Baked Ziti is the ultimate comfort food for a crowd or just a family night dinner, rich and gooey with layers of pasta, creamy meat sauce, and three different kinds of cheese.
Easiest Baked Ziti
Baked Ziti is the easiest and quickest casserole dish you will ever make. You can have a fantastic meal in about an hour, a perfect weeknight meal.
As soon as the weather cools, I start cooking comfort food, like this Super Easy Baked Ziti. Total comfort food in a bowl.
Baked Ziti is the Mother of all pasta dishes. The recipe has existed in Italy for ages. There are many ways to make it, including making the sauces from scratch or using jarred sauce, mixing the sauces together or not, and using ricotta or not.
I make many casserole recipes from scratch, but this is one time I prefer to use the jar sauce. The recipe just became Americanized.
I prefer Rao's brand of jar sauce for the Homemade Marinara and Alfredo.
WHERE CAN I FIND THE RECIPE? TAKE ME TO THE RECIPE FOR SUPER EASY BAKED ZITI
Below, under the next heading, I provide a list of preferred ingredients, tips, and cooking instructions for Super Easy Baked Ziti, along with similar recipe ideas you can try.
Alternatively, scroll to the bottom to find a full printable recipe card with ingredient amounts and complete instructions, including helpful notes.
TIPS AND TIDBITS TO MAKE THE BEST SUPER EASY BAKED ZITI
CAN I USE DIFFERENT PASTA? Yes. The recipe is adaptable to most pastas, but I recommend penne, rigatoni, and especially ziti.
Can I cook perfect pasta? Yes. Provided your box directions are clear, cook the pasta carefully. The ideal cooked pasta is al dente (a little undercooked). The pasta will continue to cook when the sauce is incorporated and during the baking.
Do I need to use lean ground beef? No. You can use ground chicken, ground turkey, and a personal favorite, ground Italian sausage.
Can I cook Baked Ziti ahead of time? Yes. Prepare as directed, except for adding the buttered panko bread crumbs. Reserve until baking. Refrigerate the prepared Ziti for up to 24 hours. Allow an additional 10-15 minutes of baking time.
Can I freeze Baked Ziti? Yes. I like to divide the recipe into two baking dishes: bake one and the other, wrap them well with aluminum foil, place them in a freezer bag, and freeze. Adjust the time when baking.
Can I cook perfect pasta? Yes. Provided your box directions are clear, cook the pasta carefully. The ideal cooked pasta is al dente (a little undercooked). The pasta will continue to cook when the sauce is incorporated and during the baking.
Do I need to use lean ground beef? No. You can use ground chicken, ground turkey, and a personal favorite, ground Italian sausage.
Can I cook Baked Ziti ahead of time? Yes. Prepare as directed, except for adding the buttered panko bread crumbs. Reserve until baking. Refrigerate the prepared Ziti for up to 24 hours. Allow an additional 10-15 minutes of baking time.
Can I freeze Baked Ziti? Yes. I like to divide the recipe into two baking dishes: bake one and the other, wrap them well with aluminum foil, place them in a freezer bag, and freeze. Adjust the time when baking.
WHAT YOU WILL NEED TO MAKE SUPER EASY BAKED ZITI
Large skillet or stockpot
Ziti pasta
Lean ground beef
Onion
Favorite jar of marinara sauce
Favorite jar alfredo sauce
Riccota
Mozzarella cheese
Panko bread crumbs
Butter
Ziti pasta
Lean ground beef
Onion
Favorite jar of marinara sauce
Favorite jar alfredo sauce
Riccota
Mozzarella cheese
Panko bread crumbs
Butter
HOW TO MAKE SUPER EASY BAKED ZITI
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Using nonstick cooking spray, coat a 9x13 baking dish.
In a large skillet or stockpot, brown lean ground beef. Add the onions and cook until translucent. Drain the excess liquid in a colander.
Prepare the ziti pasta according to the package directions while the hamburger drains.
Pour the lean ground beef mixture back into the large skillet. Add the marinara sauce, simmer the hamburger mixture while the ziti pasta is finished cooking, and drain well.
Add the well-drained ziti pasta to the lean ground beef mixture. Stir well, then add the jar of Alfredo sauce. Stir well again, incorporating the Alfredo sauce into the mixture.
Add a third of the ziti mixture evenly across the bottom of the prepared baking dish.
Spoon a layer of ricotta cheese evenly over the ziti mixture.
Add a third of the ziti mixture evenly over the ricotta layer.
Spoon a layer of ricotta cheese evenly over the ziti mixture.
Add the final layer of ziti mixture evenly over the layer of ricotta cheese.
Sprinkle the top evenly with mozzarella cheese.
Mix the melted butter with the panko bread crumbs.
Over the mozzarella cheese, sprinkle evenly the buttered panko bread crumbs.
Bake for 30-45 minutes, or until the cheese is bubbly and the panko breadcrumbs are golden brown. If the breadcrumbs become too brown before the cheese bubbles, cover the baking dish with aluminum foil until the cheese bubbles.
Cool slightly before serving.
In a large skillet or stockpot, brown lean ground beef. Add the onions and cook until translucent. Drain the excess liquid in a colander.
Prepare the ziti pasta according to the package directions while the hamburger drains.
Pour the lean ground beef mixture back into the large skillet. Add the marinara sauce, simmer the hamburger mixture while the ziti pasta is finished cooking, and drain well.
Add the well-drained ziti pasta to the lean ground beef mixture. Stir well, then add the jar of Alfredo sauce. Stir well again, incorporating the Alfredo sauce into the mixture.
Add a third of the ziti mixture evenly across the bottom of the prepared baking dish.
Spoon a layer of ricotta cheese evenly over the ziti mixture.
Add a third of the ziti mixture evenly over the ricotta layer.
Spoon a layer of ricotta cheese evenly over the ziti mixture.
Add the final layer of ziti mixture evenly over the layer of ricotta cheese.
Sprinkle the top evenly with mozzarella cheese.
Mix the melted butter with the panko bread crumbs.
Over the mozzarella cheese, sprinkle evenly the buttered panko bread crumbs.
Bake for 30-45 minutes, or until the cheese is bubbly and the panko breadcrumbs are golden brown. If the breadcrumbs become too brown before the cheese bubbles, cover the baking dish with aluminum foil until the cheese bubbles.
Cool slightly before serving.
WHERE YOU MAY SEE THIS RECIPE
Looking for more recipes? Use the search bar in the top right-hand corner or click on My Recipe Box in the top menu.
Comments
Post a Comment