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.
delious
Question-do you bake before freezing? I made it last year (for Thanksgiving) but I don’t remember what I did. It was a big hit.
Thanks!
I do not bake before freezing. Prepare as directed, storing the 1 cup of cheese for the topping in a separate container. Freeze for up to 4 months and then thaw in the fridge overnight. A quick tip is to line your pan with parchment paper and once frozen, you can remove it from the pan and wrap it in plastic wrap. To thaw, remove the plastic wrap and place it right back into the same pan.
I mixed sauce and pasta together and put one half of pasta mix in pan, ricotta cheese spread out on top, then mixed pasta over ricotta cheese.
Absolutely delicious! Made this when my sister-in-law stopped by for a visit and she loved it! She’s a notoriously picky eater haha! Very easy to prepare and it made the kitchen smell so good. My hubby is looking forward to the leftovers too. I served it with garlic bread and steamed veggies, so it was a great meal for a cool fall evening. Thanks for the great recipe!
One of the best ziti’s I’ve ever had
I like this recipe except for the fact that you neglected to mention whether or not one might need a different size baking dish if the plan is to say triple or double the recipe. in other word, is a 9x13x2 inch deep baking dish too small if you want to triple the recipe? etc.
Thanks Mark! When using the 2x 3x on the recipe card, it will update only the ingredients, not the written directions. I hope that helps!
This was so easy and it made so much. I added more sauce after reading reviews. next time I’ll cover with foil but this was a winner for sure!
This is the best baked ziti that I have ever made!
I have made so many of your recipes! I am making this to send for a bachelor weekend. Can I double and put in a larger derp dish foil pan, or is it better to make 2 separate pans? If doubled in one- what temp and how much time to bake? Thanks so much!!
Hi Pamela, this recipe has not been tested doubled so for consistent results I would recommend preparing it in two separate pans.
If I am freezing half of this what is the best way to do that?
It freeze great before and after cooking. To freeze after cooking I love doing individual containers so I can take out one serving at a time to reheat. If freezing before cooking you could prepare them in two smaller container, but watch the cooking time as they will cook faster.
This was great! Only thing I would do differently in the future would be less Noodles. Otherwise, perfect! So easy to make. It was a hit!
I have made this dish many times. Its been a life saver to serving many people at a gathering. Can’t recommend it enough!
We love this recipe! It’s a staple at our house and on our meal rotation.
This was incredible! My husband is Italian and picky, but loved it.
Thank goodness I found it again. I forgot to save it. My kids well they are adults now both love this better than lasagna, it is so easy and flavourful thank you for your great recipes
I made this for the first time for a dinner party with my friends. I swapped out the ziti for penne, and it was so delicious! I also used chicken sausage, and added some minced garlic with the onion/sausage mixture. Instead of canned tomatoes, I cut up some grape tomatoes I had on hand. Everyone loved it and went back for seconds. Thanks for this recipe! I will definitely save it in my favorites.
Great recipe! I used ground beef as my meat and I also added fresh garlic before letting the meat and sauce simmer. It turned out to be delicious! Doubled the recipe and made a pan to freeze for another night.
this is one of the best baked ziti recipes I’ve used in a while. easy and delicious. highly recommend.
sweet or hot Italian sausage?
Either will work, I prefer hot.
Awesome recipe, the entire family enjoyed it. I opted out of using the can tomato because our spaghetti sauce is chunky garden vegetable. And the recipe was delicious!! Paired wonderfully with a creamy Italian Romain salad and lightly toasted garlic bread!!