My family LOVES this easy and delicious Baked Ziti recipe, and I love that it’s made all in just one pan! It’s as fast and delicious as comfort food gets and ready in less than 30 minutes!
Sometimes all I need in the world is a bowl filled with warm cheesy comfort food, like Chicken Noodle Casserole, Meatball Casserole, or Lasagna Soup! But Baked ziti is always the first to come to mind when I think about satisfying this craving.
What we LOVE about this recipe:
- 30-Minute Meals! This is one of many quick and easy 30 minute recipes that also happens to be super family friendly.
- One pan dinner. One Pan meals are appealing to everyone because the entire meal is made using just one pan! This One Pan Baked Ziti accomplishes my goal of an easy homemade dinner– only using one pan from start to finish! It’s these type of meals that qualify you as rock-star mom status in my book 🙂 It’s cheesy, sauce-y and totally delicious!
- Adaptable. This recipe can be varied a lot depending on the ingredient you have or any dietary restrictions. See suggestions below in the post.
How to make Baked Ziti:
Make Ahead And Freezing Instructions:
To make ahead: Yes, to make it ahead of time, follow the directions up to step 4. Don’t add and cook the noodles yet because you don’t want them to get soggy or to soak up too much of the liquid. Continue with step 5 just before you want to serve it.
To freeze: Prepare the recipe up until the baking step. Cover with a double layer of aluminum foil sprayed lightly with non-stick cooking spray. Freeze for up to 3 months. Thaw overnight in the refrigerator, and bake for an additional 15-20 minutes, or, bake from frozen, covered in foil for 1 hour and 15 minutes, and uncover and bake 20-30 minutes longer, or until bubbly and warmed through.
Recipe Variations and Adaptations:
- The skillet: You can make it in any type of LARGE skillet, as long as it’s oven proof. A simple cast-iron skillet would work great.
- The noodles: If you can’t find ziti noodles at the store, buy them online, or substitute penne, farfalle, or other type of bite-size pasta.
- The meat: we love the flavor of ground sausage but feel free to substitute ground beef or turkey.
- The cheese: substitute any type of shredded cheese if you don’t have mozzarella or parmesan.
Check out all my 30 Minute Meals! Some of my favorites include:
- Taco Soup
- Creamy Tomato and Spinach Tortellini
- Crispy Bean and Cheese Burritos
- Creamy Chicken and Asparagus Pasta
- Thai Basil Chicken
- Creamy Tomato and Spinach Tortellini
You can also FOLLOW ME on FACEBOOK, TWITTER, INSTAGRAM and PINTEREST for more great recipes!
One Pan Baked Ziti
Video
Ingredients
- 1/2 pound ground Italian sausage (I use 'hot)
- 14.5 ounce can diced tomatoes
- 8 ounces tomato sauce
- 1 teaspoon olive oil
- 5-6 cloves garlic , minced
- 1/4 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes
- 1 Tablespoon dried basil (or 1/2 cup fresh basil leaves but add it at the end)
- 1/2 teaspoon dried oregano leaves
- 3 cups water
- 12 ounces ziti pasta (or similar pasta)
- 1/2 cup half and half (or heavy cream)
- 1/2 cup freshly grated parmesan cheese
- freshly ground black pepper
- 1 cup shredded mozzarella cheese
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 500 degrees F.
- Add olive oil to a deep, 12-inch or larger oven-safe skillet over medium heat. Add sausage cook until browned, about 3-5 minutes.
- Add the garlic and crushed red pepper flakes to the pan and cook for 1-2 minutes.
- Add the diced tomatoes, tomato sauce, dried basil and oregano. Stir well. Reduce heat and simmer, stirring occasionally, for 5-10 minutes.
- Add the water and dry pasta. Bring to a boil, cover, reduce heat to a low boil and cook, stirring occasionally, for 10-15 minutes or until noodles are tender.
- Stir in the half and half, and parmesan cheese and season with salt and pepper to taste. Sprinkle mozzarella evenly on top.
- Transfer the skillet to the oven and bake until the cheese has melted and browned, about 5 minutes. Enjoy!
- I love to serve this with easy Homemade Breadsticks!
Notes
Nutrition
Have you tried this recipe?!
RATE and COMMENT below! I would love to hear your experience.
*I originally shared this recipe February 2015. Updated November 2018.
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Johannah says
Is there a way to do this as a freezer meal for a new mother?
Lauren Allen says
Yes, you could freeze it.Prepare it right up until the baking step and then cover with a double layer of aluminum foil. Thaw in the refrigerator overnight before baking, or bake from frozen for 1 hour and 30 minutes, uncover and bake 30 minutes longer.
Chelsea says
My husband has declared this recipe my best Pinterest find!!! 🙂 And he is not normally an Italian food fan. My family of 5 love it, and I have made it quite a bit! It is one of my favorite meals, and I make it for company.
Lauren Allen says
I’m so happy to hear that! I hope you get to try more of my recipes soon!
Kori Nicholson says
I’ve made this recipe twice now and it’s always soooo good!!
Scott says
I make this all the time. I’m not the best cook but this recipe is very simple and just as good as any ziti I’ve gotten at some well known Italian restaurants.
Corinne says
Second time making it and seems like 3 cups is a lot of water. Was I supposed to drain the tomatoes?
nuraman00 says
I’ve never eaten baked ziti before.
I thought it came out good. However, next time, I would just cook the pasta in a separate pot. It was not as easy to correctly cook the pasta in this large of a pan.
https://i.imgur.com/fSWhsiS.jpg
Hugh Taylor says
My ten year old and I each had a pan and did a bake off with this one so we basically double-batched it. It came out amazing (actually his was a little better.) Easy to make, very filling and delicious.
Heidi W. says
Love this recipe and make it at least twice a month! To fit our dietary needs, we cut the pasta and water in half. We also add a bag of fresh spinach with the cream, stirring to combine. If it is too hot in the summer to turn on the oven, we just pop the lid back on and let the steam melt the cheese and cook the spinach in minutes. Delicious, easy, and a great company meal! Everyone always asks for the recipe! Than you so much for sharing this!
Kristin Nahirniak says
A family favorite! I do crushed tomatoes instead of diced to make the sauce a little smoother for the kids.
Jessica says
Could you just add the cheese and place a lid on it to melt the cheese without baking it?
Lauren Allen says
Yes, you could do that. The cheesy won’t get bubbly on top but it will taste great.