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4.7 from 48 votes

Baked Ziti with Meat Sauce

This baked ziti recipe is rich, hearty, and loaded with cheese and beef. It has more steps than most of our recipes, but it's absolutely worth the effort and time. Nothing is overly complicated as long as you have a bit of time to spend in the kitchen.

Prep Time
30 mins
Cook Time
30 mins
Total Time
1 hr 15 mins
Servings: 8
Calories: 666 kcal
Course: Main Course
Cuisine: Italian

Ingredients

For the pasta and sauce:
  • 1 pound ziti
  • 1 pound ground beef
  • 20 ounces marinara jarred or homemade
For the ricotta mixture:
  • 15 ounces ricotta cheese
  • 1 large egg
  • 1/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese
  • 1 1/2 teaspoons Italian seasoning divided
For the bechamel:
  • 2 tablespoons butter
  • 2 tablespoons flour
  • 1/2 cup milk
  • 1/2 cup heavy cream
  • 1/2 teaspoon pepper
  • 1/4 teaspoon nutmeg
For assembly:
  • 8 ounces mozzarella freshly shredded

Instructions

To make the pasta and sauce:
    Cup of Yum
  1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Spray a 9x13 baking dish with non-stick spray.
  2. Bring a large pot of water to a boil and season with salt. Boil the pasta for 3 minutes less than the package directs.
  3. While the pasta boils, brown the ground beef in a medium skillet. Drain the fat. Stir in the marinara sauce and warm through over medium heat.
To make the ricotta mixture:
  1. In a medium bowl mix together the ricotta, egg, Parmesan cheese, and 1 teaspoon of Italian seasoning.
To make the bechamel:
  1. In a small pot melt the butter and whisk in the flour. Cook until hot and bubbly. Whisk in the milk and cream and cook 5 minutes or until the sauce has thickened to a gravy consistency. Stir in the pepper and nutmeg.
To assemble and bake:
  1. Spread 1/4 cup of the meat sauce in the bottom of a 9x13 baking dish.
  2. Pour in half of the ziti and spread it out. Pour on half of the meat sauce and spread it over the ziti. Spread half of the bechamel over the meat sauce.
  3. Drop dollops of the ricotta mixture over the meat sauce and then sprinkle with half of the mozzarella.
  4. Repeat the layers of ziti and meat sauce. Pour the remaining bechamel evenly over the top. Place the remaining cheese on top and sprinkle with the 1/2 teaspoon of Italian seasoning.
  5. Bake covered for 30 minutes.
  6. Remove the cover and bake for another 10-15 minutes or until the cheese is melted and bubbly.
  7. Let set for 10 minutes before serving.

Notes

  • Use any variety of short cut pasta that you prefer. Penne and rigatoni both work well here.
  • You can use our spaghetti sauce recipe in place of the jar of sauce here.
  • The bechamel sauce sounds a bit fancy, but it's just as simple as making a gravy! Don't be intimidated by this step!
  • To save time, you can swap the béchamel sauce for a jar of Alfredo sauce. 

Nutrition Information

Calories 666kcal (33%) Carbohydrates 52g (17%) Protein 33g (66%) Fat 36g (55%) Saturated Fat 19g (95%) Trans Fat 1g Cholesterol 145mg (48%) Sodium 729mg (30%) Potassium 645mg (18%) Fiber 3g (12%) Sugar 6g (12%) Vitamin A 1134IU (23%) Vitamin C 5mg (6%) Calcium 357mg (36%) Iron 3mg (17%)

Nutrition Facts

Serving: 8Serving

Amount Per Serving

Calories 666

% Daily Value*

Calories 666kcal 33%
Carbohydrates 52g 17%
Protein 33g 66%
Fat 36g 55%
Saturated Fat 19g 95%
Trans Fat 1g 50%
Cholesterol 145mg 48%
Sodium 729mg 30%
Potassium 645mg 14%
Fiber 3g 12%
Sugar 6g 12%
Vitamin A 1134IU 23%
Vitamin C 5mg 6%
Calcium 357mg 36%
Iron 3mg 17%

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