Baked Ziti
Quick answer
- Total time
- 55 min
- Level
- Medium
- Servings
- 4 servings
- Ingredients
- 9
About this dish
Baked ziti is an Italian-American oven pasta that delivers a lasagna-style flavor structure with far less assembly work.
Read more
Tubular ziti noodles are boiled to al dente, tossed in a beef-and-tomato meat sauce, then layered in a baking dish with generous amounts of ricotta and shredded mozzarella. The tube shape traps sauce inside each piece, distributing flavor more evenly than flat pasta can. Parmesan spread across the top browns into a thin, crisp crust during the thirty-five-minute bake, while the interior melds into a cohesive mass of sauce-soaked pasta and melted cheese. Because no individual pasta sheets need to be layered, total hands-on preparation time is considerably shorter than classic lasagna. The dish scales easily to four or more servings in a single pan, making it well suited for family dinners and gatherings. Adding a small amount of water or sauce before reheating keeps leftovers from drying out.
Ingredients
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Instructions
Read the steps as a cooking flow: prep, heat, seasoning, doneness control, and finish.
- 1Season
Preheat the oven to 190C.
Boil 3 liters of water with 1 tablespoon salt, cook 320g ziti for 2 minutes less than the package states, then drain and toss with a light drizzle of olive oil to prevent sticking.
- 2Control
Heat 1 tablespoon olive oil over medium heat, cook 120g onion for 4 minutes until translucent, add 250g ground beef and break it apart with a wooden spoon, cooking 7-8 minutes until no pink remains and the meat is evenly browned.
- 3Control
Add 500ml tomato sauce and 1 teaspoon salt, then simmer uncovered over low heat for 8 minutes until the sauce thickens and small bubbles gather at the edges, signaling it is ready to turn off the heat.
- 4Season
In a large bowl, combine the cooked ziti with half the meat sauce and half of the 200g ricotta, tossing until evenly coated, then spread the mixture in an even layer across the baking dish.
- 5Finish
Spread the remaining meat sauce evenly over the top, dot the surface with the rest of the ricotta, tear 220g mozzarella into small pieces and scatter to cover the entire surface, then finish with 40g grated Parmesan.
- 6Control
Bake uncovered at 190C for 20 minutes until the cheese surface turns into a golden, bubbly crust, then rest 5 minutes to allow the contents to set before slicing and serving.
Practical Cooking Checks
The cues that matter most while cooking.
- Key technique
- Baked Ziti uses tubular pasta to trap savory meat sauce and melted mozzarella in every bite.
- Finish cue
- Bake uncovered at 190C for 20 minutes until the cheese surface turns into a golden, bubbly crust, then rest 5 minutes to allow the contents to set before slicing and serving.
- Avoid this
- Undercook pasta slightly to prevent mushy texture after baking.
- Storage and reheating
- Adding a small amount of water or sauce before reheating keeps leftovers from drying out.
Cooking decision evidence
Calculated Charim data and applicable official cooking and food safety guidance.
This recipe
55min, 9 ingredients
Category median
35min, 9 ingredients
Based on 109 recipes
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