This baked ziti recipe is so classic and delicious and the perfect make ahead weeknight meal. You can totally make your own sauce but you can also buy a great quality jar from the store to keep things simple. We love this jarred marinara sauce. I added a little bit of diced bell pepper to this easy baked pasta. It adds nice texture to the dish. You can totally omit it though, and make this dish even more simple.
This easy Baked Ziti recipe is great because food doesn’t have to be fancy or expensive and this dish is neither of those things. It’s so comforting, so tasty and feeds a crowd. It also makes really great leftovers the next day. It reheats really well, especially since we’ve made ours pretty saucy. You don’t have to worry about this dish drying out.
What’s Baked Ziti?
Baked Ziti is a classic American Italian dish. It is made in a casserole dish, and typically uses a tomato sauce, and cheese, as well as other ingredients to suit your taste. It is prepared with cooked ziti pasta, and then baked in the oven.
Make Ahead
This recipe is great because you can make it ahead of time. You can prepare everything and place it in the casserole dish and then just simply skip the baking. Tightly wrap it and place it in the refrigerator for up to three days. Then simply bake it in the oven when you are ready.
Can You Freeze Baked Ziti?
You can easily freeze Baked Ziti for a quick weeknight dinner. All you have to do is assemble everything into the casserole dish and top it with the cheese. Then just cover it and stick it in the freezer, and it will keep for up to three months. It’s important to remember to freeze the casserole prebake.
How long do you cook Baked Ziti for?
We recommend you cook it in the oven for 20 to 25 minutes. If you have made the recipe ahead of time and have frozen it, we recommend you add an additional 20 to 30 minutes of baking time, or just look out for the cheese to brown and bubble.
Should I cover Baked Ziti in the oven?
Our recipe doesn’t call for your to cover your casserole dish when you are baking it. However, if you find that the top of your oven runs especially hot, and your cheese is getting a little too dark on the top, you can loosely cover the casserole with aluminum foil to prevent the casserole from getting burned.
Variations
There are so many variations that can be made with this baked ziti! I often like to swap the Italian sausage out for a turkey sausage or even sautéed mushrooms for a vegetarian option. You can also add some cream to your marinara for a creamier pasta bake. Occasionally I also make a variation with some sautéed spinach or even some sautéed kale to get some greens in there.
If you’re as big a fan of baked pastas as we are, you’ll love our Chicken Alfredo Lasagna Roll Ups or our Baked Turkey Sausage and Mascarpone Stuffed Shells. Enjoy!
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Baked Ziti
EQUIPMENT
- casserole dish
INGREDIENTS
- 8 ounces rigatoni pasta
- 3 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
- 2 spicy Italian sausages casings removed
- ½ small yellow onion diced
- 1 green bell pepper seeded and diced
- 2 garlic cloves minced
- 2 cups marinara sauce homemade or store bought
- 2 cups part-skim mozzarella cheese divided
- ½ cup parmesan grated
- salt and pepper to taste
Recipe instruction visual controls:
INSTRUCTIONS
- Preheat oven to 350°F.
- Fill a large pot with water and bring to a boil. Add a small handful of salt and pasta to water and stir. Boil pasta for 7 to 10 minutes, stirring occasionally, or until pasta is al dente. Drain, toss with a teaspoon of oil, pour into a large mixing bowl.
- Pour 1 tablespoon of olive oil into a large sauté pan and place over medium- high heat. Add sausage and break apart with a wooden spoon. Cook sausage for about 5 minutes or until evenly browned. Drain and add to pasta.
- Discard grease and add remaining oil to pan. Add onion, bell peppers and garlic to pan and sauté for 3 to 4 minutes. Season with salt and pepper. Pour onion mixture over sausage and pasta mixture and toss together.
- Add marinara, 1 1/2 cups mozzarella and ¼ cup parmesan and gently fold together until fully incorporated. Adjust seasonings.
- Pour mixture into a lightly greased 8”x 8” baking dish and top with remaining mozzarella and parmesan.
- Bake for 20 to 25 minutes or until the cheese bubbles and browns.
- Allow ziti to cool for 5 to 7 minutes before serving.
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Everything looks great, but I ad seasoned Ricotta cheese.
Ricotta cheese seasoned with Garlic powder, parsley, Basil, Oregano, grated Locatelli Pecorino Romano, and 1 egg. Salt and pepper to taste. Mix all together and add to ziti before baking. It is fantastic
I made this today and added provolone and ricotta cheese! Super cheesy and super delicious! Thanks for great recipe!
The styling on this is fantastic! This recipe looks wonderful, too!
This was awesome – and I loooove your pictures
Just made this tonight and my hubby and I both loved it! The spicy sausage was perfect and the cheesy baked pasta was super yummy! We’ve had this at restaurants but we both liked this version best. Thanks for sharing!
Oh, I totally hear you on the scarf thing. I’ve run out of “scarf storage room” but I can’t seem to stop buying them. They’re just too much fun and too easy. Plus, a nice big scarf is perfect for hiding a bloated belly from eating too much baked ziti. Which, now that I have this recipe, is obviously what I plan on doing pretty soon.
I live in LA too and I’m with ya on the boots, scarves and sweaters! Even if it’s going to be 75+ I feel like I need all three. Also with you on the food front, long live pasta!
Yes, winter food all the time!! I’ve gotten used to everyone in the house groaning as I turn the oven on during a hot summer afternoon, and I don’t care! Warm, gooey, heavy food is just comforting, and I’m down for that any time of year. :)
Yes, I’m with you! Pasta and chowder all year!
This is a perfect omforting dish for the cooler weather…my family will love this ish so I am going to try it out.
This was soooooo good! Pasta and cheese, what else do we need to survive? lol
I love winter and can completely relate. This ziti looks like it makes the spring resistance totally worth it!
I have never seen Baked Ziti look so pretty!
I adore that wooden spoon! Totally loving these photos, per usual…and all that cheesy goodness. :)
I recently moved to LA from San Francisco, and my scarves are atrophy-ing in my closet. :( Now I feel the need to bake some ziti and get them out! *sigh* I miss them…
Such a classic! This was the best ziti!
You just turned a messy casserole dish into something beautiful. Amazing.
girl, just get a lighter summer scarf :) that’s what i’d do anyway…that and a big fat bowl of baked ziti!
I live in Florida. But I love scarves! and I wish I had more opportunities to wear them.
I feel the same way about having to ditch my scarf…I hate it! I kinda feel naked without it.
Sooo cheesy – yummm!! When I was younger and eating my mothers home cooked meals every night (ohh I long for those days sometimes) ziti night was my faveee! And I so get you on that no light spring/summer food – I’m all about that! I like “real” food (haha).
I want pasta always and ice cream always too. I totally get it. This looks so good, too! I’m hungry knowing it exists. :)
So pretty I might die. Gorgeous, cheesy, yummmm!
Yum this was fantastic. Right now my office is freezing, and it makes me want a heaping pile of this pasta!
I’m a sweater girl too – I just get light sweaters to layer over dresses and flats for the warmer weather.
xoxo,
mon amy
I’m totally with you on the heavy winter foods: all. year. long. The scarfs aren’t an issue here in Montana – I can wear them all year and nobody bats an eye! Haha! There are plenty of cute, light, summery scarves – I have no doubt you’ll be fine.
Thanks for the recipe!