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Dinner · Italian-style

Baked Ziti

Short pasta, a quick meat sauce, and ricotta bake under mozzarella until the edges crisp and the center stays saucy.

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Baked Ziti

20 minPrep35 minCook55 minTotal

Amounts scale with servings. Pan size and cooking time may need adjusting for larger batches.

Ingredients

Let’s make it

  1. 1

    Heat the oven to 375°F. Cook the pasta in salted water until just shy of tender. Drain.

  2. 2

    Heat oil in a wide skillet. Cook the beef until browned and 160°F. Stir in garlic for 30 seconds, then the pasta sauce. Simmer for 5 minutes.

  3. 3

    Stir ricotta, egg, and salt in a bowl. Toss the pasta with most of the meat sauce and half the mozzarella.

  4. 4

    Spread in a 9×13-inch dish. Dollop the ricotta mixture over the top, then the remaining sauce, mozzarella, and Parmesan. Bake for 25 minutes, until bubbling. Rest 10 minutes.

A few things that help

Undercook the pasta; it keeps absorbing sauce in the oven.

Resting the dish makes cleaner squares.

Use what you have

Use Italian sausage in place of beef, or a mix of the two.

Cottage cheese, blended smooth, can stand in for ricotta.

Your questions, answered

Can baked ziti be frozen?

Assemble, cool, and freeze unbaked for up to 2 months. Bake from thawed until the center is 165°F.

How do I keep baked ziti from drying out?

Leave enough sauce in the dish and do not overbake. Cover with foil for the first 15 minutes if your oven runs hot.

Keep something good going

Cooking mode

Baked Ziti