Baked Ziti

Let’s make delicious baked ziti with this easy-to-follow recipe. With ziti pasta, flavorful ground beef, a rich tomato sauce, and a blend of cheeses, this dish is sure to become a family favorite!

This is one of those easy heartwarming casseroles that tastes comforting, hearty, and cheesy creamy.  Top it all with a generous of mozzarella cheese and bake until bubbly. An amazing meal in about an hour!

What is Ziti?

Ziti is a tubed pasta-like penne, but the edges are cut in a straight line instead of at a slant. The word “Ziti” is a type of pasta that looks like penne, except it’s got a smooth surface rather than ridges. They are twins but not identical! Penne and Ziti are both a short tube-shaped pasta. The most noticeable difference between Ziti and Penne is the way the pasta is cut. Ziti is cut straight on, whereas Penne is diagonally cut.

Meanwhile, Baked ziti is a super cozy pasta casserole made with ziti pasta (a smooth tube-shaped pasta), red sauce, and a mix of cheeses ( mozzarella, and Parmesan). It has many of the same ingredients as a Classic Lasagna, but the structure is much more freeform, making it really fast and easy to make, a.k.a pasta without all the fussy assembly and layering! 

Baked Ziti is an American classic pasta bake made with a tomato-based meat sauce similar to best spaghetti bolognese sauce or lasagna. While Baked Ziti is an Italian American dish, it has Italian origins – pasta bakes like this have existed in Italy for centuries!

This baked ziti recipe is made with ground beef, whatever you and your family like best. If you want to make a vegetarian baked ziti, you can leave out the meat and add in your favorite vegetables. Also, you can change the ground beef to Italian sausage, or turkey. This recipe is truly flexible based on what you prefer. Here is what I have on my baked ziti!

Ingredients of Baked Ziti

• Ziti Pasta; Ziti is a smooth, tube-shaped pasta that is perfect for this cozy casserole. If you can’t find ziti pasta at your local store, you can use rigatoni, which is similar but has a ridged texture on the outside. Penne will also work in a pinch. Swap out with penne or turn it into my bolognese rigatoni pasta casserole
• Ground Beef; Cooked until tender, ground beef is great in the easy ragu. Other options are discussed below. This provides the protein in the dish. Make sure to use lean ground beef to avoid excess grease in the finished dish.
• Fresh Basil Leaves; For extra color, you can top baked ziti with chopped parsley. If you happen to grow basil, you can garnish with chopped basil for extra color and flavor. You can swap with parsley

Sauce and Seasoning

• Onion diced; A little onion cooked down into the red sauce gives it a delicious subtle sweetness. Onion adds flavor to the dish. Dicing it finely ensures it cooks evenly and blends well with other ingredients.
• Garlic minced; These add savory flavor and depth
• Crushed Tomato; We use two types of canned tomatoes to give the red sauce a rich flavor and texture. The crushed tomatoes create the body of the sauce without being too chunky while concentrated tomato paste thickens the sauce and makes the tomato flavor extra rich.
• Salt and Sugar (optional); For basic seasoning
• Heavy Cream; Adds creaminess and makes the sauce more decadent. Adds creaminess and richness to the tomato sauce.
• Mozzarella Cheese grated Parmesan Cheese; This hearty pasta casserole contains a blend of several cheeses: ricotta, mozzarella, and a shredded Italian cheese blend. Shred your own if you have time. The fresh cheese melts better than pre-shredded cheese, which has an anti-caking agent that keeps the shreds from sticking together.
• Italian Seasoning; To keep this recipe simple, we use an Italian seasoning blend to season the sauce rather than several individual herbs and spices.
• Red Pepper Flakes optional; Red pepper flakes add a bit of heat and spice to the dish. They’re optional, so you can adjust the amount based on your preference for spiciness

How to make Baked Ziti

First, boil salt water in a large pot, then cook the ziti until al dente, about 8 minutes. Second, drain the water and set aside. Remember, it will continue to cook in the oven, so do not overcook the pasta.

Next, preheat the oven to 350℉ or 175℃. Then, over medium-high heat, begin cooking the ground beef and onion until the beef is browned and cooked through.

Afterward, add the minced garlic and cook for another minute. Moving on, add the crushed tomato, Italian seasoning, red pepper flakes, salt, and sugar. Allow it to simmer for 10 minutes.

Following that, add the heavy cream and basil, and stir until combined. Subsequently, transfer the pasta to the pan and stir until well combined.

Next, place half of the pasta into the casserole dish, then sprinkle it with half of the mozzarella and parmesan. Then, add the remaining pasta and sprinkle it with the remaining mozzarella and parmesan.

After that, Bake in the preheated oven until heated through and the cheeses have melted, bake for 25 minutes.

Finally, sprinkle it with chopped basil and serve. Enjoy!

Sharing is a sign of love

If you enjoy or recook this recipe,

Let me know your result by uploading pictures and tagging us on Instagram at Much Butter and Pinterest. Do not forget to see and follow our new Tiktok Account.

For cooking videos, check out and subscribe to our Youtube page. you can join our email for the latest idea menus.

CHECK OTHER CASSEROLE THINGS YOU’LL LOVE:

Or, if you still can’t get over pasta, here are some;

Lastly, thank you, your supports are so much appreciated 💕

Written by Silni Asfia