🧀 Cheesy Baked Ziti
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Ingredients
- 1 lb ziti or penne
- 24 oz marinara sauce
- 15 oz ricotta
- 2 cups shredded mozzarella
- Parmesan cheese
- Fresh basil
- Salt & pepper (pantry staple)
Instructions
- Boil pasta 2 min shy of al dente; toss with marinara and dollops of ricotta.
- Layer in a baking dish with mozzarella; top with parmesan.
- Bake at 400°F for 20–25 min until bubbling. Finish with basil.
Tips
- Undercook the pasta by 2 minutes. It keeps cooking in the oven, and pasta boiled to al dente first comes out soft and bloated.
- Season the ricotta before it goes in — salt, pepper, and an egg if you want it to set rather than stay loose. Unseasoned ricotta is why baked ziti is so often bland in the middle.
- Rest it 10 minutes out of the oven. Straight from the dish it slumps; rested it holds a slice.
Substitutions
- Ziti or penne
- Any short tubular pasta — rigatoni, mostaccioli, paccheri. Ridged shapes hold sauce better.
- Ricotta
- Cottage cheese blended smooth is a common, cheaper substitute. Béchamel makes it richer and more lasagne-like.
- Mozzarella
- Low-moisture block grated yourself. Pre-shredded is coated in starch and melts less smoothly.
- Marinara
- Any tomato sauce. Browned sausage or ground beef turns this into a heartier dish without changing the method.
Storage & reheating
Keeps 4 days refrigerated and freezes 3 months, cooked or assembled-but-unbaked. Bake from frozen at 375°F for about an hour, covered for the first 40 minutes. Reheat portions covered so the top doesn't dry out.
Common questions
Can I assemble it the night before?
Yes — it's the best make-ahead pasta dish there is. Refrigerate covered and add 10–15 minutes to the bake time from cold.
Why is mine dry?
Not enough sauce. Pasta absorbs a surprising amount in the oven, so use more than looks right, especially when baking from cold.
Ziti, baked ziti, or lasagne?
Ziti is the pasta shape. Baked ziti layers it with sauce and cheese; lasagne uses flat sheets and usually béchamel. Baked ziti is far less work.