Baked Ziti

Pasta dishes are incredibly filling, which is very helpful — especially if you have a houseful of hungry teens . This baked ziti is not just about filling their bellies though, its fast, easy, and clean-up is a breeze. Nothing makes my life easier than disposable bakeware and freezer meal cooking.

Whether you need to serve your busy family, or you want to take a last minute meal to a family with a new baby – the baked ziti recipe is perfect to have stocked in your freezer. Probably one of the first freezer meals ever invented, this classic dish is easy to make, easy to freeze, and easy to bake when you are ready for something hot and delicious to put on the table. The way freezer cooking should be.

For more recipes that fit this bill, be sure to check out our Freezer Meals 101 club. If pasta is your favorite, you’ll also want to try our Hamburger Pasta Casserole or this Make Ahead Chicken and Spinach Penne Alfredo.

Baked Ziti Recipe

Ingredients

• 16 oz. ziti or rigatoni
• 1 lb. ground Italian sausage, browned
• 48 oz. pasta sauce
• 15 oz. ricotta cheese
• 1 egg
• 2 cups mozzarella cheese, divided
• 3/4 cups Parmesan, divided
• 2 Tbsp. fresh basil, chopped
• 1 tsp. Italian seasoning
• 1/2 tsp. red pepper flakes
• salt and pepper

How to Make Baked Ziti

Assembly Instructions

1. Cook the noodles. You should slightly undercook them because they will absorb more liquid as they freeze and then again when they are baked later.
2. Drain.
3. Add to a large casserole dish or foil tray.
4. In a bowl, mix the ricotta, egg, 1 cup of the mozzarella, 1/2 cup of the Parmesan, basil, and seasonings.
5. Add the ricotta mixture to the pasta.
6. Add the pasta sauce and cooked sausage.
7. Stir.
8. Top with remaining 1 cup of mozzarella and 1/4 cup of Parmesan.
9. Cover with plastic wrap and foil.
10. Freeze.

Cooking Instructions

1. Thaw overnight in the fridge.
2. Remove plastic wrap.
3. Recover with foil.
4. Bake at 375°F for 25 minutes.
5. Uncover and bake another 5-10 minutes until cheese is melted.

I can’t have egg. Can I leave it out of this dish?

Yes. The egg helps bind the cheeses and add body to the ricotta, but it is not strictly necessary for this particular dish.

How do I know when the noodles are ready?

It is perfectly fine to partially cook the noodles for this dish, since they will absorb more liquid later in the cooking process. I recommend getting your water boiling first, then dumping the noodles in and checking the time on the box. Subtract two to four minutes from the recommended time for al dente noodles. Time your pasta and drain it when the timer goes off. you want the noodles to have started softening, but not quite to al dente. This helps prevent a mushy finished dish.

Can I cook the baked ziti from frozen?

Yes. Plan for it to need twice as long to cook, about an hour. When possible, it’s best to thaw it first as then it cooks more evenly.

How do I know when the baked ziti is cooked?

Everything should be hot and bubbly and the cheese fully melted. You can put it under a broiler to brown the cheese on top for one minute if you like.

Baked Ziti Recipe Ideas

If you can’t find ziti, you can use rigatoni pasta, or any kind of larger chunky pasta if you can’t find rigatoni either.

I know people who will sub out the ricotta cheese for cottage cheese and love this dish every bit as much. It all comes down to your personal preference.

The Parmesan cheese adds significant salt content, so I would use an Italian blend without added salt.

You can change the heat intensity of the baked ziti simply by changing the sausage, which comes in mild, regular or original, medium, and hot flavors.

Whole milk mozzarella cheese is signficantly better both in flavor and in texture than it’s lower fat counterparts.

How do I store Baked Ziti?

Leftover Baked Ziti will keep for up to four days in the refrigerator as long as it is stored in an airtight container. You can also freeze individual portions and reheat them at a later date.

What to Serve with Baked Ziti

A nice salad and a loaf of homemade garlic bread would be perfect. Of course, you could also add roasted green veggies, and any other kind of bread you enjoy to the meal. One of my favorites is a pan of roasted asparagus. I wash the stalks, toss them in olive oil, salt, and lemon pepper, then roast at 400ºF for about ten to twelve minutes. Yum.

Print

Baked Ziti

Prep Time

20 mins

Cook Time

27 mins

Total Time

48 mins

 

Servings: 8

Calories: 670 kcal

Ingredients

• 16 oz. ziti or rigatoni
• 1 lb. ground Italian sausage browned
• 48 oz. pasta sauce
• 15 oz. ricotta cheese
• 1 egg
• 2 cups mozzarella cheese divided
• 3/4 cups Parmesan divided
• 2 Tbsp. fresh basil chopped
• 1 tsp. Italian seasoning
• 1/2 tsp. red pepper flakes
• salt and pepper

Instructions

Assembly Instructions

1. Cook the noodles. You should slightly undercook them because they will absorb more liquid as they freeze and then again when they are baked later.
2. Drain.
3. Add to a large casserole dish or foil tray.
4. In a bowl, mix the ricotta, egg, 1 cup of the mozzarella, 1/2 cup of the Parmesan, basil, and seasonings.
5. Add the ricotta mixture to the pasta.
6. Add the pasta sauce and cooked sausage.
7. Stir.
8. Top with remaining 1 cup of mozzarella and 1/4 cup of Parmesan.
9. Cover with plastic wrap and foil.
10. Freeze.

Cooking Instructions

1. Thaw overnight in the fridge.
2. Remove plastic wrap.
3. Recover with foil.
4. Bake at 375°F for 25 minutes.
5. Uncover and bake another 5-10 minutes until cheese is melted.