into rich, sturdy layers that hold together beautifully when served.
Time-Saving Tip: Save time by using pre-shredded mozzarella, jarred marinara sauce, and pre-chopped onion to cut down on prep work.
Freezing: Assemble ahead and freeze before baking for an easy future dinner.
Serving Suggestions: I like to serve this baked ziti with homemade garlic bread and a crisp green salad or caesar salad.
Total Time: 1 Hour 10 Minutes Serves: 8
Ingredient Notes
- Italian Sausage: Mild sausage is family-friendly, hot sausage adds extra heat, and bulk sausage helps save prep time. If using links, remove the casings before browning.
- Pasta Sauce or Marinara: Choose a sauce you enjoy on its own, since it’s the base of the casserole. Marinara tends to be brighter and more tomato-forward, while tomato basil or garlic sauces add extra depth of flavor.
- Diced Tomatoes: These add texture and help keep the sauce from tasting flat. Petite diced tomatoes blend in more seamlessly, while fire-roasted tomatoes bring a deeper, slightly smoky flavor.
- Italian Seasoning: This enhances the jarred sauce with a blend of herbs. Add a little extra if using ground beef, turkey, or a very simple tomato sauce.
- Ziti: Cook just to al dente so it holds its texture after baking. Penne, rigatoni, mostaccioli, or medium pasta shells also work well as substitutes.
- Ricotta cheese: Whole milk ricotta creates the creamiest, richest layer. If the ricotta seems watery, drain it before mixing, or substitute cottage cheese for a lighter option.
- Mozzarella Cheese: For the best melt and texture, shred mozzarella from a block. Low-moisture mozzarella is ideal to help prevent the casserole from becoming watery.
Variations
Spicy: Add red pepper flakes to the sauce or use hot Italian sausage for extra heat.
Meat Swap: Ground beef or turkey can be used instead of sausage, with added garlic and Italian seasoning for flavor.
Vegetable Add-Ins: Spinach, mushrooms, bell peppers, zucchini, or chopped kale all work well. Cook watery vegetables first to prevent the casserole from becoming thin.
Lighter: Use turkey sausage, cottage cheese, and part-skim mozzarella for a lighter version.
Make it Meatless: Omit the sausage and add sautéed mushrooms, spinach, or roasted vegetables for a flavorful vegetarian option.
How to Make Baked Ziti
- Brown the sausage and onion in a skillet. Simmer with pasta sauce, diced tomatoes, water, and Italian seasoning.
- Boil the ziti just until al dente and drain.
- Mix the ricotta, egg, parsley, mozzarella, and Parmesan in a bowl.
- Layer sauce, pasta, ricotta mixture, more pasta, more sauce, and mozzarella.
- Bake (full recipe below).
Save It For Later
- Leftovers: Store leftovers in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 4 days.
- Reheating: Reheat individual portions in the microwave or cover and warm in the oven until heated through.
- Freezing: Assemble the casserole, cover tightly, and freeze for up to 4 months before baking, or freeze leftovers for up to 2 months. Thaw overnight in the refrigerator before baking or reheating.
- For Best Results: Remove a refrigerated casserole from the fridge about 30 minutes before baking. If it is cold from the refrigerator, it may need extra baking time.
More Cozy Pasta Bakes
Did you enjoy this Baked Ziti Casserole Recipe? Leave a comment and rating below.
Ingredients
- 1 pound Italian sausage
- 1 small yellow onion diced
- 1 (28 ounce) jar pasta sauce or marinara sauce
- 1 (14.5 ounce) can diced tomatoes with juices
- ½ cup water
- 2 teaspoons Italian seasoning
- 16 ounces ziti
- 15 ounces ricotta cheese
- 1 large egg
- 2 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley
- 2 cups shredded mozzarella cheese divided
- ¼ cup shredded Parmesan cheese
- thinly sliced fresh basil leaves or chopped fresh parsley for garnish, optional
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 375°F. Grease a 9×13-inch baking pan.
- In a large skillet, over medium-high heat, brown the sausage and onion, breaking it up with a spoon. Drain any fat.
- 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.
- Meanwhile, boil ziti in a large pot of salted water until al dente. Drain well.
- In a small bowl, mix ricotta, egg, parsley, 1 cup mozzarella cheese, and Parmesan cheese.
- Add 1 cup of sauce to the bottom of the prepared baking pan. Layer half of the ziti, top with all of the ricotta mixture, and half of the sauce.
- Add remaining ziti, remaining sauce, and top with remaining mozzarella cheese.
- 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, Dinner, Entree, Main Course, Pasta
Cuisine Italian© SpendWithPennies.com. Content and photographs are copyright protected. Sharing of this recipe is both encouraged and appreciated. Copying and/or pasting full recipes to any social media is strictly prohibited. Please view my photo use policy here.
Very good and simple recipe. The Ricotta Cheese gives it a nice savory flavor, my group loved it. Definitely a keeper!
I am so glad that the ziti was a hit with your crew! Thanks for your kind words Big Daddy!
im from Pakistan ……..
my name is Anum
i really fond a best cooking
yes
your recipes r soo delicious n easily making n hurry for cook……..
actually
i love to do cooking either baking or fast food
i can easily cook every thing
i need ur help
how can i baking for gust coz my baking is not good
i want to bake cake n biscuits
I hope you enjoy Anum! You can find cake recipes here, and biscuits here!
Your Recipes look delicious. I want to try to make some of them.
I hope you love them all Karen!
I made this for lunch for my friends and it was delicious and they took some home for later . This is going to be on my regular baked ziti. Thanks so much!
That is great Norly! So happy to hear everyone loved it!
Gonna make it tomorrow looks so good
I hope you enjoyed it Diane!
This was so good! If I make extra to freeze and don’t pre-cook it first, what are the baking directions?
Hi Brenda, we haven’t tried freezing this recipe before baking but if freezing once fully prepared you should be able to thaw it completely in the fridge and bake as usual. Let us know how it turns out.
Made this for the first time and it was a hit! I put together another small pan to freeze. My question is this: Can it be frozen, uncooked, and if so, what would be the directions for baking it? Or would this change the texture too much?
Thanks!
Hi Brenda, I would bake this dish first them freeze it. To reheat you could reheat individual portions in the microwave or let the entire dish defrost overnight and cook in the microwave following the recipe instructions.
Making this tonight for the 4th time and my family can not get enough. I have to make double the recipe so we have plenty of leftovers. It’s on the weekly menu for now. This is Absolutely the best baked ziti recipe I have ever cooked period!
So happy to hear that Robbie! Enjoy :)
Oh no….I have no parmesan! Do you think it will be ok without it?
Sure it will! Parm adds a salty and richer cheese flavor but it’s just a bit and will be delish without! Let us know how it goes!
I made this for my mom for Mothers day and it was absolutely delicious!
I am so glad you enjoyed this recipe Kalyn!
Great comfort food, easy to follow recipe! its a keeper!
So happy to hear that Jamie! Enjoy!
Made this tonight and was a big hit with my husband and son. Since it’s just 3 of us, I made 2 pans and one went in the freezer. So good!
I’m so glad your family loved it! Great idea to freeze half!
I just love your recipes.
Made this and my dad just loved it.
Thank you so much Wanda! I’m glad your dad loved it!
My husband made this last night and it was the best ever!Will definitely have this again.Thank you Holly.
I’m so glad you loved it Sharon!
I can’t wait to try I have made with just putting the mozzarella on top but never had with the ricotta layer
Enjoy Linda, it’s one of our favorites!
you have the best recipes Holly! Thank you so much!
Thank you so much Sharon!
Sounds great, Holly..! Can’t wait to try it.
I hope you love it Kevin!
Saw this on Facebook and decided to try it. It’s pretty amazing! Just a question, is the water really needed? I debated adding it. Is it just to thin out the sauce? My modifications: I used crushed tomatoes instrad of pasta sauce ab3d added salt/pepper to taste.
I’m glad you enjoyed it! The water is added to allow the sauce to simmer and the flavors to blend. Without adding it the sauce can become too thick to get the right consistency for the casserole.
If you are lactose intolerant do you have any suggestions what to use instead of ricotta cheese
I haven’t tried it in this particular recipe but perhaps a dairy free ricotta would work? If you try it, let us know how it goes.
You have an egg listed under ingredients for Baked Ziti but in the directions it is not mentioned. When do you use the egg? I have never used any eggs in my baked Ziti.
We mix the egg with the ricotta.