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.
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!!