Easy Baked Ziti (Plus VIDEO)

Content… What Is It? Recipe Ingredients How to Make It Recipe Variations Tips and Tricks Make-Ahead Instructions Serving and Storage Instructions FAQs What to Serve More Fabulous Pasta Recipes to Try Conclusion Watch How to Make It

What Is Baked Ziti?

Ziti noodles are similar to penne pasta but a lot more fun to say. It’s a straight-cut tube pasta, perfect for holding sauce and bits of meat and cheese. Enjoy the tomato sauce base, pasta, meat, and cheese, all cooked and then baked to golden, bubbly perfection.

Recipe Ingredients

1. Meat – Deliciously cured bacon and Italian sausage turn this deliciousness into a one-pot meal. Oh yeah! You can also use any cured meat, like salami and pepperoni with ground turkey. Mix and match your faves.
2. Aromatics – Bold and tangy, sometimes sweet, onion and garlic add depth of flavor and texture to this dish.
3. Thyme – This herb adds something special to your tomato sauce with a subtle minty, earthy flavor. Fresh thyme is excellent, but dried thyme will work. No thyme? No worries because you can find thyme substitutes, and no one will ever know.
4. Italian Seasoning – A mix of dried herbs adds a delightful Mediterranean flavor to pasta dishes. Make your own Italian seasoning for an even better recipe.
5. Tomato Sauce – Sweet and fresh flavors make tomato sauce the perfect complement to starchy pasta.
6. Bay Leaves – A hint of mint flavor and a tea-like aroma add another layer of flavor to this dish.
7. Ziti – Tube-shaped pasta with straight-cut ends forms the heart and soul of this pasta dish. However, you can use penne, mostaccioli, or even macaroni for an equally delicious casserole.
8. Cheese – Parmesan and mozzarella are mild and perfectly salty, really elevating this pasta dish. Provolone or white cheddar also works great. I tried it with Kashkaval (similar to mozzarella but with sheep milk), and it was incredible.

How to Make Baked Ziti

Make the Sauce

• Saute the Bacon – In a large skillet over medium heat, sauté bacon until brown and crisp. This may take about 6-7 minutes. Remove from pan and set aside. (Photo 1)
• Cook the Sausage –  In the same skillet, add Italian sausage to the pan, cook for about 3-5 minutes or until brown, and break it up to prevent clumping. (Photo 2)
• Add the Seasonings – If you need more oil, add a little olive oil, then throw in the onion, garlic, thyme, and Italian seasoning – sauté for about 2-3 minutes or until the onions are translucent.
• Add the Sauce – Stir in tomato sauce and bay leaves. Bring to a simmer and let it cook for at least 30-45 minutes. (Photos 3-5)

Assemble and Bake

• Cook the Pasta – While the sauce is simmering, cook the pasta al dente (pasta with a bite to it). Do not overcook it coz nobody likes mushy pasta. 😝
• Finish the Sauce – Once the sauce is ready, remove the bay leaf and add bacon and pasta. (Photo 6)
• Taste Test – Perform a taste test (my favorite part!), then adjust salt, pepper, and seasonings as needed.
• Add the Cheese – Stir in the parmesan cheese and mozzarella, setting aside about ½ cup or more to sprinkle on top. (Photo 7)
• Assembly – Transfer to a greased 2-quart or 13″x9″ baking dish.
• Top with More Cheese – Sprinkle remaining cheese on top.
• Bake, uncovered, at 350℉/177℃ for about 20-30 minutes or until ziti is heated through and the top is slightly brown. (Photo 8)
• Rest – Remove the dish from the oven and let it rest for a few minutes.
• Serve while it is still piping hot.

Recipe Variations

1. Veggie Delight – Add your favorite vegetables (spinach, broccoli, carrots, etc.) for a truly one-dish meal.
2. Meat Swap – Bacon and Italian sausage can be accompanied or replaced with ham, chicken, ground beef or pork, pepperoni, salami, ground turkey, etc., for a meat-lovers paradise.

Tips and Tricks

1. You may have noted that this recipe doesn’t include ricotta cheese like many baked ziti recipes. Honestly, I found the ricotta a bit dry after baking and prefer to use freshly grated parmesan instead, which stays moist and gooey. But you can also use mozzarella, ricotta, cottage cheese, romano, and asiago.
2. After you pull this pasta out of the oven, let it rest for about 5 minutes so the cheese firms up and flavors can come together before serving.
3. Fresh herbs are an excellent garnish for this dish. Fresh chopped parsley and basil look so beautiful and taste amazing.

Make-Ahead Instructions

You can assemble this baked ziti and refrigerate it covered up to two days in advance. Simply put it in the oven and bake it when you are ready to eat it. Honestly, it tastes better when you put it together the day before.

To make it way ahead, you can freeze the whole lasagna. If you thaw it in the fridge overnight, bake it uncovered at 350℉/177℃ for about 30 minutes. If it’s still frozen, bake it for about an hour covered with foil, then 20-30 minutes uncovered to finish it off.

Serving and Storage Instructions

Serve baked ziti fresh out of the oven and garnish with fresh herbs and even more grated parmesan cheese. Parsley and basil are excellent choices for garnishes.

Leftovers can be stored in an airtight container in the fridge and kept for five days or frozen for three months.

FAQs

What to Serve With Baked Ziti

I love to serve this dish with bread and a salad. Homemade bread is the best, like my super easy no-knead bread or a batch of tasty garlic knot bread. I also like to serve this dish with a simple wedge salad or a flavorful Greek salad. Oh! And don’t forget to pour yourself a glass of your favorite red wine. 😉

More Fabulous Pasta Recipes to Try

• Fettuccine Alfredo
• Sausage and Pasta
• Chicken Pasta Bake
• Rasta Pasta
• Blackened Shrimp and Pasta
• Cajun Salmon Alfredo Pasta

Conclusion

Super easy baked ziti for a make-at-home Fazoli’s comfort food is the way to go. Do you have a favorite restaurant knock-off you love to make? Please tell me what it is in the comments.😍

Watch How to Make It

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This blog post was originally published in August 2018 and has been updated with additional tips, new photos, and a video.