Baked Ziti Recipe - Pasta - Southern Living

Baked ziti is always a cozy, warming, and deeply comforting dish—but we've just made it even easier. Despite it tasting like the sauce simmered for hours, this whole baked ziti recipe, from start to finish, is ready in just about an hour.

The ragu is filled with the tangy flavors of tomatoes and marinara sauce. The sweetness in the tomatoes really comes through and contrasts nicely with the richness of the ricotta mixture, which is extra creamy and rich thanks to whipping cream and lots of cheese. Finally on top, more cheese is cooked until brown and crispy, the perfect cap to the best baked pasta dishes.

Learn how to make baked ziti, and surprise your family with the most comforting, cheesy dish for dinner tonight.

What Is Baked Ziti?

Baked ziti is a baked pasta casserole typically made with a meat sauce, creamy ricotta mixture, and of course ziti, a hollow tube-shaped pasta. It's also usually topped with a healthy layer of cheese and then baked until bubbly and golden brown. It hits all the notes when you're craving cheesy, rich Italian food.

What is the difference between baked ziti and lasagna?

Baked ziti and classic lasagna have many of the same ingredients, but baked ziti is much faster than lasagna. There's no intricate layers, and the ragu for baked ziti cooks quickly. Many lasagna meat sauces cook for several hours.

Ingredients for Baked Ziti

You'll need some classic Italian ingredients and a few pantry staples for this baked ziti recipe, but everything should be easily found at your supermarket. Here's what to gather from the fridge and pantry:

• Ziti: This hollow tube-shaped pasta is substantial enough to hold up with the meaty sauce and loads of cheese.
• Lean ground beef: Cooked until tender, ground beef is great in the easy ragu. Other options are discussed below.
• Yellow onion and garlic: These add savory flavor and depth to the ragu.
• Whole peeled plum tomatoes: The smooth, thin nature of these tomatoes makes them easy to crush by hand for the sauce. They also retain much of their sweetness and tartness, important for getting the contrasting flavors you want in this dish.
• Marinara sauce: You can make our own sauce if you want, but to keep things speedy, we suggest you use your favorite jarred variety.
• Whole-milk ricotta cheese: A classic baked pasta ingredient, it adds loads of richness and creaminess to the baked ziti sauce.
• Heavy whipping cream: Adds creaminess and makes the sauce more decadent.
• Crushed red pepper: Just a bit will add some heat to the sauce, but you can skip if you want.
• Mozzarella cheese: Shred your own if you have time. The fresh cheese melts better than pre-shredded cheese, which has an anti-caking agent that keeps the shreds from sticking together.
• Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese: Adds a deeply savory flavor and nuttiness to the topping and pasta.
• Parsley: A final hit of freshness and color as a garnish.

Fred Hardy, Food Stylist: Emily Nabors Hall, Prop Stylist: Christina Daley

How To Make Baked Ziti

The full recipe for baked ziti is further below, but here's a quick outline of the process before you get started:

• Cook the ziti in salted water until al dente. Then, drain it and toss it with olive oil to keep the pasta from sticking together. (Don't worry; the pasta will still absorb the sauce.)
• Make the ragu. Start by browning the ground beef, then adding and cooking the onion and garlic until tender. Pour in the plum tomatoes and marinara, and simmer. Pull out about 3 cups of this ragu sauce for assembly.
• Make the ricotta mixture. To the remaining ragu, add the ricotta, cream, salt, red pepper, and some of the mozzarella and Parm-Reg cheeses. Stir until well mixed, then add the ziti.
• Assemble the casserole. In a 9x13-inch baking dish, layer the ragu, ziti mixture, and finally the remaining cheeses.
• Bake. Cook the casserole in the oven until the cheeses are melted and browning.

How Long To Bake Baked Ziti

Nearly all the elements of baked ziti are cooked when the casserole is assembled. You just need to let the cheeses melt and bring everything together with a bake in the oven.

At 375°F, baked ziti should cook for 20 to 25 minutes, or until the cheeses have melted and are browning.

If you bake at a higher or lower temperature, adjust the times until the cheese is cooked. Avoid burning the top cheeses by putting aluminum foil on the casserole if needed.

Tips for the Best Baked Ziti

Baked ziti is a fairly simple recipe, one that's not easy to mess up. Still, our Test Kitchen professionals have a few insider tips that will help you make the best one yet:

• Strain ricotta if it's soggy: Ricotta can make or break a dish like this. Grainy or watery ricotta will sog out your casserole. If your ricotta is looking watery, spread ricotta over a few layers of paper towels. Top with more paper towels and press down to remove excess water. Remove towels, and dump the ricotta into a bowl. You have to use whole-milk ricotta as well, or the texture of the final dish will be altered.
• Save the special tomatoes: We usually love San Marzano tomatoes, but don’t use them for this recipe because they are too thick. Your finished ragu will be too tight.
• Don't overcook pasta: Cook the ziti just until al dente so it’s not overcooked in the baked casserole.
• Season the water: For the perfect salted water, add 3 tablespoons of kosher salt to about 4 quarts of water. That's our go-to ratio for well-seasoned, not salty, starchy pasta water.
• Shred your own cheese: Shred your cheese for maximum meltiness. Pre-shredded cheese is coated in cellulose, which prevents the cheese from clumping and reduces moisture.

Substitutions and Variations

Consider this baked ziti recipe an outline, and you can color a bit outside those lines if you need to. Here are a few suggestions for switching things up:

• Cut the ground beef with some Italian sausage, or switch entirely to Italian sausage. If you use hot sausage, remove the crushed red pepper or this could be a bit too hot for most folks.
• Get some veggies in there. Add a package of thawed (and thoroughly squeezed) frozen spinach.
  
• Don't have ricotta? Use cottage cheese. Cottage cheese has a less grainy texture when baked than ricotta cheese, and if you don't like the clumps, you can break it down it in a blend or food processor until smoother.
• Don't have ziti? Use another hollow, short, tube-like pasta, such as penne or rigatoni.
• Swap fresh parsley for basil if you like that herb better. Or even rosemary would work nicely.

Make-Ahead Tips for Baked Ziti

This recipe is ready to serve in about an hour, but if you need to get ahead for a dinner later this week (or one in the future), there are some great ways to do that.

• Prepare the ragu ahead of time, and store in an airtight container for up to 3 days. When you're ready to make the final dish, warm the sauce, add the cheeses and seasonings, assemble, then bake per the directions.
• Assemble the entire casserole, then wrap it in plastic wrap and aluminum foil. Store in the fridge up to 24 hours. Bake it from chilled, but add 10 to 15 minutes to get it heated all the way through.
• You can also make the ragu ahead of time and freeze it. Thaw it overnight, and then warm it before you finish the recipe and assemble the full dish.

Can You Freeze Baked Ziti?

Yes, you can freeze baked ziti. You can freeze it before it's baked—just wrap the assembled casserole in plastic wrap and aluminum foil. Freeze up to 3 months. Or you can freeze after it's baked—let cool to room temperature before freezing. Then wrap well, and freeze up to 3 months.

Either way, thaw the ziti in the fridge overnight before baking or reheating in the oven.

How To Store and Reheat Baked Ziti

Store leftovers in an airtight container for up to 3 days.

Reheat individual portions in the microwave with 30-second bursts until warmed through.

Or reheat the entire dish in the oven at 350°F for 20 to 25 minutes, or until warmed through. If the cheese begins to darken, cover with aluminum foil while the dish continues to heat.

Fred Hardy, Food Stylist: Emily Nabors Hall, Prop Stylist: Christina Daley

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