5 Easy Secrets for Bold, Flavorful Family Meals, everytime! DOWNLOAD
  • Skip to primary navigation
  • Skip to footer navigation
  • Skip to secondary navigation
  • Skip to recipes navigation
  • Skip to main content
  • Skip to primary sidebar
  • Skip to footer
  • Recipe Index
  • Collections
  • Recipe by Cuisine
    • African
    • Caribbean
    • Southern
    • Mediterranean
    • French
    • Italian
    • Mexican
    • Puerto Rican
  • Recipe by Type
    • 59 Mins or Less
    • Healthy Options
    • Comfort Foods
    • Spices & Seasonings
    • Sauces
    • How To’s
    • One Pot
    • Picnics and Cookouts
    • Baking
      • Breads
      • Cakes
      • Cookies
      • Savory
  • Recipe by Category
    • Beverage Recipes
      • Juice Recipes
      • Non-Alcoholic
      • Alcoholic
    • Mains
      • Beef
      • Chicken
      • Lamb
      • Pork
      • Seafood
      • Vegetarian
    • Appetizers
    • Breakfast
    • Desserts
    • Dinner
    • Instant Pot
    • Lunch
    • Pasta
    • Snacks
    • Side Dishes
    • Slow Cooker
    • Soups

Immaculate Bites

African and Caribbean Recipes Made Easy

  • Recipe Index
  • Collections
  • Recipe by Cuisine
    • African
    • Caribbean
    • Southern
    • Mediterranean
    • French
    • Italian
    • Mexican
    • Puerto Rican
  • Recipe by Type
    • 59 Mins or Less
    • Healthy Options
    • Comfort Foods
    • Spices & Seasonings
    • Sauces
    • How To’s
    • One Pot
    • Picnics and Cookouts
    • Baking
      • Breads
      • Cakes
      • Cookies
      • Savory
  • Recipe by Category
    • Beverage Recipes
      • Juice Recipes
      • Non-Alcoholic
      • Alcoholic
    • Mains
      • Beef
      • Chicken
      • Lamb
      • Pork
      • Seafood
      • Vegetarian
    • Appetizers
    • Breakfast
    • Desserts
    • Dinner
    • Instant Pot
    • Lunch
    • Pasta
    • Snacks
    • Side Dishes
    • Slow Cooker
    • Soups
Home / Baking

Easy Baked Ziti (Plus VIDEO)

Jump to Recipe Jump to Video Print Recipe
Author: Imma Published:8/22/2018Updated:1/05/2022
FacebookTweetPin199YummlyEmailShares199

Easy Baked Ziti is a decadent, simple pasta casserole dish that is meaty, gooey, and cheesy. This potluck favorite is an absolute crowd pleaser and serves as a hearty side dish or main course.

Contents

What is Baked Ziti?
Baked Ziti Ingredients
Alternative Ingredients
Tips and Tricks
Make-Ahead Instructions
Serving and Storage
FAQs
What Goes with Baked Ziti
More Recipes to Try
How to Make Baked Ziti
Watch How To Make It

Easy Baked Ziti (Plus VIDEO)

This recipe is similar to lasagna when it comes to ingredients, but it’s way easier to put together. It’s so easy, in fact, that it has become one of my weeknight staples, especially when pressed for time because of work or the kid’s activities.

I mean, seriously, what could be better than the smell of cheese, pasta, and tomato sauce wafting from your oven after a long day?

Easy Baked Ziti

What is Baked Ziti?

Baked ziti is a classic baked pasta dish using ziti noodles. It’s a straight-cut tube pasta, perfect for holding sauce and bits of meat and cheese. This dish has a tomato sauce base, pasta, meat, and cheese, all cooked and then baked to golden, bubbly perfection.

Baked Ziti Ingredients

  • Bacon – Deliciously cured meat from the sides and belly of a pig is a flavoring or accent, or both!
  • Italian Sausage – Pork sausage often seasoned with fennel and other spices makes for a flavorful meal that will excite your taste buds.
  • Olive Oil – Aromatic and flavorful, this oil is necessary for any Italian-inspired recipe.
  • Onion – Bold and tangy, sometimes sweet, onion adds depth of flavor and texture to this dish.
  • Garlic – Fresh, minced garlic adds a huge dose of flavor and a beautiful aroma to this dish.
  • 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.
  • Italian Seasoning – A mix of dried herbs adds a delightful Mediterranean flavor to pasta dishes.
  • Tomato Sauce – Sweet and fresh flavors make tomato sauce the perfect complement for starchy pasta.
  • Bay Leaves – A hint of mint flavor and a tea-like aroma add another layer of flavor to this dish.
  • Ziti – Tube-shaped pasta with straight-cut ends forms the heart and soul of this pasta dish.
  • Parmesan Cheese – Mild and perfectly salty, parmesan cheese really elevates this pasta dish.
  • Mozzarella – A soft, white cheese with high moisture content.
  • Salt – No dish is complete without this pantry staple that heightens every flavor it pairs with.
  • Pepper – Mild heat is what pepper brings to the table.

Alternative Ingredients

  • Italian Sausage – You can use any meat you like in this baked ziti recipe. Ground beef, turkey, pork, or even chicken will work just fine. You can also make a meat-free version.
  • Thyme – If you don’t have fresh, don’t panic because dried will work fine. I also have a list of thyme substitutes that will save the day. Oregano and basil are my favorites.
  • Mozzarella – Just about any cheese can substitute mozzarella. Your best bet is provolone, which has a very similar taste and texture. Swiss or white cheddar are also acceptable substitutes. If you want the same texture with non-cow dairy, kashkaval from sheep milk is fantastic.

Tips and Tricks

You may have noted that this recipe doesn’t include ricotta cheese as many baked ziti recipes do. Honestly, I found the ricotta a bit dry after baking and prefer to use freshly grated parmesan instead, which stays moist and gooey.

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.

Fresh herbs are an excellent garnish for this dish. Fresh chopped parsley or basil look so beautiful and taste amazing.

Make-Ahead Instructions

You can assemble this baked ziti ahead and refrigerate it covered for up to 2 days in advance. Simply put it in the oven and bake when you are ready to eat it. Honestly, it tastes better when you assemble it the day before.

Serving and Storage

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. They’ll keep for up to 5 days.

Easy Baked Ziti (Plus VIDEO)

FAQs

What’s the difference between lasagna and baked ziti?

Baked ziti is made with ziti pasta (those little round pasta tubes with straight edges) tossed in tomato sauce and cheeses and then baked. On the other hand, lasagna is made up of layered pasta sheets, sauce, ricotta cheese, and mozzarella and then baked. Let’s just say lasagna is a more orderly and time-consuming version of baked ziti, with a different kind of pasta.

Do you bake ziti covered or uncovered?

To prevent the already cooked pasta in this recipe from steaming and getting mushy, cook baked ziti uncovered. This will also allow the cheesy top of the pasta to get nice and brown. 🤤

What is baked ziti called in Italian?

If you want to sound extra authentic, call this dish pasta al forno as our Italian friends do. Literally translated, it means oven-baked pasta. An interesting side note: Ziti in Italian means bride and groom, and this pasta is traditionally served at weddings.

What Goes 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 Recipes to Try

  • Fettuccine Alfredo
  • Sausage and Pasta
  • Chicken Pasta Bake
  • Rasta Pasta
  • Blackened Shrimp and Pasta
Easy Baked Ziti (Plus VIDEO)

How to Make Baked Ziti

Easy Baked Ziti (Plus VIDEO)

Make the Pasta 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.
  • 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.
  • 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 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.

Make the Pasta

  • Cook the Pasta – While the sauce is simmering, cook the pasta al dente (pasta with a bite to it). Do not overcook it! Nobody likes mushy pasta. 😝
Easy Baked Ziti (Plus VIDEO)

Assemble and Bake

  • Finish the Sauce – Once the sauce is ready, remove the bay leaf and add bacon and pasta.
  • 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.
  • Assembly – Transfer to a greased 2-quart baking dish 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.
  • Rest – Remove the dish from the oven and let it rest for a few minutes.
  • Serve while it is still piping hot.
Easy Baked Ziti (Plus VIDEO)

Watch How To Make It

This blog post was first published in August 2018 and has been updated with additional write-up and a video.

Looking for more recipes? Follow on…
My Newsletter
Easy Baked Ziti (Plus VIDEO)
Print

Easy Baked Ziti

Easy Baked Ziti is a decadent, simple pasta casserole dish that is meaty, gooey, and cheesy. This potluck favorite is an absolute crowd pleaser and serves as a hearty side dish or main course.
5 from 3 votes
Prep: 30 mins
Cook: 1 hr
Total: 1 hr 30 mins
Italian
Servings 6

Ingredients

  • 3 strips bacon, cut into tiny pieces
  • 1 pound Italian sausage
  • olive oil, for cooking
  • 1 medium onion, chopped
  • 2 teaspoon garlic, minced
  • 2 teaspoon thyme, fresh
  • 1-2 teaspoon Italian seasoning
  • 2 14-ounce can tomato sauce
  • 3 bay leaves
  • 1 pound ziti pasta, cooked according to package instructions
  • 1 cup parmesan cheese
  • 2 cup mozzarella, shredded
  • Salt and pepper, to taste
US Customary – Metric

Instructions

The Meat

  • 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.
  • 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.

The Sauce

  • 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 onions are translucent.
  • Stir in tomato sauce and bay leaves. Bring to a simmer and let it cook for at least 30-45 minutes.
  • While the sauce is simmering, cook the pasta al dente (pasta with a bite to it). Do not overcook it, or it will get mushy.

Assembly

  • Once the sauce is ready, remove the bay leaf and add bacon and pasta.
  • Perform a taste test, then adjust salt, pepper, and seasonings as needed.
  • Stir in the parmesan cheese and mozzarella, setting aside about ½ cup or more to sprinkle on top.
  • Transfer to a greased 2-quart baking dish or 13"x9" baking dish.
  • 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.
  • Remove the dish from the oven and let it rest for a few minutes.
  • Serve while it is still piping hot.

Tips & Notes:

  • You may have noted that this recipe doesn’t include ricotta cheese as many baked ziti recipes do. Honestly, I found the ricotta a bit dry after baking and prefer to use freshly grated parmesan instead, which stays moist and gooey.
  • 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.
  • Fresh herbs are an excellent garnish for this dish. Fresh chopped parsley or basil look so beautiful and taste amazing.
  • Please keep in mind that the nutritional information is a rough estimate and can vary significantly based on the products used in the recipe.

Nutrition Information:

Serving: 500g| Calories: 523kcal (26%)| Carbohydrates: 62g (21%)| Protein: 34g (68%)| Fat: 28g (43%)| Cholesterol: 82mg (27%)| Sodium: 1360mg (59%)| Potassium: 542mg (15%)| Fiber: 3g (13%)| Sugar: 4g (4%)| Vitamin A: 495IU (10%)| Vitamin C: 5.1mg (6%)| Calcium: 515mg (52%)| Iron: 3mg (17%)
Author: Imma
Course: dinner, Entree, Main
Cuisine: Italian
Tag Us On Instagram!Did you make this recipe? I love hearing how it turned out! Tag me on Instagram @ImmaculateBites and be sure to leave a rating below!
Follow on Instagram
Nutrition Facts
Easy Baked Ziti
Amount Per Serving (500 g)
Calories 523 Calories from Fat 252
% Daily Value*
Fat 28g43%
Cholesterol 82mg27%
Sodium 1360mg59%
Potassium 542mg15%
Carbohydrates 62g21%
Fiber 3g13%
Sugar 4g4%
Protein 34g68%
Vitamin A 495IU10%
Vitamin C 5.1mg6%
Calcium 515mg52%
Iron 3mg17%
* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2000 calorie diet.

How to Make Baked Ziti

Easy Baked Ziti 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. In the same skillet, add italian sausage to the pan, cook for about 3-5 minutes or until brown; breaking it up to prevent it from clumping. Throw in onion, garlic , thyme and Italian seasoning – saute for about 2-3 minutes or until onions is translucent.

Easy Baked ZitiStir in tomato sauce and bay leaves. Bring to a simmer and let it cook for at least 30- 45 minutes. While sauce is simmering , cook the pasta al dente (pasta with a bite to it). Do not overcook; you do not want it becoming too mushy.

Easy Baked ZitiOnce sauce is ready, remove bay leaf then add ,bacon and  pasta . Adjust seasonings salt pepper. Stir in the parmesan cheese and mozzarella (leave about ½ cup or more to sprinkle on top)

Easy Baked ZitiTransfer to a greased 2-quart baking dish or 13-in. x 9-in. baking dish. Sprinkle remaining cheese. Bake, uncovered, at 350° F for about 20 -30 minutes or until ziti is heated through. And top is slightly brown.Remove from oven and then let it rest for a few minutes and serve when it is still piping hot.

 
 

Reader Interactions

Leave a Review Cancel reply

I love hearing from you! Submit your question or recipe review here. Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Made this? Rate this recipe:




This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.

Comments & Reviews
  1. Anna Felkins says

    Posted on 5/24 at 8:58AM

    5 stars
    Another winner!! Was just wondering what to do with some Italian sausage without having to go to the store, this was perfect! Love the homemade sauce!

    Reply
  2. Kyle says

    Posted on 10/20 at 5:55PM

    Heya Imma! It’s me again. Loving your recipes still, I have noticed a few of them use ‘Tomato Sauce’. Unless your referring to ketchup which I doubt, there isn’t really a UK equivalent I can find in stores. If I put a can of chopped tomatoes (With the sauce) through a blender would that make a good substitute?

    Reply
    • ImmaculateBites says

      Posted on 10/20 at 6:20PM

      Hi Kyle ! Happy to hear from you again .Yes it would, no need to sweat it .

      Reply
  3. Tuador Francis says

    Posted on 8/25 at 2:18AM

    5 stars
    I learn better with videos, I was wondering if you could add up a cooking video to. Nice dish I love and would love to try out.

    Reply
    • imma africanbites says

      Posted on 8/29 at 7:21AM

      I’ll add it to my list. Thanks for stopping by. 🙂

      Reply
  4. Sue says

    Posted on 8/22 at 11:17AM

    This looks delish… trying this receipt tonight for dinner. When did you add the bacon back?

    Reply
    • ImmaculateBites says

      Posted on 8/22 at 11:43AM

      Thanks. right before the pasta

      Reply
  5. Jena Leigh says

    Posted on 8/22 at 7:33AM

    these look great! i think i will substitute the meat with another vegetarian alternative and definitely lots of cheese. my fam loves lots of cheese on top!

    Reply
    • Samantha says

      Posted on 9/13 at 2:16PM

      5 stars
      LOVED THIS!!! Added extra cheese and some pesto

      Reply

Primary Sidebar

  • Southern
  • African
  • latin fusion
  • comfort food

favorites...

a bowl of gumbo dish with a spoon to scoop it out

Gumbo Recipe (Plus Video)

Southern Baked Mac and Cheese with evaporated milk

Southern Baked Mac and Cheese

Easy Homemade Bread

Basic Homemade White Bread

best thanksgiving desserts

Caramel Cake

Footer

Recipe by Type

  • African
  • Caribbean
  • Southern
  • Mediterranean
  • French
  • Italian

Recipe by Category

  • Dinner
  • Desserts
  • Breakfast
  • Breads + Cakes
  • Pasta
  • How To’s

FOLLOW ALONG

  • Facebook
  • Instagram
  • Pinterest
  • YouTube

Immaculate Bites

  • About Imma
  • Subscribe by Email
  • Contact

Site Resources

  • Privacy Policy
  • Disclaimer
  • Terms & Conditions

Copyright © 2022 · African Bites · All Rights Reserved · Website by Anchored Design

Opens in a new window Opens an external site Opens an external site in a new window

Subscribe & Receive A FREE Recipe Book!

    Share this ArticleLike this article? Email it to a friend!

    Email sent!