Baked ziti is constantly a comfortable, warming, and deeply soothing dish– but we have actually simply made it even easier. Despite it tasting like the sauce simmered for hours, this entire baked ziti dish, from start to complete, is ready in practically an hour.

The ragu is filled with the tasty flavors of tomatoes and marinara sauce. The sweet taste in the tomatoes truly comes through and contrasts well with the richness of the ricotta mix, which is extra velvety and rich thanks to light whipping cream and lots of cheese. Finally on top, more cheese is cooked until brown and crispy, the best cap to the very best baked pasta dishes.

Discover how to make baked ziti, and amaze your family with the most comforting, cheesy meal for supper tonight.

What Is Baked Ziti?
Baked ziti is a baked pasta casserole typically made with a meat sauce, velvety ricotta mix, and naturally ziti, a hollow tube-shaped pasta. It’s likewise generally topped with a healthy layer of cheese and then baked up until bubbly and golden brown. It strikes all the notes when you’re craving cheesy, rich Italian food.

What is the difference between baked ziti and lasagna?
Baked ziti and classic lasagna have a lot of the very same components, but baked ziti is much faster than lasagna. There’s no complex layers, and the ragu for baked ziti cooks rapidly. Many lasagna meat sauces prepare for several hours.

Ingredients for Baked Ziti
You’ll need some classic Italian active ingredients and a few kitchen staples for this baked ziti dish, however everything should be quickly discovered at your supermarket. Here’s what to collect from the fridge and kitchen:

Ziti: This hollow tube-shaped pasta is considerable enough to hold up with the meaty sauce and loads of cheese.
Lean hamburger: Cooked till tender, hamburger is great in the easy ragu. Other options are gone over listed below.
Yellow onion and garlic: These include tasty taste and depth to the ragu.
Entire peeled plum tomatoes: The smooth, thin nature of these tomatoes makes them simple to squash by hand for the sauce. They likewise maintain much of their sweetness and tartness, essential for getting the contrasting flavors you desire in this dish.
Marinara sauce: You can make our own sauce if you want, but to keep things quick, we recommend you utilize your favorite jarred range.
Whole-milk ricotta cheese: A traditional baked pasta component, it adds loads of richness and creaminess to the baked ziti sauce.
Heavy whipping cream: Adds creaminess and makes the sauce more decadent.
Crushed red pepper: Just a bit will include some heat to the sauce, but you can skip if you desire.
Mozzarella cheese: Shred your own if you have time. The fresh cheese melts better than pre-shredded cheese, which has an anti-caking agent that keeps the shreds from sticking together.
Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese: Adds a deeply tasty flavor and nuttiness to the topping and pasta.
Parsley: A last hit of freshness and color as a garnish.

How To Make Baked Ziti
The complete recipe for baked ziti is further below, but here’s a fast summary of the process before you start:

Cook the ziti in salted water up until al dente. Drain it and toss it with olive oil to keep the pasta from sticking together. (Don’t stress; the pasta will still soak up the sauce.).
Make the ragu. Start by browning the ground beef, then adding and cooking the onion and garlic till tender. Pour in the plum tomatoes and marinara, and simmer. Take out about 3 cups of this ragu sauce for assembly.
Make the ricotta mixture. To the staying ragu, add the ricotta, cream, salt, red pepper, and a few of the mozzarella and Parm-Reg cheeses. Stir up until well combined, then include the ziti.
Assemble the casserole. In a 9×13-inch baking meal, layer the ragu, ziti mixture, and finally the staying cheeses.
Bake. Prepare the casserole in the oven until the cheeses are melted and browning.
For How Long To Bake Baked Ziti.
Almost all the elements of baked ziti are cooked when the casserole is put together. You just require to let the cheeses melt and bring everything together with a bake in the oven.

At 375 ° F, baked ziti should prepare for 20 to 25 minutes, or till the cheeses have actually melted and are browning.

If you bake at a higher or lower temperature level, adjust the times up until the cheese is cooked. Avoid burning the leading cheeses by putting aluminum foil on the casserole if needed.

Tips for the Best Baked Ziti.
Baked ziti is a relatively easy dish, one that’s difficult to ruin. Still, our Test Kitchen professionals have a couple of insider pointers that will help you make the best one:.

Pressure ricotta if it’s soggy: Ricotta can make or break a meal like this. If your ricotta is looking watery, spread out ricotta over a couple of layers of paper towels. You have to use whole-milk ricotta as well, or the texture of the last meal will be modified.
Save the unique tomatoes: We normally enjoy San Marzano tomatoes, but don’t utilize them for this recipe due to the fact that they are too thick. Your completed ragu will be too tight.
Don’t overcook pasta: Cook the ziti just up until al dente so it’s not overcooked in the baked casserole.
Season the water: For the best salted water, add 3 tablespoons of kosher salt to about 4 quarts of water. That’s our go-to ratio for well-seasoned, not salty, starchy pasta water.
Shred your own cheese: Shred your cheese for optimum meltiness. Pre-shredded cheese is coated in cellulose, which prevents the cheese from clumping and lowers moisture.
Alternatives and Variations.
Consider this baked ziti recipe an overview, and you can color a bit outside those lines if you require to. Here are a couple of tips for switching things up:.
Cut the ground beef with some Italian sausage, or switch completely to Italian sausage. If you use hot sausage, get rid of the crushed red pepper or this could be a bit too hot for many folks.
Get some veggies in there. Include a bundle of thawed (and completely squeezed) frozen spinach.
Do not have ricotta? Use cottage cheese. Cottage cheese has a less grainy texture when baked than ricotta cheese, and if you do not like the clumps, you can break it down it in a mix or food processor up until smoother.
Do not have ziti? Usage another hollow, short, tube-like pasta, such as penne or rigatoni.
Swap fresh parsley for basil if you like that herb much better. And even rosemary would work perfectly.
Make-Ahead Tips for Baked Ziti.
This dish is prepared to serve in about an hour, but if you need to get ahead for a dinner later on today (or one in the future), there are some terrific methods to do that.
Prepare the ragu ahead of time, and store in an airtight container for approximately 3 days. When you’re all set to make the last dish, warm the sauce, add the cheeses and seasonings, put together, then bake per the directions.
Put together the entire casserole, then wrap it in plastic wrap and aluminum foil. Shop in the refrigerator approximately 24 hours. Bake it from cooled, however include 10 to 15 minutes to get it heated up all the way through.
You can also make the ragu ahead of time and freeze it. Thaw it overnight, and then warm it before you complete the dish and put together the full dish.
Can You Freeze Baked Ziti?
Yes, you can freeze baked ziti. You can freeze it before it’s baked– simply cover the put together casserole in cling wrap and aluminum foil. Freeze up to 3 months. Or you can freeze after it’s baked– let cool to space temperature before freezing. Wrap well, and freeze up to 3 months.

In any case, thaw the ziti in the refrigerator over night before baking or reheating in the oven.

How To Store and Reheat Baked Ziti.
Shop leftovers in an airtight container for as much as 3 days.

Reheat private portions in the microwave with 30-second bursts until warmed through.

Or reheat the whole meal in the oven at 350 ° F for 20 to 25 minutes, or up until warmed through. If the cheese begins to darken, cover with aluminum foil while the dish continues to heat.

Ingredients.
1 (1-lb.) pkg. ziti.

3 Tbsp. olive oil, divided.

1 lb. 90/10 lean ground beef.

1 small (7 oz.) yellow onion, finely chopped (about 1 1/4 cups).

3 big garlic cloves, carefully sliced (about 1 1/2 Tbsp.).

1 (28-oz.) can whole peeled plum tomatoes, squashed by hand.

1 (24-oz.) jar marinara sauce.

1 (15-oz.) container whole-milk ricotta cheese.

1/3 cup heavy whipping cream.

1 tsp. kosher salt.

1/2 tsp. crushed red pepper.

12 oz. pre-shredded low-moisture part-skim mozzarella cheese (about 3 cups), divided.

3 oz. Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese, grated (about 3/4 cup) and divided.

Chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley.

Directions.
Cook ziti:.
Preheat oven to 375 ° F. Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil over high. Add ziti, and cook, stirring occasionally, according to package instructions for al dente, about 10 minutes. Drain pipes ziti in a colander, and toss with 1 tablespoon of the oil.
Cook ground beef:.
While ziti cooks, heat staying 2 tablespoons oil in a large Dutch oven over medium-high. Begin beef into medium-sized clumps, and contribute to Dutch oven. Cook, stirring when midway through cook time, until deeply browned on 2 sides, 6 to 8 minutes.Break up hamburger into smaller pieces:.
Cook, stirring and breaking up meat into smaller pieces with a wood spoon, up until prepared through and no longer pink, about 2 minutes.
Add garlic and onion:.
Reduce heat to medium. Include onion and garlic, and cook, stirring frequently, until softened, about 3 minutes.
Make ragu:.
Stir in plum tomatoes and marinara sauce. Bring to a simmer over medium. Cover, and simmer, stirring sometimes, up until a little thickened, 10 to 12 minutes. Get rid of from heat, and reserved 3 cups of the ragu.

Include cheeses, cream, and flavoring to ragu:.
Add ricotta, cream, salt, crushed red pepper, 2 cups of the mozzarella, and 1/2 cup of the Parmigiano-Reggiano to remaining ragu in Dutch oven, and stir to combine. Add prepared ziti, and stir till thoroughly integrated.
Put together casserole:.
To put together, spread out 1 cup of the reserved ragu in the bottom of a 13- x 9-inch baking meal. Spoon half of the ziti mixture over ragu. Spoon 1 cup of the reserved ragu over ziti mix.
Spoon remaining ziti mixture over ragu. Spread staying 1 cup reserved ragu over ziti mix, and spray with remaining 1 cup mozzarella and 1/4 cup Parmigiano-Reggiano.
Bake:.
Bake, uncovered, in preheated oven up until cheese is melted and browned in areas, 20 to 25 minutes. Let cool 5 minutes. Garnish with parsley.