This Baked Ziti is an easy, saucy, cheesy pasta casserole with all of the great flavors of Lasagna, but so much easier to prepare. Watch the video tutorial below and see how simple it is to make this pasta bake that captures the essence of Italian-American flavors in every bite.
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We love classic Italian recipes, and I’ve got some simple to make, but oh, so tasty ones to share! From Chicken Parmesan to Meatballs, and Manicotti too, if you are a fan of saucy, cheesy pasta, this Baked Ziti is a must-try!
Easy Baked Ziti Recipe
Baked ziti is an Italian-American casserole of tubular-shaped ziti noodles with Marinara Sauce, ricotta, and loads of gooey, melty cheese. Think of this Baked Ziti as a lazy lasagna- it has all of the familiar flavors of Lasagna, without the fuss of layering the noodles.
The combination of mozzarella and parmesan, a match made in pasta heaven, is our secret to making the BEST Baked Ziti! I love that this pasta casserole is make-ahead friendly, so customizable, and freezer-friendly too. No need to be precise or fancy with this dish. You can’t go wrong with pasta and cheese.
Baked Ziti Video
Watch Natasha make this easy Baked Ziti Pasta casserole. Get ready to dive into the comfort of saucy pasta and melted cheeses. You are going to love this one.
Why this Recipe Works
- Easy – This recipe is nothing fancy – the ingredients are mixed together, and it’s not supposed to look perfect, but it sure tastes perfect.
- Make-Ahead Friendly – This recipe can be prepared up to two days before baking. Not only does it freeze and reheat beautifully, but it also makes a wonderful meal for a potluck or a meal train dinner for a friend in need.
- Picky-eater Approved – Baked Ziti recipes are customizable to your taste or dietary needs. See our suggestions below on how to make this dish your own.
Ingredients
The ingredients here are simple, so use the best quality you can source. If you have 10 minutes, try Homemade Marinara Sauce which is our secret to making the BEST Baked Ziti!
- Ziti Pasta – cooked al dente – keep in mind it finishes cooking in the oven.
- Ground Beef – I like to use 85% lean
- Onion and Garlic – aromatics that add tons of flavor and aroma
- Marinara Sauce – Homemade or store-bought
- Ricotta – One 15-ounce container of fresh ricotta cheese
- Basil Leaves – Ten fresh leaves, cut into thin strips
- Mozzarella Cheese – We use low moisture, part-skim
- Parmesan Cheese – One cup, freshly grated or shredded and divided
Variations
- Meat – Try chicken or ground turkey instead of beef; add Italian sausage or meatballs; or omit the meat altogether to make a vegetarian casserole.
- Vegetables – Adding veggies is a great way to bulk up this recipe and turn this pasta casserole into a meal in itself. Dice and sauteé zucchini, summer squash, mushrooms, and/or carrots and add them to your sauce mixture. Sprinkle chopped spinach or layer sliced and sauteed bell peppers between the layers of pasta. You can use one or all of these to make the best Vegetarian Baked Ziti.
- Pasta – You can use any tubular pasta, ridges or no ridges, it’s up to you. Ziti is an obvious choice, but you can also use penne, rigatoni, cavatappi, or rotini. For a gluten-free pasta casserole, try a GF pasta.
- Cheese – In addition to the ricotta and mozzarella cheeses, you can top your baked pasta dish with fresh grated parmesan, or sliced fresh mozzarella.
How to Make Baked Ziti
This is the easiest pasta casserole and the results are so perfecto. It’s no wonder Baked Ziti is such a popular dish.
- Boil – Set your oven to 350°F. While the oven preheats, boil a large pot of salted water and cook one pound of ziti pasta until al dente, then drain.
- Sauteé – In a large sauté pan or Dutch Oven, sauté ground beef and onion until cooked through. Add minced garlic, salt, and pepper and continue cooking until the garlic is fragrant.
- Combine – Pour Marinara Sauce into the meat and simmer for 5 minutes. Spread 1/2 cup of sauce into a 9×13 inch casserole dish to prevent the pasta from sticking to the bottom.
- Stir – Spoon the ricotta cheese and basil into the pot of sauce and gently stir until lightly combined. Stir in the cooked pasta, mixing just until the pasta is coated.
- Assemble – Add half the pasta mixture to the casserole dish, top with half of the mozzarella and parmesan cheese, and then repeat with another layer of pasta and finally, more cheese.
- Bake – Bake uncovered at 350°F for 25 minutes and then broil for an additional 2 minutes to brown the top. Garnish with fresh basil and another sprinkle of parmesan cheese for good measure. We love to use this Cheese Grater.
Pro Tip:
Don’t overcook your pasta. You want to cook the pasta al dente (slightly firm) as it will continue to cook in the oven while baking.
Can I use spaghetti instead of ziti?
Baked Ziti is really best with a tube-shaped pasta, to really hold onto that meat sauce. If you are looking for a spaghetti casserole, try our Chicken Tetrazzini recipe, it’s fantastic!
How can I make a healthy baked ziti?
Choose leaner meat (such as ground turkey), add low-fat cheeses (and reduce how much you use), and add extra vegetables to boost nutritional content are all easy ways to make this recipe healthier.
Can I double the recipe?
This is a great dish to feed crowds for a potluck or party. If you need to double the recipe, please use a second casserole dish or a large disposable aluminum pan.
How to Serve Pasta Casseroles
Be sure to let your Baked Ziti sit for 5 minutes after it comes out of the oven. After that, use a spatula to cut it into squares, or simply scoop it out of the dish with a spoon. Serve this classic dish with:
- Garlic Bread – an obvious choice
- Roasted Cauliflower – simple and delicious
- Caesar Salad – light and crisp with the best dressing
- Garden Salad – a go-to since it’s kid-friendly
- Panzanella Salad – adds more Italian flavors to your meal
Make-Ahead
Baked ziti can be assembled ahead or baked ahead and reheated. It’s perfect for meal planning.
- Prep-Ahead: Assemble, cover with foil, and refrigerate for up to two days before baking.
- Storing Leftovers: Store leftover portions in airtight storage containers in the refrigerator for up to 5 days.
- Reheating Leftovers: Remove from refrigerator 30 minutes before heating. Drizzle with a little water to keep it moist, cover with foil, and put in the oven at 350˚F for 20-30 minutes or until heated through. Timing will vary by the amount of ziti. You can also reheat in the microwave.
- Freezing: Assemble in an aluminum or oven-safe casserole dish without baking. Cool completely and then tightly wrap it in plastic wrap and aluminum foil to prevent freezer burn. Freeze for up to 1 month. Thaw frozen ziti in the refrigerator overnight. Remove from refrigerator 30 minutes before baking as directed.
“Mangia, mangia!” (an Italian phrase which means ‘Eat, eat!’)
More Casserole Recipes
We love casseroles for dinner because they can be made ahead and re-heat well so you get to enjoy leftovers for days. These are the top-rated, best-loved casserole recipes on our blog:
- Chicken Pot Pie Casserole
- Chicken Lasagna
- Lasagna Roll-Up
- Eggplant Parmesan
- Chicken and Mushroom Casserole
- Baked Mac and Cheese
Baked Ziti (Easy Pasta Casserole) VIDEO
Ingredients
- 1 lb ziti pasta, or penne pasta or gluten-free pasta
- 1 lb ground beef, 85% lean
- 1 onion, chopped
- 2 garlic cloves, minced
- 1 tsp salt
- 1/2 tsp black pepper
- 5 cups marinara sauce
- 15 oz fresh ricotta
- 10 fresh basil leaves
- 12 oz mozzarella cheese, shredded, divided
- 1 cup grated parmesan cheese, divided
Instructions
- Cook pasta in salted water according to package instructions until just al dente, then drain (do not overcook as the pasta will continue to cook in the oven).
- In a deep pan or Dutch oven, over medium-high heat, cook ground beef and onion, breaking up the beef with a spatula, until beef is fully cooked through and onions are softened (5-7 minutes). Add minced garlic, salt, pepper, and sauteé for another minute. Add 5 cups marinara sauce, bring to a simmer, and continue cooking for 5 minutes then turn off the heat.
- Spread a ladle of meat sauce into the bottom of a 9×13 casserole dish.
- Add chopped basil and spoon in ricotta into the remaining sauce Add cooked pasta and stir just until noodles are coated (you want to keep that ricotta texture)
- Transfer half of the pasta to the casserole dish. Top with 1/2 of the shredded mozzarella and 1/2 of the grated parmesan. Add the remaining pasta and top with the remaining mozzarella and parmesan.
- Clear the edges of the pan so the cheese doesn’t burn onto the dish. Bake at 350°F for 25 minutes. Broil for 1-2 minutes to brown the cheese. Let cool for 5 minutes, then garnish with basil if desired and serve.
Nutrition Per Serving
Filed Under
Love this recipe. I will continue to make it . Quick question : my meat sauce after adding the ricotta
(low fat because it was all I could find ) became speckled and grainy . Is that how it’s supposed to be?
Hi Patricia! No, generally it is not grainy. It could be because of the low fat but it could also be the brand of the ricotta and how it was processed.
Made on the fly on a busy night. Ended up making the marinara sauce too with another of your recipes. It was a big hit.
Happy to hear that this recipe was a huge hit!
Natasha…not the other..gheez. my fingers i think had some of your ziti on them…lol sorry.
NatNatas.i just love you. I made this and it is delish. I had some leftover homemade spaghetti sauce I had frozen and wanted to use up. It pretty much had the same ingredients but no marinara. I am so impressed. This is wonderful and a great comfort food for these cold fall days.
Hi Linda, thank you for your great comments and feedback. We’re glad you love this recipe!
If you are not using meat and just ziti in the recipe how much ziti should I use to accomodate for the beef?
Hi Shanta, I have not tried that version to advise but feel free to do an experiment!
I make a batch (well, 1/2 batch actually) for my wife to bring to her parents when we visit. I can make it head of time and it transports easily for the 1 1/2 hour drive. They are both in their 80’s and love this dish.
Here at home it’s become a family staple meal.
Yes this is a great make ahead recipe, so glad that you share this to your family!
Amazing! A hit for the whole family! Used store-bought marinara but followed recipe as written and everyone loved it. This was followed by your apple pie recipe as well (also a huge hit!). Thank you – can’t wait to try more recipes.
So glad it was enjoyed! Thank you for the review. I hope you’ll find many more recipes to enjoy!
This was fantastic. I did swap italian sausauge for the hamburger though..
Thank you so much for sharing that with me.
I have pesto on hand. Could I stir it in instead of using fresh basil? If so, how much would you recommend I use?
Hi Susie! That could work, you’ll have to experiment with the amount.
Couldn’t find fresh basil at the store right now and I need to make this recipe tonight. Can I substitute the fresh basil with the dried ones? If yes, how much should I put in? Or should I just leave it out.
That would be fine. You can add it to taste or follow a general guideline which I found online: one tablespoon of fresh basil is a good substitute for a teaspoon of dried basil.
Made your Ziti recipe this weekend, only I used rigatoni and added a couple of links of sweet Italian sausage. It was delicious. My only complaint was that it made so much. Next time, will have to make it in two batches and freeze one for later. Thanks for the recipe!! (I will have to add it to my list of favs from you, Spatchcock chicken being my all-time favorite)
Thank you for sharing that with us, Peggy! That’s wonderful.
Made this for dinner tonjght, with a couple of changes. I only had rigatoni I added 2 links of Italian sweet sausage. It came out solo good delicious!! Thanks for the recipe!!
Hello Peggy, good to know that it was a success! Thank you for your comments and feedback.
Perfection!
I used one jar of regular marinara and one jar of roasted garlic marinara (I was in a hurry) and regarding the ricotta, I used only 3/4 of the 15 oz container and added an additional 1/2 cup of mascarpone. It was a beautiful-tasting dish.
Nice to know that you liked the result!
Hello I’m Lisa If I don’t have the stuff for homemade Marinara sauce what sauce jar can I use instead would love to make this today for dinner for the first time seeing everyone raving about it and looks so good I’m ready to eat now..but if you can suggest any good jar that would go prefect with this please let me know soon thanks so much.
Hi Lisa. You can purchase a marinara sauce or pasta sauce. I like the ones that have roasted garlic or notes of basil in them but anyone would be fine.
Thanks so much will try that out I appreciate your recipes so much your always making great flavors I love it
Thank you! So glad you enjoy them. 🙂
Looks delicious…will give it a try. Thankyou, your recipes always look wonderful!!!
Thank you! I hope you’ll love all the recipes that you will try.
I made this dish last night but used Italian sausage instead of beef. Everything else was just as the recipe said. It was awesome; a huge success for my group. It’s undoubtedly the best ziti I have ever tasted, and all thanks to you! Thanks for a great recipe, next time I’ll use beef just to compare.
That’s wonderful! So glad it was enjoyed, Robert.
I made this and it was amazing taste is so good and very easy to prepare. I usually make Lasagna for Thanksgiving week when I have lots of company. I am going to change and bake this as it takes much less time to prepare!! Love your recipes
I’m so happy you’re enjoying my recipes, Christine! That’s so great!
Your Baked Ziti recipe is fabulous! It’s so flavorful, especially when made with basil, fresh from the garden. 👍👍👍
Hello Caty, that’s awesome feedback. Thanks for sharing!
I made this last night and it was delicious! The recipe is simple and easy to follow and it was a hit in the house, everyone loved it! I would definitely make this again, I found a keeper!
So glad to hear that, Kayla!
Absolutely delicious! I used Italian sausage instead of hamburger but, followed the rest of the recipe exactly as written. My husband went back for seconds and kept saying how wonderful dinner was. Thank you for sharing this great recipe!
You’re very welcome! Thank you for the feedback.
I typically just wing it with baked ziti, but I decided to give your recipe a try and am so glad I did. It is delicious. Your marinara sauce is such a great base, especially with the fresh basil from my garden. I will definitely make it again.
Thank you! So glad you enjoyed this recipe, Nancy.
Very nice recipe. However, ricotta is listed in ingredients and is not in baked ziti.
This recipe was delicious! My family loved it. I will be making a double batch to freeze one casserole in the future! Liked the flavors and enjoyed it! Your videos are great!
I’m so happy this was a hit with your family, Lori! That’s just awesome!