Cheesy, Delicious Baked Ziti (With Major Lasagna Vibes But None of the Work!)

Baked ziti is a classic Italian-American pasta casserole made by tossing al dente ziti in a rich Italian sausage tomato sauce, layering it with ricotta, mozzarella, and Parmesan in a 9×13 baking dish, then baking it covered at 375°F until the cheese is bubbling and golden. All the cozy lasagna flavors you crave with practically none of the effort.

We are making a cheesy, delicious baked ziti. It is one of those really easy weeknight meals you can make that feeds the whole family. It is just totally delicious, and you have all these comforting, cheesy, tomato, meat vibes that make for a really good dinner.

Why You Will Love This Baked Ziti Recipe

One of the reasons I love this dish is that it gives you tons of lasagna vibes without all the work! You get that rich tomato sauce, the hearty meat, so much flavor, and massive amounts of cheese, but there is absolutely no tedious layering of flat noodles involved. It comes together so quickly!

This is also one of those dishes that reheats beautifully. You can make it the night before and then happily eat leftovers for days.

If you love cheesy baked pasta casseroles like this one, you are also going to absolutely love our Ultimate Baked Mac and Cheese, another incredible crowd-feeding pasta bake that is just as oozy, just as comforting, and dangerously easy to make.

What You Will Need

Special Equipment

• Large skillet or Dutch oven (the bigger, the better!)
• Large pot (for boiling pasta)
• 9×13 inch baking or casserole dish
• Wooden spoon
• Cheese grater
• Aluminum foil

For the Pasta and Sauce Base

• 2 to 3 tbsp olive oil
• 1 medium onion, finely chopped
• 6 to 8 cloves garlic, minced or smashed (use that internal garlic multiplier!)
• 1 lb (454g) ground Italian sausage (sweet or spicy, your choice!)
• 1 jar (24 oz) high-quality marinara sauce
• 1 can (28 oz) whole peeled tomatoes (or crushed tomatoes)
• 1 tbsp Italian seasoning
• ¼ tsp red pepper flakes (add more if you like spice!)
• Salt and freshly cracked black pepper, to taste
• 1 lb (454g) ziti pasta

For the Cheeses

• 4 cups (454g) shredded mozzarella cheese, divided
• ⅔ cup (60g) freshly grated Parmesan cheese, divided
• 1 cup (225g) whole-milk ricotta cheese

Let us Get Cooking

1. Prep Your Veggies (and the Internal Garlic Multiplier!)

This dish has almost no prep work! Grab your onion and give it a good chop. You have a couple minutes of grace before the onion hits your eyes, so chop quickly! This recipe technically calls for six cloves of garlic, but I am using eight because why not. That is just how it works. Mince or smash your garlic cloves. Give them a smash!

2. Saute the Aromatics

Get a large skillet or Dutch oven nice and hot with some olive oil. Heat 2 to 3 tablespoons of olive oil over medium-high heat until it shimmers. You always want to see a nice shimmer and play of light on the oil before you add anything in! Add the onion, using a wooden spoon to mix. Cook for about 5 minutes until almost translucent.

3. Testing the Skillet to its Limits!

Add the ground Italian sausage to the pan. Break it up with your wooden spoon. Toss the garlic right into the pan as well. Keep breaking everything up until the meat is uniformly browned with absolutely no pink bits left.

Food safety note: Ground Italian sausage must be cooked to an internal temperature of 160°F (71°C) with no pink remaining before you proceed to the sauce step.

4. Build the Sauce

Pour in a nice marinara sauce (a 24 oz jar). Along with that, throw in your Italian seasoning, a kick of red pepper flakes (¼ tsp), and a 28 oz can of whole peeled tomatoes, salt, and black pepper. Stir together, using your wooden spoon to break up the whole tomatoes right in the pan. You are really testing your skillet to its absolute limits here! You definitely need a large skillet or Dutch oven to hold all this goodness.

5. Simmer

Reduce the heat to medium-low. Let the sauce simmer for about 30 minutes so it thickens up into pure flavor and all those beautiful ingredients melt together.

6. Boil the Pasta

Preheat your oven to 375°F (we bumped this up slightly from 350°F so the cheese gets beautifully golden!). Bring a large pot of heavily salted water to a boil (about 1 teaspoon of salt per quart of water). Always salt your pasta water well! Nobody wants bland pasta. Add the ziti and cook just to the tooth, which is al dente (usually 1 to 2 minutes shy of package instructions). You definitely want it to have some bite so it can finish cooking in the oven without turning to mush. Drain and set aside.

7. Coat the Pasta

Add the drained ziti back into the large pot. Pour about 2 cups of your glorious, rich meat sauce directly into the pasta and stir well so every noodle absorbs a ton of flavor.

8. Assemble Layer One

Spoon a thin layer of sauce onto the bottom of your 9×13 inch casserole dish so the pasta does not stick. Add half of the coated pasta and spread it into an even layer.

9. An Angel Cloud of Parmesan

Spoon half of the remaining meat sauce over the pasta. Sprinkle half of your freshly grated Parmesan all over like an angel cloud! Dot about ½ cup of the creamy ricotta over the top. Evenly sprinkle 2 cups (half) of the mozzarella.

10. Repeat and Finish

Add the rest of the pasta, spread it out, and pour the very last of your sauce over it. Add the remaining Parmesan (save just a tiny pinch for the very top!), dot the rest of your ricotta, and cover with the last 2 cups of mozzarella. Finish with a final blessing of Parmesan! The star here is really the cheese. It just wraps everything together in a delicious hug.

11. Bake

Cover the dish loosely with foil (spray the underside with a little oil so the cheese does not stick!) and bake for 20 minutes. Remove the foil and bake for another 15 to 20 minutes until the edges are bubbling and the cheese is a golden-brown masterpiece. Serve hot!

The leftovers from this baked ziti are almost better the next day. If you are on a comfort food bake kick, our Mac and Cheese Meatloaf Casserole is another incredible crowd-pleasing bake that is equally brilliant for feeding a group or meal-prepping through the week.

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Easy Cheesy Baked Ziti Recipe with Italian Sausage and Ricotta

Recipe by Sana ReiCourse: Main CourseCuisine: Italian, AmericanDifficulty: Easy

Servings

8

servings

Prep time

20

minutes

Cooking time plus 30 minutes sauce simmering

40

minutes

Calories

550

kcal

Total time

1

hour 

Get all the comforting, hearty lasagna vibes without any of the tedious layering! This easy baked ziti features a rich Italian sausage tomato sauce, an angel cloud of Parmesan, creamy ricotta dots, and a bubbling mozzarella topping.

Ingredients

• Equipment Needed:

• Large skillet or Dutch oven

• Large boiling pot

• 9×13 baking dish

• Wooden spoon

• Cheese grater

• Aluminum foil

• Ingredients:

• 2 to 3 tbsp (30 to 45ml) olive oil

• 1 medium onion, finely chopped (approx. 150g)

• 6 to 8 cloves garlic, minced

• 1 lb (454g) ground Italian sausage (sweet or hot)

• 1 jar (24 oz / 680g) marinara sauce

• 1 can (28 oz / 794g) whole peeled tomatoes

• 1 tbsp (5g) Italian seasoning

• 1/4 tsp (1g) red pepper flakes

• Salt and freshly cracked black pepper to taste

• 1 lb (454g) ziti pasta

• 4 cups (454g) shredded mozzarella cheese, divided

• 2/3 cup (60g) freshly grated Parmesan cheese, divided

• 1 cup (225g) whole-milk ricotta cheese

Directions

• Heat olive oil in a large skillet or Dutch oven over medium-high heat until shimmering. Add the chopped onion and cook for 5 minutes until translucent.
• Add the ground Italian sausage and minced garlic. Cook, breaking the meat apart with a wooden spoon, until uniformly browned with no pink remaining and the internal temperature reaches 160 degrees F (71 degrees C).
• Stir in the marinara sauce, whole peeled tomatoes (breaking them up with your spoon), Italian seasoning, red pepper flakes, salt, and pepper.
• Reduce heat to medium-low and simmer the sauce for 30 minutes to thicken.
• Preheat oven to 375 degrees F (190 degrees C). Bring a large pot of heavily salted water to a boil.
• Cook the ziti to al dente (1 to 2 minutes less than package directions). Drain and return to the pot.
• Toss the cooked pasta with 2 cups of the simmered meat sauce until well coated.
• Spread a thin layer of sauce on the bottom of a 9×13 inch baking dish.
• Layer half the coated pasta into the dish. Top with half of the remaining sauce, half the Parmesan, 1/2 cup of dotted ricotta, and 2 cups of mozzarella.
• Repeat the layers: remaining pasta, remaining sauce, remaining Parmesan, remaining ricotta, and the last 2 cups of mozzarella. Add a final sprinkle of Parmesan on top.
• Cover the dish with lightly oiled aluminum foil and bake for 20 minutes.
• Remove the foil and bake for an additional 15 to 20 minutes until the cheese is melted, bubbly, and golden. Let rest for 5 to 10 minutes before serving.

Notes

• Keep it from drying out: Cover with foil for the first half of the bake to trap moisture. Uncover at the end to get the cheese bubbly and brown. Pull the pasta out of the water while it still has a firm bite since fully cooked pasta will soak up all your sauce in the oven and turn to mush.
• Swaps: Not a fan of Italian sausage? Ground beef, ground turkey, or chicken work perfectly in this highly adaptable baked ziti recipe.
• The Ricotta Trick: Dot the ricotta rather than spreading it so you get beautiful, distinct creamy pockets of cheese in every bite.
• Make Ahead: Assemble the entire casserole, cover tightly, and keep it in the fridge for up to 24 hours before baking. Add 5 to 10 extra minutes to your covered baking time since the dish is starting cold.
• Food Safety: Ground Italian sausage must reach an internal temperature of 160 degrees F (71 degrees C) before combining with the sauce.