Baked ziti is cheesy, saucy, and baked until bubbly, for the kind of cozy dinner that always disappears fast. With layers of ziti, creamy ricotta, and hearty sausage sauce, it’s an easy pasta bake that is perfect for weeknights, potlucks, and make-ahead dinners.
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Holly’s Recipe Highlights
- Flavor: Savory Italian sausage, tangy tomato, and creamy ricotta melt together with mozzarella for a rich, comforting dish.
- Why Make It: This is an easy-to-make-ahead casserole that serves 8 with a thick and hearty sausage sauce.
- Serving Suggestions: This baked ziti has quickly become my go-to for feeding teens and house guests, especially paired with garlic bread and a Caesar or Italian salad.
Best Ingredients for Baked Ziti
- Meat: Choose mild or hot sausage. This can be replaced with ground beef or ground turkey. Add 2 cloves of minced garlic and 1 teaspoon of Italian seasoning to the meat.
- Pasta Sauce: Choose your favorite pasta sauce, as it is the main flavor of the dish.
- Pasta: I use ziti in this recipe; however, penne, rigatoni, or other tube-shaped pasta can be used in place.
- Cheese: Ricotta adds a creamy layer to this recipe. You can replace it by blending cottage cheese with an egg until smooth.
- Topping: Sprinkle mozzarella cheese over the top for a browned, bubbly topping. Just before serving, add freshly grated Parmesan cheese and some fresh herbs like parsley or basil.
- Variations: Add chopped spinach to the ricotta mixture (squeezed dry). Stir sautéed mushrooms or diced zucchini into the sauce for extra veggies.
How to Make Baked Ziti
- Prepare the sausage sauce and the cheese mixture in separate bowls (full recipe below).
- In a large pot, cook the pasta al dente.
- Layer the sauce, pasta, and cheese in a greased dish.
- Top with mozzarella and bake.
For cleaner slices, let baked ziti rest 10 to 15 minutes before cutting and serving.
Fridge, Freezer, Reheat
Store leftovers in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 4 days. Baked or unbaked ziti will keep in the freezer for up to 3 months.
To reheat, cover with foil and warm at 350°F until hot throughout. Add a splash of water or sauce if it looks dry. To reheat single portions, microwave in short bursts, loosely covered, stirring once if possible.
Italian Comfort Classics
Did you enjoy this Baked Ziti? 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!