Ziti With Ricotta Recipe
Baked Ziti with ricotta cheese, tomato sauce and alfredo is a ridiculously easy recipe that once you learn how to make it, this ziti recipe will be a go to dinner. Smothered in meat sauce, baked with a huge cheesy top layer and served along side the best side dishes ever, baked ziti will keep you full for days.
4 Add Italian sausage, spaghetti sauce, and Parmesan cheese to cooked pasta stir well. 5 Gently stir 1 cup mozzarella cheese into pasta mixture, and transfer the pasta to the prepared baking dish. Sprinkle remaining mozzarella on top. 6 Bake, uncovered, 15-20 minutes or until internal temperature reaches 165°F and cheese is melted.
Making baked ziti. Preheat the oven to 375°F. Spray a 9×13-baking dish with cooking spray and set aside. Bring a large pot of water to a boil. Once the water is boiling, add in a pinch of salt. Pour in the pasta and cook the pasta until al dente then drain the pasta using a colander.
Cheese In Baked Ziti. This dish is an unapologetic cheese festival. Not one, not two, not three, but FOUR cheeses! Mozzarella, fontina, Parmesan and ricotta cheeses. Yes, please, cheese. If you want to sub in some smoked mozzarella for the regular, or choose another simple melting cheese like Monterey Jack for the fontina, go right ahead.
Should I Cover Baked Ziti In The Oven
Yes, you want to make sure your pasta has the right amount of moisture while baking to avoid drying. Its important to keep the foil loosely sealed on top so it doesnt stick to the cheese. After baking, remove the foil and put your oven on HIGH broil for 1 to 2 minutes to get that perfect browned cheesy top.
Other Easy Baked Dinner Ideas
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees F
- Cook the penne pasta according to package directions.
- Drain the pasta in a colander.
- In a large bowl, mix the ricotta cheese, 1 cup mozzarella cheese, ½ cup parmesan
- cheese, eggs, garlic, parsley and Italian seasoning to a large bowl and stir to combine well
- In a 9×13 baking dish, add half of the sauce and spread evenly all around the dish.
- Add the cooked/ drained pasta to cheese mixture and toss well to coat
- Add the pasta mixture to the baking dish spread evenly.
- Top with remaining sauce, then the other 1 cup mozzarella and ½ cup parmesan cheese.
- Bake in the oven for 35 minutes until the sauce is bubbling and the cheese is melted and slightly brown.
- Remove from oven and let sit for 5 minutes
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Why Youll Love This Ziti Recipe:
- CREAMY AND CHEESY: We use our secret ingredient to make this the creamiest, cheesiest baked pasta ever. Yum!
- FAMILY FAVORITE: This dish is a family favorite, and a reader favorite too. Its a hit every time, for any occasion!
- MAKE IT MEATLESS: This baked ziti recipe can easily be made with or without meat, whichever you prefer! Use marinara for a vegetarian version, or add meat sauce instead.
Baked ziti is the perfect thing to serve for weekly dinners, but theres never a bad time to make it. Guests will love it, kids will love it, and you will love it too.
Its also a great baked pasta to make for parties and larger gatherings. You can double the recipe and make it for graduation parties, bridal showers, or holidays.
Easy Baked Ziti With Ricotta
Easy Baked Ziti with Ricotta is easy to make, ready is under an hour and classic Italian American comfort food! Made using tender ziti pasta, your favorite jar of spaghetti sauce, a creamy layer of ricotta cheese, ground beef and a generous sprinkling of mozzarella, this easy baked ziti recipe is everyones favorite dinner!
Easy baked ziti with ricotta is my all-time favorite . Its the perfect twist on a classic lasagna casserole.
Less work, less stress and no fighting with broken lasagna noodles.
Instead of using lasagna noodles, I make my baked ziti using tender ziti pasta mixed with my favorite jar of store-bought spaghetti sauce.
Then I add in ground beef, a layer of creamy ricotta cheese and a sprinkling of mozzarella and you have the ultimate comfort food meal!
Baked ziti is the perfect busy weeknight meal or binging out watching Netflix all weekend.
Super easy to throw together and ready to eat in under an hour, this is the perfect easy comfort food recipe.
Its also a great make ahead meal and it freezes beautifully.
That translates into you being able to have baked ziti any time you want! Just grab it out of your freezer and commence to eating!
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Can I Add Or Replace Some Ingredients
Yes, a few ingredients can be added or replaced in this recipe.
For example, add ground beef, sausage, or vegetables to the sauce mixture.
You could also use a different type of cheese in place of the ricotta, such as cottage cheese or goat cheese.
Lastly, you could use a different type of pasta, such as penne or Rigatoni.
Can I Use Penne Or Do I Have To Use Ziti Pasta
This baked ziti uses, of course, ziti pasta. But you can easily substitute penne in this recipe if you need/want to. They are both tubular pastas, so they have the same basic shape. Penne is slightly smaller than ziti, but it wont make too much of a difference.
Should I cover ziti while it bakes?
Bake it covered for the first 30 minutes, then finish baking uncovered.
Can I use meat sauce instead of marinara?
Yes! If you prefer, substitute meat sauce in place of the marinara.
What does al dente mean?
Cooking the pasta al dente means just until it starts to soften, but still firm to the bite. You dont want it to be too soft since it will cook in the casserole.
How long do you bake ziti?
It will bake for a total of around 45 minutes.
How do you keep baked ziti from drying out?
The layering of pasta, sauce, and cheese will keep the pasta from drying out in the oven. Keeping it covered for the first part of baking helps too!
Can you make ziti the night before?
Absolutely! This is a great make ahead baked ziti recipe. Check below for details on how to do so.
Should you bake ziti before freezing it?
If you want to make this ahead of time to freeze, I dont recommend baking it first. Cook the pasta and sauce, then layer into the casserole without the shredded cheese. Cover and freeze. You can add the cheese and fully bake when youre ready to serve.
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Baked Ziti Side Dishes
Looking for side dishes to serve with baked ziti? Here are a few of my favorites:
- Dutch Oven Bread:This recipe requires very minimal hands-on time, although it does require a bit of planning. Prepare it the day before you want to bake. For the recipe linked, omit the cheese and seasoning for a plain crusty bread with which to sop up that delicious baked ziti!
- Challah Rolls: The interior of this challah is light and airy with a golden crust. Perfect for your weeknight bread basket!
- Pull Apart Potato Rolls:This Pull-Apart Potato Rolls recipe will become your new go-to for special occasions, holiday meals, or any occasion! Incorporating mashed potatoes into the bread dough helps create super light, fluffy rolls that are simply irresistible.
Easy Baked Ziti Recipe
Often, we use the phrase blond Italians in our home.
No, we are not Italian, but by the way we inhale all things considered to be Italian food, we need to be.
We LOVE our pasta! Theres nothing yummier to smell than homemade sauce simmering on the stove, but in my stage of life, Ive had to let go of always serving homemade pasta sauce and have chosen to doctor up some of the store bought ones available.
For our family, baked pastas top the list of our comfort food selections, and this one is very simple, cozy, meatless choice. This meal went so fast that I didnt even have time to snap a picture of the entire dish.
No, stop eating. I havent gotten a picture yet.
So, this is a scaled down version of what I made.
This makes a wonderful Cooking with Kidsmeal since we are not cooking our noodles first,. My nine year old can mix this up, since she doesnt have to worry about pre-cooking the noodles and transferring them on her own.
Remember that you may vary your choices of quick cooking pastas. We used traditional ziti noodles, but try curly rotini, bow ties, tri colored varieties or angel hair. All of them will vary the look, but still give you the delicious end result.
The basic meatless recipe that I am sharing is wonderful as written, but feel free to add in some ground sausage or small pieces of cooked chicken as an option. Serve with the 5 Minute Artisan Style Homemade Bread, and you will be the new food hero in your home.
Enjoy! Its so yummy.
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Easy Baked Ziti With Sausage
Baked Ziti is one of the most comforting and classic Italian-American pasta dishes. Tender cooked ziti is baked to perfection with an incredibly flavorful homemade pasta sauce, savory and spiced Italian spicy sausage, and decadent ricotta mixture! This is an easy weekend dinner your family and friends will love.
Instructions. Preheat oven to 350F degrees. Spray a 9x 13 baking dish with nonstick spray. Prepare pasta according to directions. In a medium sauce pan, brown ground beef with onion . After beef is brown and crumbled, drain excess grease. Put back in pot and pour in one jar of spaghetti sauce.
The ziti is cooked and tossed with the cheeses and meat sauce, and then layered with more sauce and cheese before its baked until golden and bubbling. In this recipe, lean ground beef and Italian sausage are the base for the tomato meat sauce, which is flavored with onion, garlic, basil, oregano, and crushed red pepper.
How to Make Baked Ziti: Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Cook the pasta according to directions on package. Drain and add back to the pot. Add 2 cups of the marinara sauce, plus any add ins to the cooked pasta and mix well. Move the pasta to a 9×13 casserole dish. Top with remaining marinara sauce, and then cheese.
How To Make Vegan Tofu Ricotta
For this recipe, youll need to prepare some tofu ricotta.
Dont worry, its really easy to make!
To make vegan tofu ricotta:
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How To Make My Easy Baked Ziti Recipe
Cook ziti according to package directions, but only cook it for half of the recommended time.
Drain in a colander and run cold water over it to stop the cooking process.
Remove sausage from the casings. To do this, just cut a line down one side with a knife and it will come open and slip off.
Place sausages in a large skillet and add onion and garlic. Saute that over medium-high heat until sausage is nicely brown and has no pink in the middle.
This is my little handy dandy meat chopper thingie. but they are available in a bunch of places. I get a lot of questions whenever I show it and yes, you really do need one!
Pour that into a large bowl and add chopped pepperoni.
Add partially cooked pasta, an entire jar of pizza sauce, and half the jar of spaghetti sauce.
Stir until it is all mixed up really well.
Did I mention that this is a large bowl? Oh yes, I did. If you overlooked that at this point you may be looking for another bowl
Get Layering!
Now put half of the remaining spaghetti sauce in the bottom of a 3.5 to 4-quart baking dish and place half of your pasta mixture on top of that, spread about a bit.
Sprinkle about a cup or cup and a half of shredded cheese over it.
Add the rest of your mixture, spread the remaining spaghetti sauce on top, and sprinkle with about another cup and a half of cheese.
Place this in a 350 oven, uncovered, for 30 minutes, or until the top is just very lightly brown.
Now go eat your saucy, flavorful, easy baked ziti.
Ingredients In Baked Ziti
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.
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No Ricotta Baked Ziti Recipes
Bake for 30 to 35 minutes, or until hot and bubbly. To freeze: Cover dish with foil and freeze. When frozen you can pop it out of the container and put in a freezer bag if desired. To heat: Thaw. Preheat oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit. Cover and bake for 20 minutes. Uncover and bake for 10-15 minutes more.
Preheat oven to 400 degrees F. Bring a large pot of salted water to boil and add ziti. Cook the ziti until just al dente, about 10 to 12 minutes, and drain. Meanwhile, bring the marinara sauce to simmer in a large skillet. Stir in the ricotta and basil leaves. Spread ½ cup of the sauce in the bottom of a 15-by-10-inch Pyrex baking dish.
Best Baked Ziti Recipe No Ricotta. Recipes for baked ricotta and a discussion about ricotta infornata, a type of baked ricotta cheese sold in stores the spruce / jennifer meier ricotta is originally an italian cheese with a mild, milky flavor appropriate for both sweet and s best baked ziti recipe no ricotta
Combine the remaining 1/4 cup Parmesan cheese, ricotta , egg, parsley, 1 tsp salt, and 1/8 tsp pepper. Stir well. Place half of the macaroni mixture in a lightly greased 13 x 9 x 2 inch baking dish. Top with the ricotta cheese mixture and half of the sausage. Top with the remaining ziti mixture and sausages.
What Is Baked Ziti
Baked ziti is a homestyle, family-friendly meal that has restaurant-quality flavors on a dime. Simply put, its pasta tossed in a creamy cheese mixture, layered on top of tomato sauce in a casserole dish. Then its baked until the melty cheesy goodness bubbles on the sides and the top is golden brown. It is to lasagna what a burger is to a steak. And we all know how much everyone loves a burger!
This means its a scrumptious choice when you are craving something quick but tastes like youve been in the kitchen all day. It is sure to be a family favorite, whether its meatless Monday or not!
This is a vegetarian version, but feel free to add chunks of Italian sausage, extra veggies, or even ground beef. This kid-friendly dish allows you to pick and choose your fillings and tastes amazing no matter what.
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How To Make Vegan Baked Ziti
- Step One: Preheat your oven to 350F/190C and grease a 9×13 inch baking dish.
- Step Two: Bring a large pot of water to a boil. I love to use my electric tea kettle to speed up this processes! Boil your pasta until al dente, which is usually about 1-2 minutes less than the suggested cooking time. Drain and rinse.
- Step Three: While the pasta is boiling, prepare the vegan tofu ricotta. Heat a little olive oil in a skillet over medium heat. Sauté the chopped onion and garlic until the onion is soft and translucent. Place the sautéed onion and garlic into your food processor and add in the remaining ricotta ingredients. Process the ingredients together until a fairly smooth cheese forms. Set it aside.
- Step Four: Once your pasta is cooked and your tofu ricotta is made, combine the two together in a large mixing bowl. Add in 3 cups of marinara sauce and 2 cups of vegan mozzarella. Stir well to combine.
- Step Five: Pour the pasta mixture into your greased baking dish and spread it out until fairly level. Top the pasta with the remaining 1 cup of marinara sauce, 1 cup of vegan mozzarella and the vegan parmesan, if using.
- Step Six: Bake the pasta uncovered for about 30 minutes or until its heated through the vegan cheese is all melty and gooey.
- Step 7: Serve warm with a fresh green salad and some crusty whole wheat artisan bread!
If you love easy, vegan Italian dishes like this baked ziti, then be sure to check out the following recipes!
Quick Baked Ziti With Sour Cream
Quick baked ziti lets you decide what ingredients you use! This version is simple to make with or without meat and uses both sour cream and ricotta, but you can easily swap one for the other. When blended with melty mozzarella and your favorite sauce, this is one pan of flavorful weeknight dinner goodness.
Theres not much easier than pasta when you need to get dinner done in a rush so this quick baked ziti is the perfect fit when youre stuck, worn out, or plain old sick of what youve been making.
It feels like you tried a little harder than just basic spaghettibut its still really easy to make.
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