Easy Baked Ziti

An Italian pasta meal just always seems to hit the spot, don’t you think? This Baked Ziti is total comfort food that’s quick and easy to make with familiar flavors that both kids and adults love.

During the winter season, I’m always craving a hot, cheesy pasta meal. And this classic baked ziti recipe is my favorite! A combination of pasta, an easy flavorful meat sauce, and plenty of melted cheese, you just can’t go wrong. This entire Italian dish is my go-to meal to serve for parties, potlucks, and family gatherings. And everyone always comes back for seconds! It is hearty, comforting, easy, delicious and packed with texture and flavor.

Everything to love about this recipe

• It’s easy! There is nothing difficult about this recipe. It’s so quick and easy to throw together!
• So satisfying. Both the pasta and the meat sauce are so filling. A small bowl of this pasta recipe keeps me satisfied until the next meal, or even overnight!
• Kid-friendly. I don’t know many kids who can resist saucy, cheesy, meaty pasta for dinner. My kids ask for seconds every time, it’s so tasty!
• Meal prep. This recipe is perfect to make ahead! Great for freezing too! It can easily be doubled and is delicious the next day for lunch, either hot or cold. It can also be assembled in advance and baked later.

Ingredients needed

To make this homemade baked ziti recipe, you will need the following ingredients (amounts included in the recipe card below).

• Meat. For this recipe you can use Italian sausage, ground pork or ground beef. For maximum flavor, we suggest ground Italian sausage.
• Seasoning. We’re seasoning the meat sauce with garlic salt and ground black pepper for extra flavor. If using Italian sausage, you will not need to season the meat because it is already seasoned with spices.
• Onion. We like to add one small onion to the meat sauce for savory flavor, but this is completely optional.
• Marinara sauce. To keep this recipe simple, the sauce is made using jars of your favorite spaghetti sauce. We love Rao’s brand! If you’d rather make homemade tomato sauce, this marinara sauce is my favorite recipe.
• Pasta. Ziti noodles are classic in this recipe! However, other tube-shaped pasta like penne, rigatoni, or macaroni can easily be substituted. Bowtie or Mostaciolli pasta work great too! You can also use whole wheat pasta for extra fiber or gluten free pasta to make this dish gluten free.
• Cheese. This recipe uses three types of cheese: provolone, mozzarella and parmesan cheese. Slices of provolone cheese and shredded mozzarella cheese are layered within the casserole, and then the parmesan tops the dish before baking.
• Sour cream. The addition of sour cream really takes this ziti to the next level! Paired with the cheesiness of the provolone slices, we love the flavor that it adds to the recipe, but you can sub with ricotta cheese, if preferred.
• Parsley. Optional for garnish, parsley adds freshness and color.

How to make this recipe

My family has been enjoying this baked ziti recipe for years. It’s a staple, delicious and easy. Here’s how to make it:

See the recipe card, below, for full, printable instructions.

1. Make the meat sauce. Season the meat with garlic salt and pepper and brown it in a large sauté pan over medium-high heat, along with the chopped onion, if using. Drain any excess fat and pour the marinara into the same skillet to combine with the meat. Simmer this mixture for about 15 minutes.
2. Boil the pasta. While the meat sauce is simmering, cook the pasta in boiling, salted water in a large pot until just under al dente (about 8 minutes). It will continue to cook in the oven. Drain the pasta and return to the pot. Give it a few good stirs with a small amount of olive oil to keep it from sticking.
3. Assemble the dish. Layer as follows in a greased 9×13-inch pan: 1/2 ziti, 1/2 meat sauce, provolone cheese slices, dollops of sour cream, remaining ziti noodles, remaining meat sauce, mozzarella and then top with parmesan cheese.
4. Bake. Place dish in a preheated oven at 350 degrees F. for 30 minutes until bubbly and golden brown on top.
5. Serve. Remove from oven and let sit at least 10 minutes before slicing. Top with fresh basil or parsley, slice, serve and enjoy!

Tips for baked pasta

This baked pasta recipe really could not be more simple, but here are a few suggestions to make it extra easy.

• Meat. I like to use Italian sausage for the most flavor, but feel free to use seasoned ground beef or pork. If using Italian sausage, don’t worry about adding the garlic salt and pepper because Italian sausage already has spices added to the meat.
• Cooking pasta. We suggest boiling the pasta a minute short of al dente to ensure the noodles don’t get too mushy while baking.
• Cheese. For the shredded mozzarella and parmesan cheese, I suggest using freshly grated cheese. Pre-shredded cheese often contains stabilizers and anti-caking agents. Also, high-quality cheeses will add such wonderful flavor to this meal. I typically shop the speciality cheese counter of my local grocery store.
• Make ahead. For a make ahead option, assemble this dish up to 8 hours before you plan to bake it. Store the pasta in a covered dish in the fridge until you’re ready to put it in the oven.

Recipe variations

This dish is very versatile! Feel free to customize the ziti recipe with your favorite ingredients. Here are some options:

• Meat. You can swap the Italian sausage for ground beef or pork or use a combination of beef (or pork) and sausage. You could even use ground turkey for the meat.
• Pasta. Other pasta varieties will work. I would recommend using tube shapes, though, like penne pasta or rigatoni.
• Spice. Consider adding a sprinkle of red pepper flakes, for a touch of heat, if you’d like.
• Veggies. Sauté a cup or two of your favorite vegetables with the meat, such as mushrooms, bell pepper, zucchini, spinach, or broccoli.

Serving suggestions

I highly recommend serving your cheesy baked ziti with a fresh Italian salad or a Caesar salad. You could also whip up a simple green salad. Simply, toss mixed greens with lemon juice, olive oil, salt and pepper. Feel free to add toppings to your salad such as red onion, cherry tomatoes, and croutons. Just don’t forget the crusty garlic bread!

Storage recommendations

• Assemble this baked pasta dish ahead of time. Prepare the pasta dish up to 8 hours before you plan to serve it, then bake it right before it’s time to eat. You may need to add an extra 5-10 minutes bake time if your recipe is cold from the fridge. When we’re preparing for a really busy day, we prepare the dish in the morning, stick it in the fridge, then pull it out at dinnertime for a no fuss, tasty meal.
• Storing leftovers. Place any leftovers in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 5 days.
• To reheat baked ziti. You can use either the microwave or the oven on low heat to rewarm leftovers. Try adding an extra layer of shredded cheese to the top to freshen it up!
• To freeze. Baked ziti keeps in the freezer well. To freeze the entire casserole in one piece, line the dish with aluminum foil before assembling and baking, then, once it is completely cooled, freeze for a bit in the pan and then remove the casserole and wrap in plastic wrap and then aluminum foil, label and place back in the freezer. You can also portion into smaller pieces and put in freezer bags, label and freeze.

If you try this dinner idea, let me know! Leave a comment and if your family loves it as much as mine does, be sure to give it a five star ⭐️ rating! Also, tag @kimscravings on Instagram with a picture of your creation. It’s so fun to see what you’re cooking! Be sure to subscribe to our mailing list to receive more healthy delicious recipes straight to your inbox.