How to Make Baked Ziti

Today you’re going to learn how to make baked ziti. If you’ve been searching for the perfect baked ziti recipe, you’re in the right place. It is a beefy, cheesy, saucy pasta casserole.
You’re going to love it.
Hey everybody by the end of this article,
you’re going to be a pro at making baked ziti. It is so easy, simple ingredients,
you can make it ahead, it reheats beautifully, and it’s just scrumptious. So let’s get started.

Ingredients

• 1 pound of ziti pasta noodles, but you can also use penne or any tube-shaped pasta
• 2 tablespoons of salt (for pasta water)
• one medium onion
• two large garlic cloves
• one cup of grated Parmesan cheese
• 12 ounces of mozzarella cheese
• one tablespoon of olive oil
• one pound of ground beef
• one teaspoon of salt (for meat sauce)
• half a teaspoon of black pepper (for meat sauce)
• five cups of marinara sauce
• 10 fresh basil leaves
• 15 ounces of ricotta cheese
• 9 by 13 casserole dish

Step-by-Step Instructions

1. Cook the pasta in well-salted water according to the package instructions until it is al dente or firm to the bite. I’m adding about 2 tablespoons of salt to the water, followed by the pasta, and make sure you don’t overcook the pasta at this point. Keep in mind, you’re still going to bake it in the oven. Here’s a quick tip. The best way to prevent your pasta from sticking is to give it a stir after adding it to the boiling water.
2. While that’s cooking, we’re going to do some quick prep. Chop one medium onion, and it seems like a lot of onion, but don’t worry, it’ll disappear into the casserole once it’s cooked. I don’t know my own strength.
3. Next, mince two large garlic cloves, and to quickly peel a garlic clove, first cut off the ends, then smash the clove with the blunt end of the knife. The skins should come right off. Finally, mince up that garlic and set it aside.
4. You’ll also need one cup of grated Parmesan cheese, and if you want to grate your own cheese, we love this little cheese grater. I will link to it in the notes. It’s really easy to use, easy to clean, and it makes it feel like you’re in a restaurant when you serve it over pasta. All right, that looks like about one cup. You’ll also need 12 ounces of mozzarella cheese. I’ve shredded that on the large holes of a box grater.
5. Now that we have all of the ingredients prepped, we’re ready to fire up the stove in a pot or Dutch oven, and I’m using my five and a half quart Dutch oven that I use for everything. I will link to this in the notes. Heat up one tablespoon of olive oil, then add one pound of ground beef and your chopped onions. Cook that together over medium-high heat, breaking it up with your spatula, and continue cooking until the beef is fully cooked through and the onions are softened. This takes about five to seven minutes.
6. Now add your minced garlic and season with one teaspoon of salt and half a teaspoon of black pepper. Saute that for another minute or until the garlic is fragrant.

7. Then add five cups of marinara sauce. We love using our homemade marinara sauce. I have a recipe for this that I will link in the notes. It is so easy to make and truly delicious. Bring that to a boil, then reduce the heat to a simmer and continue cooking for about five minutes before turning off the heat.
8. All right, our pasta is finished cooking. I always set a timer based on the package instructions, and I do like to taste one of the noodles to make sure it’s perfectly cooked. Those noodles can be hot, so be careful. Drain the pasta into a colander, and do not rinse it because you want the sauce to stick to the noodles.
9. Now that our pasta is cooked and our sauce is ready, we can assemble this pasta casserole. Spread a generous ladle of meat sauce over the bottom of a 9 by 13 casserole dish, and make sure to preheat your oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit. That little bit of sauce will keep the noodles from sticking to the bottom, and you won’t have to butter your dish.
10. For a little extra flavor in the sauce, I do like to add some fresh basil. I’m using 10 fresh basil leaves. Basil is a delicate and really fragrant herb, so you want to be gentle with it. The right way to slice it is to stack your leaves, then roll them into a log shape and thinly slice. This prevents the leaves from getting crushed and bruised. Add your chopped basil to the meat sauce.
11. You’ll also need 15 ounces of ricotta cheese. I love to keep some of that ricotta cheese texture in the casserole, so start by spooning it over the meat sauce, then gently stir just until it’s lightly combined.
12. Now add your drained hot pasta into the meat sauce and stir gently just until combined. You want to make sure all of the noodles are generously coated in sauce. You can already tell this is going to be good. It is so saucy and beefy, and you’ll be tempted to eat it at this point, but just wait, it’ll get better.
13. Here’s how we layer our baked ziti casserole. Transfer half of that saucy pasta to the casserole dish. Spread the pasta evenly into the dish, then top with half of your shredded mozzarella cheese. And I just love how much cheese is in this dish. It becomes a gooey, cheesy masterpiece. Because you can never have enough cheese, we’re also going to add half of the grated parmesan cheese. The combination of the two cheeses really makes this dish and adds great depth of flavor, so do not skip it. If you enjoy cheesy comfort foods, you might also love our easy creamy broccoli cheese soup recipe.
14. Now add the second half of the pasta. Spread the pasta evenly into the dish, then top with the remaining mozzarella and parmesan cheeses. Topping the casserole with cheese creates a beautiful, golden crust that seals in all the juiciness of the pasta.
15. Bake the casserole in the center of a preheated oven at 350 degrees Fahrenheit for about 25 minutes. The cheese should be melted and you’ll see bubbling at the edges of the casserole. I like to broil at the end for a couple minutes to create that beautiful golden brown crust, much like the perfect finish on our easiest healthy baked salmon recipe with garlic and lemon. I’m so excited because I’m hungry. It is way past lunch time and this is just calling my name so cheesy and you can see the little bubbling at the edges.
16. Once it’s out of the oven, you do want to let it rest for about 10 minutes because it’s piping hot inside and then we can dig right in.

17. You can garnish this with fresh basil, it’s a nice touch, adds that pop of color and flavor, you know. Okay and then garnishing with a little more fresh basil because there’s basil in the dish so it makes sense and it’s so pretty. Look at this. Boom, looks like something that came right out of a restaurant. Oh that’s my little cheat is using fresh garnish.

This is so good. It has all the classic flavors of lasagna with the marinara
and the meat sauce and all the cheese except this is extra saucy. It’s saucier than lasagna
but it also reheats really well. My daughter loves to take this in a hot thermos to school.
You can make this ahead which is perfect for Sunday lunch. We love using homemade marinara
for this and I have a great recipe, I will link to that in the notes but if you’re short on time
you can use a store-bought version. This is sure to become a family favorite, make it once and you’ll
make it over and over again. Oh yum, I can’t wait to enjoy the rest of this. I hope u enjoyed this quick and easy meal …

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