We love pasta! Since we have been having pasta on Sundays with our new meal planning schedule, I have been looking for a bunch of different recipes we can try. Recently, I made this easy, delicious baked ziti recipe and wanted to share since this has become one of our favorites. You can also make this ahead and freeze it or cook it later in the week.
If you are looking for a hearty delicious meal that will feed about 8 people (even with seconds) then this is a great low-cost option. And if you look for the items on sale and make it regularly, it will be even more affordable. I also love making this with my kids because it is easy for them to help with.
You can substitute seasonings based on the season, and if you can’t find Ziti, you can use penne noodles. I have made it with Italian sausage and hamburger.
If you plan on making this as a freezer dish, I recommend a glass baking dish like this one because it goes from the freezer to the oven safely and is reusable. It also comes with a cover which is nice!
Ingredients:
- 1 box (16 oz) of Baked Ziti noodles (or Penne)
- 1 lb of ground beef, pork, or Italian sausage
- 1/2 sweet onion, diced (optional)
- 8 oz of sliced mushrooms (optional)
- 1/2 green pepper, diced (optional)
- 2-3 garlic cloves, diced or 2 tbsp of minced garlic (in a jar)
- 1 tbsp of Italian seasoning
- 1/2 tsp of parsley (fresh and chopped or dried)
- 1 jar of Spaghetti or marinara sauce (24 oz or bigger)
- 16 oz Ricotta Cheese
- 2 cups of Mozzarella cheese, shredded
- 1 cup of parmesan cheese, shredded
- 1 cup of Three cheese blend (or something similar) including mozzarella, provolone, and cheddar
- 1 egg
- Salt and pepper to taste
Directions:
- Get your water boiling for the ziti (or penne) noodles
If you are not adding onions, mushrooms, or peppers skip to step 5 - In a pan, start heating the oil/or 2 tbsp of butter to sauté the vegetables.
- Cut and dice the onions, and/or mushrooms, and/or peppers and put them into the pan. I have made it with and without the onions, mushrooms, and peppers. It tastes great either way.
- Cook over med/hi heat for about 10 minutes, stirring occasionally. Remove from heat.
- While the meat and/or vegetables are cooking, boil your ziti noodles according to package directions. Be sure to add a little bit of oil and salt to the water to add some flavor and keep the noodles from sticking.
- Also, while the noodles are cooking you will want to get your meat cooking. If you are doing vegetables, you can cook the meat and vegetables together. If you are not doing vegetables, cook the meat while the noodles are cooking. Alternately, you can do just vegetables and no meat if you want it that way too.
- When the meat is done, you will add the spaghetti sauce and let it simmer for a couple of minutes.
- With the noodles (drained), vegetables, and meat all cooked, you will now preheat your oven to 375 degrees.
- Have a large 9×13 casserole dish ready – and spray with cooking spray just to make sure nothing sticks.
- In a large bowl, you will mix the ricotta cheese with 1 cup of 3 cheese, 1 egg, Italian seasoning, parsley, and a little salt and pepper.
- Now you will put together your casserole. Put a layer of sauce on the bottom, add the drained noodles, and spread evenly. Then add spoonfuls of the cheese mixture evenly over the noodles, pour the rest of the sauce on top and then mix slightly to spread the sauce and cheese mixture out evenly throughout the dish.
- Top with mozzarella cheese and parmesan cheese and put into the oven for at least 30 minutes until browned and all the cheese is melted.
You can see the pictures below for all the steps.
I love to serve baked ziti with green salad (and Italian dressing) and garlic bread. If there is a good deal on a veggie like squash, or we have them from our garden, I will also add those.
If you want to save this baked ziti recipe for later – share it to Facebook or Pin the image below. Be sure to let me know if you have any questions.
Don’t forget you can make this baked ziti recipe ahead of time in a tinfoil dish or one like this one that goes from freezer to oven safely and save it for later. Just prepare as above, but don’t cook it. Instead, cover it and stick it in the freezer for up to five months if tightly packaged.
When you are ready to eat it, just pull it out, remove any plastic wrap and cover with foil. Bake for 1 hour at 350 degrees (be sure to leave the foil on for the first hour). Then take the foil off and cook for another 10-15 minutes until cheese is browned and melted.
