A saucy, cheesy Baked Ziti Recipe! With a robustly flavored homemade tomato sauce (made with Italian sausage), ricotta and melty, bubbly mozzarella cheese, this is comfort food at its finest.
This is a great, comforting dinner option and tastes great served with a side salad (I like serving it with broccoli salad or caprese salad) and a warm homemade biscuit. Today’s recipe includes a how-to video.
I swore over the weekend that it was going to be nothing but spinach salads and lean protein for me from then on out. The weather in Florida was 75 degrees and sunny and it was easy to promise myself a future of leafy green dinners. Then, I flew home. I arrived to a car covered in 6 inches of snow, an icy driveway, and threats of even more snow this upcoming weekend and I can’t get my comfort food/baked ziti cravings out of my head.
If I’m being honest, I’m sure I’ll be eating baked ziti in the summer, too. Even when it’s 75 degrees here and my shorts are (still) begging me to go green with my diet. But there’s something about chilly winter weather and meteorologists throwing around words like “polar vortex” and “punishing winter weather” that has me craving carb-y comfort food. And this baked ziti checks all the boxes when it comes to comfort food.
It’s cheesy and saucy and you’re going to want a crusty piece of bread for sopping up your plate (spoiler alert! Garlic knots coming Friday for this very purpose!).
There are a lot of different components that make this baked ziti the best I’ve ever had. That gooey, melty, bubbly cheese, the creamy layer of thick ricotta… but what really makes this ziti next-level good is the sauce. We’re not using just any old jar of marinara sauce here. Today we’re making our marinara sauce from scratch (this is very similar to the sauce I use for my stuffed shells). Only one pan is needed to make the sauce and the flavor is worth all 45 seconds it will take for clean-up (and then some).
How to make sauce
We start by cooking our finely diced onion and garlic before adding and browning Italian sausage. You can use sweet or mild Italian sausage depending on your preference, and I’ve been meaning to try it with hot Italian as well.
Add your spices before the meat is totally browned, stirring well as you crumble and cook the sausage. 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).
Add tomato sauce and diced tomatoes; fire roasted are a big plus and definitely worth traveling to a second grocery store for if your regular grocery store is out (at least that’s what I told Zach). We’ll also add a Tablespoon of sugar at this point. 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.
Cook everything at a simmer until your sauce is thickened then remove from heat and stir in a handful of thinly sliced basil leaves. Voila, a robust and fully-flavored sauce ready for layering in the best baked ziti ever.
Can You Prepare Ahead of Time?
Yes! Prep, assemble, cover tightly with plastic wrap and this baked ziti will keep in the fridge for up to two days prior to baking. More time in the oven will likely be required when you are ready to bake, and I recommend letting the ziti sit on the counter while your oven preheats.
Ingredients
Classic and simple, mostly. The fresher the better (my mom likes to make her own homemade pasta noodles, maybe someday I’ll be as ambitious). To be more specific, you’ll need:
- Ziti noodles (see below for substitutes)
- Bulk Italian sausage (sweet or mild, depending on your own preference)
- Diced onion & minced garlic
- Tomato sauce and fire roasted diced tomatoes
- Fresh basil
- Ricotta, Mozzarella, and Parmesan cheeses
Can I Use Penne Instead of Ziti?
If you can’t find ziti noodles, penne ones will work just as well! Look, there are plenty of ingredients worth being snobbish about, 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 noodles.
Enjoy!
Other Hearty Recipes You Might Enjoy:
Baked Ziti
Ingredients
- 1 lb Ziti or Penne noodles (455g)
- 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 Italian sausage I’ve used Sweet Italian and Mild (455g)
- 2 teaspoons Italian seasoning
- 1 teaspoon onion powder
- ¾ teaspoon garlic powder
- ¾ teaspoon salt
- ¾ teaspoon pepper
- ¼ teaspoon red pepper flakes optional
- 28 oz tomato sauce (680g)
- 14 oz can fire roasted diced tomatoes undrained (400)
- 3 teaspoons sugar
- ¼ cup thinly sliced fresh basil loosely packed
- 1 heaping cup ricotta cheese (280g)
- 1 ½ cups shredded Mozzarella cheese (170g)
- ⅓ cup grated parmesan cheese (60g)
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350F and lightly butter the sides and bottom of a 9x13 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.
- 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).
- 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.
- Add tomato sauce, diced tomatoes, and sugar. Bring to a simmer and cook, stirring frequently, until slightly thickened.
- Remove from heat and stir in basil.
- Spread a small amount of pasta sauce (several spoonfuls, see image in the post or video for visual) 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.
- Top with mozzarella cheese and grated parmesan. Spray a piece of foil lightly with cooking spray, cover ziti and bake for 15-20 minutes. Uncover and continue to cook another 5-10 minutes or until bubbly.
- Serve warm & enjoy!
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.
Tara
Great recipe! I’m making a double batch to freeze. Can I freeze them without doing the final bake?
Sam
Hi Tara! I don’t see any reason that wouldn’t work. 🙂
Kristin
Hi Sam, I really want to try this recipe, but my husband doesn’t like tomatoes (texture, not taste). If I swap out the tomatoes for more tomato sauce, do you think doing an exact swap (adding 14 more ounces of tomato sauce) would be the best idea? Thank you!
Sam
Hi Kristin! I haven’t tried it, but it should work. Your ziti will be a little saucier and the extra tomato sauce may dilute some of the flavor. Enjoy! 🙂
Jessica
I want to make this but I’m worried that the fires roasted tomatoes will make it spicy? My bf doesn’t like spicy so was wondering if there was something else I could use or if you even taste it?
Sam
Hi Jessica! Fire roasted tomatoes are actually not spicy. 🙂
Mabel
I love this recipe. I have made 3 times already. It was easy to follow the recipe and that what I love about your recipes.
Sam
I am so glad you enjoyed it so much, Mabel! 🙂
Janet Parker
My daughter loves this recipe and I am going to make it for my husband and I. Can I freeze the leftovers and save for the next week?
Sam
Hi Janet! I am so glad your daughter enjoys it so much! You shouldn’t have any issues freezing this ziti. 🙂
Judy
My family does not like ricotta cheese.Is there something else I could substitute for it?,
Sugar Spun Run
Hi, Judy! I haven’t tried it myself, however, another user substituted cream cheese for the ricotta and reported success. I hope yours turns out wonderfully! 🙂
Melanie
MY mother in law used to use cottage cheese instead of ricotta
Brenda Cortez
How would this taste with chicken instead? Would it be worth the try or should I stick to the original recipe 😬
Sugar Spun Run
Hi, Brenda! I haven’t tried it personally but think using ground chicken or turkey would be fine. It may alter the taste/texture slightly. If you try it, I’d love to know how it turns out. 🙂
Denise Jones
I finally made this last night and the whole family loved it. The sauce was excellent. We finished with your Iced Oatmeal cookies… officially my favorite cookie ever! Thanks for the great recipes.
Sugar Spun Run
I am so happy that the baked ziti was a hit with your family, Denise! Iced cookies don’t last long in my household, they are a personal fave of mine too. I am so happy that you are a fan of my recipes. I can’t wait to see what you try next! Thanks for commenting. 🙂
Erin
Hi
I have a question about using the Italian sausage, can I substitute ground sirloin?
If so what added spice do you think I should add??
Thank you for all of your yummy recipes.
Erin
Sugar Spun Run
Hi, Erin! I have not substituted with ground sirloin but it shouldn’t be a problem. I hope that you enjoy the baked ziti. Keep me posted on how it turns out. 🙂
Sheri
So good and easy. My family loved it. I will definitely make this recipe again. 😃
Sugar Spun Run
Thank you so much, Sheri! I am so glad that you enjoyed the ziti! 🙂
Tracy Gabriele
So my husband loves whenever I make your recipes, and he loved this a ton. He actually asked me to check and see if you have a lasagna recipe. I didn’t see one, so I’m wondering how difficult it would be for me to take this and turn it into lasagna. If I make the sauce the same I could just use it in lasagna pretty easily right?
Sam
Funny you should ask, I’m actually working on a lasagna recipe 😂. Unfortunately I probably won’t have it perfected, polished and ready until early next year. However, until then yes you can use the sauce for the lasagna and you’ll still have the same great flavor that the ziti has. I’ll make sure to let you know once the lasagna recipe is finished!
MARIE A Buchner
Made this and it was so easy and so delicious! Thank you!
Sam
I am so happy to hear you enjoyed the ziti, Marie!! Thank you so much for commenting 🙂
Kay Pickering
SAM!!!, yet another WINNER! Sister came in from New York and we had this with cesear salad (homemade dressing) and some good warm bread…RAVES ALL AROUND.
Tracy Gabriele
Another amazing recipe!! I had my Italian relatives asking for the recipe. So yummy!
Sugar Spun Run
I am so glad that everyone enjoyed the baked ziti, Tracy! Thanks for commenting. 🙂
Steph
Such a yummy baked ziti recipe! My grandma has been making her own recipe for years, but I switched it up and tried this recipe for her and she asked if she could copy down the recipe! Such a gem.
Sugar Spun Run
What an amazing compliment. Thank you, Stephanie! I am so glad that you both enjoyed the baked ziti recipe. 🙂