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Baked Ziti

My homemade baked ziti is made with a robustly flavored, from-scratch tomato sauce, Italian sausage, and melty, bubbly cheese. It's comfort food at its finest! Recipe includes a how-to video!

Prep Time
30 mins
Cook Time
30 mins
Total Time
1 hr
Servings: 8 servings
Calories: 634 kcal
Course: Main Course
Cuisine: Italian , American

Ingredients

  • 1 1 lb Ziti or Penne noodles
  • 2 2 Tablespoons + 2 teaspoons extra virgin olive oil divided
  • 5 5 cloves minced garlic  1 heaping Tablespoon
  • 1 1 onion finely chopped (about 1 cup)
  • 1 1 lb Italian sausage I’ve used Sweet Italian and Mild
  • 2 2 teaspoons Italian seasoning
  • 1 1 teaspoon onion powder
  • ¾ ¾ teaspoon garlic powder
  • ¾ ¾ teaspoon salt
  • ¾ ¾ teaspoon pepper
  • ¼ ¼ teaspoon red pepper flakes optional
  • 29 29 oz tomato sauce
  • 14 14 oz can fire roasted diced tomatoes undrained
  • 1 1 Tablespoon granulated sugar
  • ¼ ¼ cup thinly sliced fresh basil loosely packed
  • 1 1 heaping cup ricotta cheese
  • 1 ½ 1 ½ cups shredded Mozzarella cheese
  • ⅓ ⅓ cup grated Parmesan cheese

Instructions

    Cup of Yum
  1. Preheat oven to 350F and lightly butter the sides and bottom of a 9x13 casserole dish. Set aside.
  2. Prepare pasta according to package instructions, cook al dente. Drain, rinse under cold water, and mix with two teaspoons of olive oil.
  3. Meanwhile, prepare your sauce. Heat 2 Tablespoons of olive oil over medium heat in a large saucepan. Add onion and cook until translucent (3-5 minutes). Add garlic and cook until fragrant (30 seconds).
  4. Add Italian sausage and cook, crumbling, until mostly browned. Once sausage is mostly browned, add Italian seasoning, onion powder, garlic powder, salt, pepper, and red pepper flakes, stirring and cooking until sausage is entirely browned.
  5. Add tomato sauce, diced tomatoes, and sugar. Bring to a simmer and cook, stirring frequently, until slightly thickened.
  6. Remove from heat and stir in basil.
  7. Spread a small amount of pasta sauce (several spoonfuls, enough to just lightly cover the bottom) on the bottom of prepared casserole dish.
  8. Layer the sauce with half of the noodles (if some have stuck together while sitting, they should be easy to break apart with your hands). Top with half of the remaining sauce and use a spoon to spread evenly over noodles.
  9. Dollop ricotta evenly over sauce. Top evenly with remaining noodles and then remaining sauce.
  10. Top with mozzarella cheese and grated parmesan. Lightly grease a piece of foil with butter or oil, cover ziti and bake for 20 minutes. Uncover and continue to cook another 5-10 minutes or until bubbly.
  11. Serve warm & enjoy!

Notes

  • Cover tightly and store in the refrigerator for up to 5 days. The ziti may also be prepped in advance, follow the steps through assembly then cover tightly and refrigerate for up to 2 days before baking according to instructions (note that it may need to bake a bit longer this way). 
  • If you'd like to freeze this recipe you may do so before or after baking. If before baking, follow steps through assembly, allow the dish to cool completely, then wrap it tightly with plastic wrap and then aluminum foil and freeze for up to 3 months. 
  • If freezing after baking, allow ziti to cool completely then cover tightly with plastic wrap and aluminum foil and freeze for up to 3 months. 
  • To bake from frozen, bake covered for about 60-75 minutes then uncover and bake 15 minutes or so until bubbly and cooked through.
  • Alternatively, thaw overnight in the refrigerator then bake as indicated (may take 10 minutes or so longer to bake all the way through). 

Nutrition Information

Serving 1serving Calories 634kcal (32%) Carbohydrates 69g (23%) Protein 32g (64%) Fat 27g (42%) Saturated Fat 11g (55%) Polyunsaturated Fat 11g Monounsaturated Fat 3g Cholesterol 61mg (20%) Sodium 1576mg (66%) Potassium 938mg (27%) Fiber 6g (24%) Sugar 9g (18%) Vitamin A 800IU (16%) Vitamin C 12.4mg (14%) Calcium 370mg (37%) Iron 5mg (28%)

Nutrition Facts

Serving: 8servings

Amount Per Serving

Calories 634

% Daily Value*

Serving 1serving
Calories 634kcal 32%
Carbohydrates 69g 23%
Protein 32g 64%
Fat 27g 42%
Saturated Fat 11g 55%
Polyunsaturated Fat 11g 65%
Monounsaturated Fat 3g 15%
Cholesterol 61mg 20%
Sodium 1576mg 66%
Potassium 938mg 20%
Fiber 6g 24%
Sugar 9g 18%
Vitamin A 800IU 16%
Vitamin C 12.4mg 14%
Calcium 370mg 37%
Iron 5mg 28%

* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2,000 calorie diet.