Baked Ziti Recipe: Saucy, Cheesy, Feeds a Crowd
To make baked ziti, cook ziti pasta al dente, mix it with ricotta, mozzarella, and meat sauce, layer it in a baking dish, top with more cheese, and bake covered at 375°F for 25 minutes, then uncovered for 15 more minutes until bubbly and golden. The whole process takes about 1 hour start to finish.
My first apartment had a landlord who treated maintenance requests as suggestions. The hot water heater failed on a Tuesday in November, and based on the response timeline I was looking at a cold shower situation through at least Saturday.
My neighbor knocked on my door that same evening with a 9x13 baking dish covered in foil, said she had made too much, and handed it over. It was baked ziti. It was warm. It was the best thing I ate that entire month — not just because I was cold and tired, but because it was actually, genuinely good.
I asked her how she made it. She said the most important thing is pulling the pasta before it finishes cooking so it does not turn to mush in the oven. And using enough sauce that the pasta has something to absorb and does not come out dry. And layering the ricotta and mozzarella so every scoop gets something creamy and something that pulls.
The hot water came back Friday. I made baked ziti the following Sunday. It was not the same as hers. It was close enough to understand what she had done, and that is usually how learning a recipe actually works — someone makes it right, you try to reverse-engineer it, and eventually you close the gap.
Ingredients
- 1 pound ziti pasta
- 1 pound ground beef or Italian sausage (or a mix of both)
- 1 medium yellow onion, diced
- 4 garlic cloves, minced
- 1 (28-ounce) can crushed tomatoes
- 1 (15-ounce) can tomato sauce
- 1 teaspoon dried oregano
- 1 teaspoon dried basil
- 1/2 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes (optional)
- 1 teaspoon kosher salt, plus more for pasta water
- 1/2 teaspoon black pepper
- 1 teaspoon granulated sugar
- 15 ounces whole-milk ricotta cheese
- 1 large egg
- 1/4 cup fresh parsley, chopped (plus more for garnish)
- 3 cups shredded low-moisture mozzarella cheese, divided
- 1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese, divided
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
Instructions
- 1Preheat your oven to 375°F. Lightly grease a 9x13-inch baking dish with olive oil or cooking spray.
- 2Bring a large pot of heavily salted water to a boil. Cook the ziti for 2 minutes less than the package directions indicate —? it should be firmly al dente, not fully cooked. Drain and toss with a drizzle of olive oil to prevent sticking. Set aside.
- 3While the pasta cooks, heat 2 tablespoons of olive oil in a large skillet or Dutch oven over medium-high heat. Add the diced onion and cook for 4-5 minutes until softened. Add the garlic and cook for 1 more minute.
- 4Add the ground beef or sausage to the skillet. Break it up with a spoon and cook until browned through, about 7-8 minutes. Drain excess fat.
- 5Stir in the crushed tomatoes, tomato sauce, oregano, basil, red pepper flakes, 1 teaspoon salt, black pepper, and sugar. Bring to a simmer and cook for 10 minutes, stirring occasionally, until the sauce thickens slightly. Taste and adjust seasoning.
- 6In a medium bowl, stir together the ricotta, egg, chopped parsley, 1 cup of the mozzarella, and 1/4 cup of the Parmesan until combined. Season with a pinch of salt and pepper.
- 7Add the drained pasta to the meat sauce and stir to coat everything evenly.
- 8Spread half the pasta-sauce mixture into the prepared baking dish in an even layer. Drop the ricotta mixture in spoonfuls over the top, then spread it gently —? it doesn't need to be perfectly even. Add the remaining pasta-sauce mixture on top.
- 9Sprinkle the remaining 2 cups of mozzarella and 1/4 cup of Parmesan evenly over the top.
- 10Cover tightly with aluminum foil and bake for 25 minutes. Remove the foil and bake for an additional 15 minutes, until the cheese on top is melted, spotted golden-brown, and the edges are bubbling.
- 11Remove from the oven and let rest for 10 minutes before serving. This is not optional —? the rest lets it set up so it scoops cleanly instead of flowing off the spatula like lava. Garnish with fresh parsley and serve.
Pro Tips
- Undercook your pasta. Two minutes short of done is the rule. The pasta finishes cooking in the oven, and if you start with fully cooked noodles, you'll end up with something that could double as packing material.
- The sugar in the sauce is not a mistake. One teaspoon cuts the acidity of canned tomatoes and rounds out the whole thing. I left it out once as an experiment, and the sauce tasted like it was holding a grudge.
- Let it rest the full 10 minutes before you cut in. I know. The cheese is calling to you. The timer still has to run.
Substitutions
Storage Instructions
Cool completely before storing. Refrigerate leftovers in an airtight container or covered baking dish for up to 4 days. Reheat individual portions in the microwave with a splash of water to keep the pasta from drying out, or reheat the whole dish covered at 350°F for 20-25 minutes. Freeze fully assembled (baked or unbaked) for up to 3 months —? wrap tightly in foil and a layer of plastic wrap. Thaw overnight in the refrigerator before reheating.
Make Ahead
Assemble the entire dish up to 24 hours ahead, cover tightly with foil, and refrigerate unbaked. When ready to cook, add 10 extra minutes to the covered baking time since you're starting from cold. You can also make the meat sauce up to 3 days in advance and refrigerate it, then assemble and bake when needed.
Frequently Asked Questions
Do I have to cover the baked ziti while it bakes?
Yes, for the first portion of baking —? covering with foil traps steam that heats the interior without drying out the top. Removing the foil for the last 15 minutes is what gives you the golden, slightly crispy cheese on top. Skip the foil entirely and you'll get a dry, overcooked surface before the center is fully heated through.
Can I make baked ziti without ricotta?
You can. Cottage cheese blended until smooth is the closest substitute and most people genuinely cannot tell the difference. Cream cheese thinned with a little milk also works for a richer, denser layer. Some people skip the white cheese layer entirely and just do extra mozzarella —? still delicious, slightly less layered and complex in texture.
Why did my baked ziti come out dry?
Two likely culprits: the pasta was fully cooked before baking (it kept absorbing liquid in the oven), or the sauce was too thick before assembly. Fix both by cooking pasta 2 minutes short of done and making sure your meat sauce is slightly looser than you think it needs to be —? it thickens as it bakes. A splash of pasta water stirred into the sauce before assembly also helps.
Can I make baked ziti ahead of time?
Yes, and it's actually great for it. Assemble the whole dish up to 24 hours ahead, cover it, and refrigerate it unbaked. When ready to cook, go straight from the fridge to the oven and add 10 minutes to the covered baking time. The sauce and pasta meld together during that rest in the refrigerator in a way that improves the final texture.
How do I store and reheat baked ziti leftovers?
Refrigerate covered for up to 4 days. To reheat a single portion, microwave with a tablespoon of water added to prevent the pasta from drying out. To reheat the whole dish, cover with foil and bake at 350°F for 20-25 minutes. Leftovers freeze well for up to 3 months —? wrap the dish tightly in two layers and thaw overnight in the refrigerator before reheating.
How do I make this vegetarian?
Skip the meat entirely and replace it with 2 cups of sautéed mushrooms, diced zucchini, or a combination of both. The key is cooking the vegetables until most of their moisture has evaporated before adding the tomatoes —? watery vegetables will thin your sauce. The rest of the recipe stays exactly the same, and the result is genuinely satisfying, not just a consolation prize.
What's the best pasta shape if I can't find ziti?
Penne is the closest substitute and the easiest to find —? same tube shape, just ridged and cut on an angle. Rigatoni also works well and holds sauce inside the tubes. Avoid long pasta shapes like spaghetti or linguine; they don't layer cleanly and the whole casserole structure falls apart. Short, sturdy tubes are the goal.
Can I double this recipe to feed a larger crowd?
Yes. Double all ingredients and use two 9x13-inch baking dishes rather than one very deep dish —? the layers won't cook evenly in a pan that's too deep. Baking time stays roughly the same. Both dishes can go in the oven simultaneously if your oven is large enough; rotate them halfway through for even browning.