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Spooning out a serving of baked ziti from a white casserole dish.

Easy Baked Ziti

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This easy Baked Ziti recipe is one of my family's favorite comforting pasta dishes of ALL time! It's made with layers of pasta with meat sauce and three types of cheese, all cooked together to golden brown perfection. This delicious dinner option feeds a lot of people and is a total crowd pleaser!
Course Main
Cuisine Italian
Prep Time 20 minutes
Cook Time 35 minutes
Total Time 55 minutes
Servings 10 servings
Calories 504
Author Kim

Ingredients

  • 1 pound Italian sausage or ground beef or pork
  • 1 teaspoon garlic salt
  • 1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper
  • 1 small onion finely chopped (optional)
  • 2 (26 ounce) jars marinara sauce
  • 1 pound dry ziti pasta (can sub penne, bowtie or Mostaciolli pasta)
  • 6 ounces provolone cheese slices
  • 1 1/2 cups sour cream
  • 6 ounces shredded mozzarella cheese
  • 2 tablespoons grated Parmesan cheese
  • Fresh minced parsley optional for garnish

Instructions

  • Preheat oven to 350ºF. Prepare a 9x13" baking dish with nonstick cooking spray and set aside.
  • Season beef (or other meat) with garlic salt and pepper and brown in a large skillet over medium-high heat with onion. If using Italian sausage, you do not have to add extra seasoning. Drain and add marinara sauce; simmer 15 minutes.
  • Meanwhile, cook pasta in boiling, salted water, uncovered, until pasta is just under al dente (about 8 minutes). It will continue to cook in the oven. Drain the pasta and return to pot. Toss with a small amount of olive oil so the pasta does not stick together.
  • Layer as follows: 1/2 of the ziti, 1/2 of the sauce/meat mixture, Provolone cheese, sour cream, remaining ziti, remaining sauce mixture and mozzarella cheese. Top with grated Parmesan cheese.
  • Bake for 30 minutes and until bubbly and golden brown on top. Remove from oven and let sit 10 minutes before serving. Garnish with fresh parsley and serve.

Video

Notes

  • 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. 
  • 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.

Nutrition

Serving: 1serving | Calories: 504kcal | Carbohydrates: 37g | Protein: 22g | Fat: 29g | Saturated Fat: 14g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 3g | Monounsaturated Fat: 10g | Cholesterol: 78mg | Sodium: 825mg | Potassium: 310mg | Fiber: 2g | Sugar: 3g | Vitamin A: 456IU | Vitamin C: 2mg | Calcium: 325mg | Iron: 1mg