My homemade baked ziti recipe is made with a robustly flavored, from-scratch tomato sauce, Italian sausage, and melty, bubbly cheese. It’s comfort food at its finest! Recipe includes a how-to video!
The BEST Baked Ziti Recipe
There are a lot of different components that make this baked ziti recipe the best I’ve ever had. That gooey, melty, bubbly cheese, the creamy layer of ricotta, zesty Italian sausage…but what really makes this ziti next-level good is the sauce.
Sure, cracking open a jar of store-bought sauce would be the easiest way to make this recipe (and yeah, it’ll “work”), but you will be SO happy you made your own after tasting my version. Skipping easy and taking just a few extra minutes to make your own is a worthwhile tradeoff here. It gives you total control over the final flavor.
What’s to love:
- From-scratch sauce makes all the difference! We’re not using just any old jar of marinara sauce here today–we’re making my famous (well, famous in my family and soon to be yours, anyway) marinara sauce from scratch. You only need one pan to make it, and the flavor is worth the few minutes you’ll spend preparing it (and psst, if you’ve made my stuffed shells, you’ve already made this sauce!)
- Make-ahead friendly, so it’s perfect for meal trains, potlucks, or busy weeks when you know getting dinner on the table will be a challenge. I include instructions for this in the FAQ section and recipe notes below.
- Packed full of flavor! From the Italian sausage to the fire roasted tomatoes, each ingredient in this baked ziti recipe was carefully chosen for maximum impact.
- Makes a comforting weeknight dinner, especially when paired with a big salad and some crusty sourdough bread or garlic knots for sopping up your plate.
Ingredients
Classic and simple, mostly. I’ll review a few of the important ones before we get started!
- Italian sausage. You can use sweet, mild, or hot Italian sausage depending on your preference. Bulk sausage is easiest to crumble, but if you can only find sausage in casings (like mine in the photo above — all the grocery store had this day!), you can easily remove the casings before adding them to your pan.
- Fire roasted diced tomatoes. These might surprise you, but trust me; they add a depth of flavor that is truly unparalleled! I use fire roasted tomatoes in everything from my cajun shrimp pasta to vegetable soup. And no, they will not make your baked ziti spicy–just super flavorful!
- Cheese. Including ricotta, mozzarella, and parmesan cheeses. I highly recommend grating your own mozzarella and parmesan for best results–the cheese will melt so much nicer if you do.
- Fresh basil. This adds a lovely fresh flavor to this somewhat rich dish. If you don’t have fresh basil, you can use 1 tablespoon + 1 teaspoon of dried basil. Fresh is definitely my preference though!
- Sugar. Not because I’m a demonstrable sugar addict, but because this will help to cut the acidity from the tomatoes as well as develop the flavor of the sauce (some people get worked up about this, but it works!). I use this same technique in my tomato soup, cherry tomato sauce, and pizza sauce as well with top-notch results.
SAM’S TIP: Mince your own fresh garlic! The flavor is so much better than the jarred version you can buy at the grocery store.
Remember, this is just an overview of the ingredients I used and why. For the full recipe please scroll down to the bottom of the post!
How to Make Baked Ziti
Cook the pasta
Cook your pasta in boiling salted water until al dente, then drain and rinse in cool water to stop the cooking process (so your noodles stay firm).
Next add a drizzle of olive oil to the noodles and toss to distribute. This prevents the noodles from sticking to each other while you prepare your sauce.
And look, I know there are purists out there who will argue against both rinsing your pasta and adding oil, and if you can time everything perfectly you can skip these steps (cook your pasta a minute short of al dente, though). For the rest of us, I recommend making the recipe as written, you won’t be disappointed in the results (I’ve never, ever had anyone complain!).
Make the sauce
Saute the onion in olive oil until softened, then add the garlic and cook for 30 seconds or so (be careful not to let it burn!). Add the sausage and cook, crumbling as you go, until mostly browned, then add your spices. Adding the spices at this point will help to really develop the flavor of the sauce (I use a similar technique with my favorite chili).
Stir in the sauce, tomatoes, and sugar, then bring the sauce to a simmer. Let the sauce cook until slightly thickened, then remove from the heat and stir in your fresh basil.
Assemble & bake
Add a small amount of sauce to the bottom of your greased baking dish–this prevents the noodles from sticking. Layer half of your noodles into the dish, breaking any clumps apart as you go. Top with half of the sauce, then add your ricotta evenly overtop.
Repeat with the remaining noodles and sauce, then sprinkle mozzarella and parmesan on top. Cover with a greased piece of foil and bake. Uncover after 20 minutes and return to the oven until the cheese is melted and bubbly.
SAM’S TIP: Just like when making manicotti, make sure you grease your foil covering your baking dish, or your cheese may end up sticking to it!
Frequently Asked Questions
Yes! Or you could use a blend of the two, if you’d like. If you decide to use all ground beef instead of sausage, you may want to amp up the seasonings just a bit, as ground beef isn’t quite as flavorful.
Yes! To do this, assemble your baked ziti, then cover with plastic wrap and place in the fridge for up to two days prior to baking. I recommend letting the dish sit on the counter while your oven preheats, and you will likely need to bake it just a bit more longer.
To freeze, follow my instructions for freezing in the recipe notes below.
Yes! Look, there are plenty of ingredients worth being snobbish about (like using real lemons to make my homemade lemonade), but using ziti vs penne in baked “ziti” is not one of them. In fact, just about any shape of pasta will work well with this recipe if you can’t find ziti.
Looking for more cozy dinner options? Try my potato soup or shepherd’s pie.
Enjoy!
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Baked Ziti
Ingredients
- 1 lb (455 g) Ziti or Penne noodles
- 2 Tablespoons + 2 teaspoons extra virgin olive oil divided
- 5 cloves minced garlic 1 heaping Tablespoon
- 1 onion finely chopped (about 1 cup)
- 1 lb (455 g) Italian sausage I’ve used Sweet Italian and Mild
- 2 teaspoons Italian seasoning
- 1 teaspoon onion powder
- ¾ teaspoon garlic powder
- ¾ teaspoon salt
- ¾ teaspoon pepper
- ¼ teaspoon red pepper flakes optional
- 29 oz (822 g) tomato sauce
- 14 oz (400 g) can fire roasted diced tomatoes undrained
- 1 Tablespoon granulated sugar
- ¼ cup thinly sliced fresh basil loosely packed
- 1 (280 g) heaping cup ricotta cheese
- 1 ½ cups (170 g) shredded Mozzarella cheese
- ⅓ cup (25 g) grated parmesan cheese
Recommended Equipment
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350F and lightly butter the sides and bottom of a 9×13 casserole dish. Set aside.
- Prepare pasta according to package instructions, cook al dente. Drain, rinse under cold water, and mix with two teaspoons of olive oil.1 lb (455 g) Ziti or Penne noodles, 2 Tablespoons + 2 teaspoons extra virgin olive oil
- Meanwhile, prepare your sauce. Heat 2 Tablespoons of olive oil over medium heat in a large saucepan. Add onion and cook until translucent (3-5 minutes). Add garlic and cook until fragrant (30 seconds).5 cloves minced garlic, 1 onion
- Add Italian sausage and cook, crumbling, until mostly browned. Once sausage is mostly browned, add Italian seasoning, onion powder, garlic powder, salt, pepper, and red pepper flakes, stirring and cooking until sausage is entirely browned.1 lb (455 g) Italian sausage, 2 teaspoons Italian seasoning, 1 teaspoon onion powder, ¾ teaspoon garlic powder, ¾ teaspoon salt, ¾ teaspoon pepper, ¼ teaspoon red pepper flakes
- Add tomato sauce, diced tomatoes, and sugar. Bring to a simmer and cook, stirring frequently, until slightly thickened.29 oz (822 g) tomato sauce, 14 oz (400 g) can fire roasted diced tomatoes, 1 Tablespoon granulated sugar
- Remove from heat and stir in basil.¼ cup thinly sliced fresh basil
- Spread a small amount of pasta sauce (several spoonfuls, enough to just lightly cover the bottom) on the bottom of prepared casserole dish.
- Layer the sauce with half of the noodles (if some have stuck together while sitting, they should be easy to break apart with your hands). Top with half of the remaining sauce and use a spoon to spread evenly over noodles.
- Dollop ricotta evenly over sauce. Top evenly with remaining noodles and then remaining sauce.1 (280 g) heaping cup ricotta cheese
- Top with mozzarella cheese and grated parmesan. Lightly grease a piece of foil with butter or oil, cover ziti and bake for 20 minutes. Uncover and continue to cook another 5-10 minutes or until bubbly.1 ½ cups (170 g) shredded Mozzarella cheese, ⅓ cup (25 g) grated parmesan cheese
- Serve warm & enjoy!
Notes
Storing
Cover tightly and store in the refrigerator for up to 5 days. The ziti may also be prepped in advance, follow the steps through assembly then cover tightly and refrigerate for up to 2 days before baking according to instructions (note that it may need to bake a bit longer this way).Freezing
If you’d like to freeze this recipe you may do so before or after baking. If before baking, follow steps through assembly, allow the dish to cool completely, then wrap it tightly with plastic wrap and then aluminum foil and freeze for up to 3 months. If freezing after baking, allow ziti to cool completely then cover tightly with plastic wrap and aluminum foil and freeze for up to 3 months. To bake from frozen, bake covered for about 60-75 minutes then uncover and bake 15 minutes or so until bubbly and cooked through. Alternatively, thaw overnight in the refrigerator then bake as indicated (may take 10 minutes or so longer to bake all the way through).Nutrition
Nutritional information is based on third-party calculations and should be considered an estimate only. Actual nutritional content will vary based upon brands used, measuring methods, cooking method, portion sizes, and more.
This recipe was originally published January of 2019. I’ve updated the photos and post to be more helpful but the recipe remains the same!
Annie
Amazing! We have a place in town that stopped making the best baked ziti and this recipe definitely is filling that void. I loved the fresh basil additional and the little hint of spice from the red pepper flakes. It’s a keeper. ❤️
Sandy
So easy to make and it turned out delicious!
Lisa W.
I tried to print a few of your recipes but when I started to take off checked marked things the page went back to jump to recipe. Am I doing something wrong? I print all recipes that you have but this is the 1st time this has happened. Any suggestions???
Sam
Hi Lisa! Are you referring to the boxes, not on the print page? I know there have been issues with certain operating systems reloading the page, and unfortunately I cannot fix that. 🙁
Kelsey P
My husband (who is the true chef of our family) immediately told me I had to save this recipe. He said this was his favorite red sauce I’ve ever made, and I have made many. This is absolutely delicious.
I only had dried Basil – I used less than the fresh Basil called for – and it was perfect!
Thank you!!
Sam
I’m so glad everyone enjoyed it so much, Kelsey! 🙂