This Baked Ziti recipe is one of my favorite Sunday family dinners. Ziti pasta is combined with a meaty homemade tomato sauce, rich ricotta, and a melty 3-cheese blend before it’s all baked in the oven. Whether it’s the kids or adults, everyone at the table usually ends up asking for a second scoop.
There’s nothing that gets my family to the table faster than baked pasta. From my Stuffed Shells to this meaty Lasagna Bolognese, no one can say no to a heaping scoop of the dream team that is baked pasta, cheese, and sauce.
Homemade Baked Ziti
Baked ziti is a classic casserole that’s been making its way onto family dinner tables for generations. The recipe was inspired by traditional baked pasta dishes, like pasta al forno, but takes on a life of its own in Italian-American kitchens. It’s made with layers of tubular pasta (usually ziti), tomato sauce, cheese, and sometimes meat, and baked in the oven until it’s all bubbly and golden.
My version is more indulgent in the best way, giving it the nonna stamp of approval. I use both sausage and beef for extra flavor, a simple yet deeply satisfying homemade tomato sauce, creamy ricotta, and a blend of melty cheeses. Don’t be surprised if it becomes your new go-to make-ahead family dinner.
Ingredients and Substitutions
- Oil – I sear the meat and aromatics in a good-quality olive oil. Avocado oil works, too, though it’s not as flavorful.
- Beef – Using equal parts ground beef and sausage in the sauce gives you both the seasoning from the sausage and the richness of the beef. I usually go for 80/20 or 85/15 ground chuck to keep things juicy.
- Sausage – I use loose Italian sausage in the sauce. If all you have are sausage links, just remove the casings.
- Aromatics – The sauce begins with sautéed yellow onions and garlic for a savory flavor. You can swap in shallots or red onions if needed.
- Wine – I typically use dry white wine in my pasta sauces, like Pinot Grigio, Sauvignon Blanc, or Chardonnay. If you’d prefer to omit the wine, use a splash of broth and a squeeze of lemon juice as a substitute.
- Tomatoes – Hand-crushed San Marzano tomatoes are my favorite tomatoes for red sauce. If you can’t find San Marzanos, whole peeled plum tomatoes or crushed tomatoes are the next best options.
- Vinegar – I add a splash of balsamic vinegar at the end for a touch of sweetness that rounds out the sauce. If you’re out of balsamic, try a drizzle of red wine vinegar with a pinch of sugar.
- Ricotta – I use whole milk ricotta, but you can use part-skim if you want a lighter version.
- Basil – Always fresh basil leaves.
- Cheese – I used fontina cheese, provolone, and Parmigiano Reggiano.
- Ziti – These smooth, tubular pasta noodles define classic baked ziti. Penne, rigatoni, or mostaccioli will also work here.
- Seasonings – Just salt and pepper.
How to Make Baked Ziti
Brown the meat: I start by heating some olive oil in a large rondeau or Dutch oven over medium-high heat. Then, I add the meats and cook until they’re browned. To finish, I season the meat mixture with salt and pepper, then set it aside in a bowl.
Sauté the aromatics: To the now-empty pot, I add more olive oil, the onions, and a pinch of salt. I sauté them over medium heat until the onions begin to brown. Then, I reduce the heat and continue cooking until the onions are soft and golden. I add the minced garlic and cook until it’s fragrant.
Simmer the sauce: I deglaze the pan with white wine, scraping up all the flavorful brown bits from the bottom. I let it simmer over medium heat until reduced. I add the crushed tomatoes, a sprig of fresh basil, salt, pepper, and a splash of balsamic vinegar, then return the cooked meat mixture to the pan and let it all simmer for about 30 minutes.
Season the ricotta: While the sauce is simmering, I whisk the ricotta cheese, minced basil, the remaining olive oil, salt, and pepper in a small bowl until smooth and creamy.
Cook the pasta: With 5 minutes left on the sauce, I bring a large pot of salted water to a boil and cook the ziti. Once the pasta is al dente, I drain the water and dump the pasta into a big bowl.
Toss: I add 2/3 of the meat sauce and 2/3 of the fontina and provolone to the bowl with the pasta and toss everything together.
Assemble: I spread some of the remaining sauce over the bottom of a baking dish. Then, add half of the sauced pasta in an even layer. Next, I spread the ricotta mixture over the pasta, followed by ¼ cup of grated Parmesan. I finish it off with the remaining pasta, another ¾ cup of sauce, and the rest of the cheese on top.
Bake and serve: I place the baking dish on a sheet tray to catch any overflow and bake it on the middle rack in the oven until the cheese is melted and golden on top. Once it’s out of the oven, I let it rest briefly before serving it with the remaining sauce.
Chef Tip + Notes
Since the pasta finishes cooking in the oven, the best baked ziti starts with noodles cooked just shy of al dente (think bendy, with a slightly firm bite). This simple step is the secret to perfectly baked, never-mushy pasta.
- Save time with jarred sauce: A high-quality, store-bought marinara sauce will still give you a delicious dish if you don’t have the time to make your own. Look for a brand that doesn’t taste sweet and uses simple ingredients (usually just olive oil, garlic, and whole tomatoes).
- Use freshly grated cheese: Pre-shredded cheese often contains anti-caking agents that prevent a smooth melt. This is why I highly recommend grating your fontina, provolone, and parmesan right from the block.
- If the pasta is browning too fast, loosely tent the baking dish with foil to slow the browning while allowing the pasta to finish heating through.
- Make it meatless: For meatless ziti, omit the meat from the recipe or replace it with plant-based alternatives or a mix of sautéed mushrooms and spinach.
Serving Suggestions
I turn to homemade baked ziti with meat often for family dinners, especially on Sundays. I like to keep the rest of the meal simple and pair the pasta with garlic bread and Caesar salad.
If you’d like to round out the meal with more sides, try sautéed green veggies, such as garlic butter-glazed broccolini. And if you’re craving something sweet after the meal, treating yourself to a cannoli is a no-brainer.
Make-Ahead and Storage
Make-Ahead: You can bake the ziti a few hours ahead of time and keep it covered until it’s time to serve. Assemble up to 1 day before serving and store covered in the fridge until ready to bake.
How to Store: Once the leftovers are cool, cover the dish with foil. Refrigerate for up to 4 days or freeze for 3 months.
How to Reheat: Reheat individual servings in the microwave. You can also reheat the entire dish in the oven at 350°F, covered with foil, until it is heated through.
More Pasta Recipes
Baked Ziti Recipe
Ingredients
- 6 tablespoons olive oil
- 1 pound loose Italian sausage
- 1 pound 80/20 ground beef
- 1 peeled and small diced yellow onion, about 1 cup
- 4 finely minced garlic cloves
- 1 cup dry white wine
- 2 28- ounce cans of San Marzano tomatoes, hand crushed
- 2 teaspoons of balsamic vinegar
- 1 sprig with 5 to 6 basil leaves + tablespoons minced + more for garnish
- 1 pound whole milk ricotta cheese
- 1 pound ziti pasta
- ½ pound fontina cheese, shredded or cut into ½ inch cubes
- ½ pound shredded provolone cheese, shredded or cut into ½ inch cubes
- ¾ cup grated parmigiano Reggiano
- coarse salt and freshly cracked pepper
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 375°F.
- In a large rondeau pot, or Dutch oven-style pot, add three tablespoons of olive oil and heat over high medium heat for 60 to 90 seconds. Then add the sausage and beef and press down to spread it around the pan to cover more surface area with a spoon. Cook for 3 to 4 minutes without stirring, and then break everything up using a spoon and cook for an additional 1 to 2 minutes, or until just done. Season with salt and pepper and set it aside.
- In the same pan, add one tablespoon of olive oil. Then, add the onions, gently season with salt, and sauté for 5 minutes or until lightly browned. Turn the heat down to low and cook for 10 minutes, stirring occasionally, until well browned. Mix in the garlic and cook for 30 to 45 seconds.
- Deglaze with the white wine and cook over medium heat until only a few tablespoons remain. Add in the tomatoes, along with the sprig of fresh basil leaves, season with salt and pepper, and stir. Finish with the balsamic vinegar. Cook over low to medium heat for 30 minutes.
- While this cooks, add the three tablespoons of minced basil to a bowl along with the ricotta cheese, the remaining two tablespoons of olive oil, salt, and pepper, and whisk until it is smooth. This takes about 1 to 2 minutes. Set it to the side.
- When the tomato-meat sauce has about 5 to 7 minutes left in the cooking process, add the ziti pasta to a large pot of boiling salted water and cook for 6 to 7 minutes, which would be right up to the stage before al dente.
- Drain the pasta and put it in a large bowl along with 2/3 of the cut-up fontina, provolone, and 2/3 of the sauce, and mix to combine.
- With the remaining sauce, add about ¾ cup of it to the bottom of a 13×9 or like-size casserole dish, then add in half of the tossed pasta and gently press down to flatten.
- Then evenly add and gently spread the ricotta-basil mixture to cover the pasta along with ¼ cup of grated Parmigiano Reggiano.
- Next, top off with the remaining pasta and gently press down to flatten out. Evenly add on another ¾ cup of the sauce, followed by evenly sprinkling on the remaining fontina, provolone, and Parmigiano Reggiano.
- Add it to a sheet tray and bake on a middle rack at 375°F for 30 to 35 minutes or until the cheese is melted and browned on top.
- Remove from the oven and serve with the remaining sauce.
Baked Ziti Recipe