Recipes Of Ziti

SAUCE: The sauce is made with Italian sausage which adds lots of flavor. You can swap it for ground beef (or ground turkey) but be sure to add extra seasonings or spices (and some chili flakes for heat) and a tablespoon of olive oil for flavor. To make this dish vegetarian, use finely minced vegetables like mushrooms, eggplant, and/or zucchini.

I like the addition of  pasta sauce since it’s already seasoned but feel free to use tomato sauce and add a bit of Italian seasoning if it’s what you have on hand

PASTA – Ziti is our pasta of choice but any medium pasta will work. Swap out with penne or turn it into rigatoni pasta.

Easy Baked Ziti Recipe L Beyond Frosting

CHEESE – Ricotta cheese makes up the creamy cheese layer. You can swap it out by blending cottage cheese with an egg until smooth. I stir in some cheese, spinach or additional herbs can be added.

TOPPING – More cheese. Mozzarella is the perfect topper and I always garnish with a pinch of freshly grated parmesan cheese and some fresh herbs like parsley or basil.

This easy Baked Ziti recipe is basically cooked so the baking is to blend the flavors, heat everything through and of course, melt the cheese. Cook it uncovered until the top looks bubbly and browned!

Easy Baked Ziti

To Reheat Baked Ziti use either the microwave or pop it back in the oven on low, slow heat. Reheating baked ziti doesn’t change the texture or the flavor, but adding an extra layer of shredded mozzarella to the top freshens it up just a bit!

Calories: 598 | Carbohydrates: 54 g | Protein: 34 g | Fat: 27 g | Saturated Fat: 11 g | Cholesterol: 97 mg | Sodium: 1257 mg | Potassium: 816 mg | Fiber: 4 g | Sugar: 8 g | Vitamin A: 1005 IU | Vitamin C: 15 mg | Calcium: 485 mg | Iron: 3.6 mg

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Easy Ziti Bake Recipe: How To Make It

Like most casseroles, baked ziti can be frozen successfully. If you are freezing the entire casserole in one piece, be sure to line the dish with aluminum foil before assembling and baking, then, once it is chilled, freeze in the pan and then remove the casserole and wrap it in aluminum foil and plastic wrap, label, and place in the fridge.

Holly is a wine and cheese lover, recipe creator, shopping enthusiast and self appointed foodie. Her greatest passion is creating in the kitchen and making deliciously comforting recipes for the everyday home cook!Baked ziti is classic Italian-American comfort food! Bake ziti pasta with sausage, tomato sauce, and all kinds of gooey, yummy cheeses. This easy baked ziti recipe is always a hit!

Elise founded Simply Recipes in 2003 and led the site until 2019. She has an MA in Food Research from Stanford University.

Classic Baked Ziti Recipe

It makes for a perfect midweek or weekend meal, or a hot dish to bring to a potluck. Make extra and freeze for later.

This recipe is a pretty basic version, but everyone who makes baked ziti has their own unique tricks and twists to it. Some vary the cheeses, some the meat, some make meatless versions, and some people leave out the tomato sauce for a truly cheese-tastic casserole.

This version uses bulk Italian sausage, as well as a key fresh herb. In summer, that would be basil. In winter, rosemary. You could also easily use savory, sage, thyme, or parsley.

Healthy Baked Ziti

Ziti is a pretty common pasta shape in most areas, but you can substitute penne pasta if you can't find it. You want a substantial short pasta shape with places to hold the sauce and meat.

Ziti is a hollow pasta in the shape of a smooth tube, sort of like a short straw. It originated in Campagna, Italy, or perhaps Sicily, Italy. Its name means bride or bridegroom, although the stories of why the Italians gave this pasta the name for those getting married can vary. In some parts of Italy, it's served at weddings.

There's a link to a pasta sauce recipe in the ingredients, but you can also use any jarred sauce—pasta, marinara, even pizza sauce—in this recipe. Just make sure it's a sauce you like.

Baked Ziti With Shrimp

You can assemble this ahead, and either refrigerate or freeze it before you do the final baking. If you freeze it, thaw it in the refrigerator overnight before baking. You can also freeze a baked ziti, and reheat it thawed or frozen.

If you don't have Italian seasoning in the pantry, use 1 teaspoon dried oregano, 1 teaspoon dried basil and 1/2 teaspoon dried thyme.

*The % Daily Value (DV) tells you how much a nutrient in a food serving contributes to a daily diet. 2, 000 calories a day is used for general nutrition advice.

Easy Baked Ziti Recipe With Meat

Nutrition information is calculated using an ingredient database and should be considered an estimate. In cases where multiple ingredient alternatives are given, the first listed is calculated for nutrition. Garnishes and optional ingredients are not included.

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Up until a few years ago, I thought baked ziti was a total waste of calories. Not that I really count calories, but let’s be honest, baked ziti is definitely a “splurge” recipe. It’s literally pasta layered with meat sauce, cheese, more sauce, more cheese, and then MORE cheese. So yeah, it better be good!!! Otherwise, what’s the point?!

The Ultimate Baked Ziti

Like who wants rock hard burnt noodles? Not me and I’m pretty sure not you! But on the other hand, soggy noodles are just so sad and once they’re over cooked, there’s literally nothing you can do to save them.

The solution? Bring a large pot of salted water to a rolling boil, cook the noodles for only 4 minutes, and then drain the pasta! That’s right: you’re only going to cook for EXACTLY 4 minutes. After multiple rounds of testing, I’ve found this is the magic number!

Yes, your pasta will still be very firm when drained. But by the time you’ve covered it in sauce and cheese and baked it for 30 minutes, it’ll be perfectly cooked! Not overdone and not underdone!

Best Baked Ziti Recipe

Most recipes will tell you to cook your pasta until al dente, or a minute before al dente, which is 9 to 10 minutes. Don’t do it!!! This is way too much time and you’ll end up with super mushy ziti by the time it’s done baking!

So I beg you to set the timer and trust me on the 4 minutes! Once the pasta has been cooked and well drained, mix it with 1 and 1/2 cups of the sauce and set aside.

Ok moving on. The next thing that can ruin baked ziti? Bad sauce! Ok, maybe ruin is strong. But mediocre tomato sauce is always going to equal a mediocre baked ziti recipe. And who wants that?

The Food Lab's No Boil Baked Ziti Recipe

To remedy this issue, we’re making a super flavorful meat sauce that’s loaded with olive oil, garlic, onions, ground beef, Italian sausage, a pinch of red pepper flakes, red wine, salt and pepper, Italian seasoning, and fresh basil! So you know with all of those ingredients this sauce is going to be AMAZING!!!

Full disclosure, the sauce will take about an hour! You’ll want to let it simmer in a large pot over medium heat for 45 minutes once all of the ingredients have been added. This is when the flavors meld and all of the magic happens. But you can make the sauce up to 3 days in advance and store it in the fridge so it’s ready to go when you are!

And finally, we get to the cheese! Like most recipes, this baked ziti recipe features ricotta cheese, parmesan cheese, and mozzarella cheese.

Easy Baked Ziti Recipe

But I also add in Fontina cheese, too! I LOVE fontina cheese because it tastes delicious and melts beautifully. So it’s perfect for a baked dish like this! If you cannot find it, just use an equal amount of low-moisture mozzarella!

The ricotta cheese mixture includes an egg, an egg yolk, fresh basil, fresh parsley, parmesan cheese, fontina cheese, salt, and pepper.