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.
Don’t be afraid to add a lot more seasoning
The absolute best ziti I’ve ever prepared for my family. I will not make it any other way!
Great easy recipe to take to a pot luck or dinner at home! Turned out great!
Took this to a group meeting and it was great. Everyone loved it. Great recipe. And very easy! Very tasty!
This was so easy to make and the taste was incredible.
One of the best dishes ever…my go to ❤️❤️
Do this dish. Soo good!! Perfect comfort food for a chilly evening. Serve with some warmed, buttered French bread and a small house salad on the side and your day just got better. I promise
Yes yes and yes so easy and great .
What is the serving size individually? About a cup or so?
Hi Hannah, a serving is about two cups or so.
It needs more flavor and didn’t need to add the water. I’m hoping my kids will try it tomorrow for lunch. We used Barilla red lentil pasta to get more vegetables in. Maybe next time will be better. Thank you for sharing your way.
I’m happy you tried it, Kara! Thank you for leaving a comment ❤️
delicious and easy to make, will save this recipe for future ❤️
Curious on why egg is added to the ricotta mixture. :)
The egg helps the cheese to bind together in the lasagna so it doesn’t ooze out the side of the casserole when cut.
?? Will this recipe as written fit in one 9 x 13 Pan? Recipe and some comments allude to multiple 9 x 13 pans. Confused.
Hi Bob, we do bake it in a 9×13 pan. It is indicated in step 6 of the recipe. Thanks for checking!
I have a 13 x 9 pan I bought from Aldi and the sides are higher, and my pan was full. It would not have all fit in the previous pan I had.
Hi! I just made this recipe! I love it! I did a double batch to freeze one for later this week. Do I bake it, then freeze or do I do everything up until baking, then freeze?
You can freeze it and bake once thawed.
A recipe that will be added to my keepers. I definitely will have to undercook the pasta next time some more. I will freeze this in portions so we can enjoy this on our travels in the RV.
Absolutely delicious! Change nothing to insure a perfect dish, one I tested on company; and, thankfully, all loved it! I believe it’s even better as leftovers bc the flavors all meld perfectly. Easy and scrumptious!
This recipe was great, thank you! I made it vegetarian by using 1 cup of lentils cooked to al dente in veggie broth in place of the ground beef. I also used a splash of milk instead of egg since we ran out of eggs. It came out great and my housemates loved it! I’ll definitely be making this again.
the recipe looks great I am going t make it tonight but am using Farmers cheese instead of Ricotta or Cottage as I don’t care for either of them. I am going to add red pepper flakes and garlic.
For making ahead, can I put it in the freezer after assembling but before baking? If so, what do you recommend for unthawing/cooking? Thanks!
This can be frozen before baking. Thaw in the fridge overnight. Bake as directed in the recipe, you’ll likely need to add 15 minutes or so to the baking time if it is cold from the fridge when you bake it.
I am almost 50 yrs old, and I’ve never made ziti before! I searched through so many google reviews before seeing this one. It had a lot of reviews, and many of them were very positive. I decided to make this recipe, and I’m so glad I tried it. I live by myself so it’s really hard to cook for just me–and I’m super picky. I absolutely loved it! It turned out so great. I added more sauce because I can’t eat anything too dry. Not that it would be dry using what the recipe calls for, I just didn’t make it that way. I used ground beef and seasoned aggressively. I just kind of throw in whatever I feel like that day. I added extra cheese as well. Making today for Mother’s Day! Thank you for the recipe!
I am so happy to hear you loved this recipe Laura!