Easy Baked Ziti
Easy baked ziti recipe is a meaty baked pasta smothered in a cream cheese tomato sauce. It's ready in 30 minutes and feeds a crowd!
Servings: 10
Equipment
Ingredients
- 1 (16-ounce) package ziti
- ½ pound ground beef, 80% lean / 20% fat
- ½ pound mild Italian sausage
- 1½-2 cups marinara sauce, (we love Rao’s)
- 1 (14.5-ounce) can diced tomatoes
- 4 ounces cream cheese, softened
- ½ cup sour cream
- 1 teaspoon garlic salt with parsley flakes
- 1 teaspoon Italian seasoning
- 8 ounces fresh mozzarella, sliced
- 1 cup shredded mozzarella cheese
- fresh basil, for garnish
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F. Grease a 9x13 inch baking dish and set aside.
- Cook pasta to al dente according to package directions. Drain and set aside.
- Meanwhile, cook ground beef and Italian sausage in a large saucepan over medium heat, stirring and breaking up into small pieces, until no longer pink, 7-10 minutes. Drain fat and set saucepan aside.
- In a large pot over medium heat, combine marinara sauce, tomatoes, cream cheese, and sour cream and cook, stirring often, until well blended and cream cheese is melted.
- Add cooked pasta and sauce to the saucepan with ground beef and mix well. Add garlic salt and Italian seasoning.
- Pour into the perpared pan. Top with fresh mozzarella and shredded mozzarella.
- Bake for 20 minutes, uncovered.
- Let rest for at least 5 minutes before serving. Garnish with fresh basil.
Video
Notes
Avoid dry pasta. When you bake pasta casseroles, the noodles on top tend to get a bit dried out. Covering the entire casserole with a layer of cheese helps. You can also cover the pan with aluminum foil during half of the bake time.
Prep ahead. Prepare the casserole as directed, but don't top with cheese or bake. Instead, cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate for 1-2 days, or wrap again with foil and freeze for up to 3 months. Thaw if needed, add cheese, and bake.
Store. Allow to cool completely add to an airtight container(s) and store in the fridge for 1-2 days or freezer for 2-3 months before reheating.
Nutrition
Serving: 1g | Calories: 310kcal | Carbohydrates: 4g | Protein: 16g | Fat: 25g | Saturated Fat: 12g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 2g | Monounsaturated Fat: 9g | Trans Fat: 0.3g | Cholesterol: 78mg | Sodium: 840mg | Potassium: 286mg | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 2g | Vitamin A: 616IU | Vitamin C: 3mg | Calcium: 210mg | Iron: 1mg