Skip to Content

Baked Ziti

March 12, 2024

Italian-American comfort food doesn’t get any more classic than a big baking dish full of cheesy baked ziti with sausage.

Categories

baked ziti in a baking dish topped with fresh basil and parmesan

More Classic, Cheesy Baked Pasta Recipes Your Family Will Love

Easy Baked Ziti With Sausage Is Pure Comfort-in-a-Pan

Baked ziti is a little bit lasagna-esqe, but it’s even easier to pull together. A cheese-loaded, red sauced, pan-o-carbs that gives off a vibe of indulgence and generosity that every meal should. Like our Easy Vodka Sauce and so many of our go-to pasta recipes, it’s hassle-free, and pretty quick. And — like a lot of baked pasta recipes (looking at you, Stuffed Pasta Shells!) — it’s an ideal pasta dish for a crowd because you can pop it in the oven when your guests arrive and actually socialize while it bakes.

ziti pasta, ground sausage, marinara, cream, salt, pepper, Italian seasoning onion and mozzarella for homemade baked ziti

Baked Ziti Ingredients

  • Italian sausage

  • Onion

  • Garlic

  • Marinara sauce & tomato sauce. In this recipe, we call for both tomato sauce and marinara sauce. What’s the difference? Marinara sauce (which you can either make or buy) is a simple, classic tomato sauce that’s seasoned with herbs and garlic, but isn’t cooked to death so it’s lively and bright in flavor. The tomato sauce, on the other hand, something you’ll find in a can, and, though it is sometimes seasoned a bit, it mostly taste like super-concentrated tomatoes.

  • Italian seasoning

  • Heavy cream

  • Ziti pasta. Ziti is a hollow pasta shape that is a bit more narrow than rigatoni, and it usually has smooth sides. If you have trouble finding it, penne is a fine substitute.

  • Fresh mozzarella, the kind you would use for a Caprese Salad.

  • Shredded mozzarella cheese

  • Parmesan cheese

  • Chili flakes

  • Fresh basil

browned ground sausage, onion and garlic in a Dutch oven
marinara, Italian seasoning, cream and ground sausage in a dutch oven
ground sausage and homemade creamy tomato sauce being stirred in a pot with a wooden spoon
ziti pasta and mozzarella cheese being added to a pot with homemade ziti sauce and ground sausage

How To Make Baked Ziti

  1. Cook the ziti in a big stock pot full of salted water — salt your pasta water like the sea, they say — until it’s just barely al dente. Because you’re going to bake the ziti, too, do not overcook it.

  2. Brown the ground sausage in a large stock pot or Dutch oven with the onion and garlic.

  3. Make it into a meat sauce by pouring in the two tomato sauces, cream and seasonings. Get chills, because that creamy, sausage-y, tomato-y baked ziti sauce looks so good.

  4. Gently stir in the cooked ziti and some of the mozzarella cheese. A sturdy wooden spoon is ideal for this, and will make you feel nonna-esque.

  5. Assemble your baked ziti. Carefully pour—or ladle—the ziti mixture into a baking dish.

  6. Top the ziti with fresh mozzarella, shredded mozzarella and Parmesan—cheese, cheese and more cheese—cover with foil and bake!

  7. Uncover the ziti for a few minutes at the end, so the cheeses get nicely browned and bubbly.

  8. Serve!

ziti pasta in a dutch oven with marinara, pasta, mozzarella and basil
baked ziti in a baking dish with marinara and pasta
baked ziti in a casserole dish topped with mozzarella
baked ziti in a baking dish topped with fresh basil and parmesan

How To Store Baked Ziti + Tips

  • Should baked ziti be covered when baking? Yes, for most of the baking time, you’ll keep the ziti covered so that it stays nicely moist and the cheese melt. Right at the end — just for the last 5 minutes — you can take the foil off and let the cheese on top get bubbly and brown.

  • Leftover baked ziti is a gift, a treasure to be cherished. Store it in the fridge for up to 4 days and enjoy!

  • How to freeze baked ziti. If you are meal prepping and want to freeze the entire pan, just bake it in a freezer-friendly container (like an aluminum pan). Let it cool after baking, label it with the date you baked it (or a “good until” date) and then store it in the freezer for up to 2 months.

  • What's Next? Once you’ve mastered Baked Ziti try our Chicken Tetrazzini.

baked ziti in a baking dish topped with fresh basil and parmesan
baked ziti in a baking dish topped with fresh basil and parmesan

More Italian American Pasta Recipes To Love

Baked Ziti Is Just The Beginning

For more recipe inspiration, follow us on Facebook, Instagram, TikTok and Pinterest or order our cookbook. We love when you share your meals. Tag us on Instagram using #themodernproper. Happy cooking!

💌 Let's Stay Together

There are so many great ways to receive all of our latest recipes, meal tips, and inspiration.

Baked Ziti

  • Serves:  8
  • Prep Time:  35 min
  • Cook Time:  25 min
  • Calories:  575

Ingredients

  • 1 pound ziti pasta
  • 1 pound Italian sausage, ground
  • 1 cup diced yellow onion
  • 4 garlic cloves, roughly chopped
  • 1 (24-ounce) jar marinara sauce or homemade
  • 1 (15-ounce) can tomato sauce
  • 1 teaspoon sea salt
  • 1 tablespoon Italian seasoning
  • ½ cup heavy cream
  • 2 cups shredded mozzarella cheese
  • 8 ounce fresh mozzarella, thinly sliced
  • ¼ cup grated Parmesan cheese
  • ¼ teaspoon red chili flakes, for serving
  • 2 tablespoons minced fresh basil

Method

  1. Preheat the oven to 375°F with a rack in the center position.

  2. Bring a large pot of water to a boil over high heat and salt it. Cook the ziti, al dente according to the package instructions. Drain.

    ziti pasta, ground sausage, marinara, cream, salt, pepper, Italian seasoning onion and mozzarella for homemade baked ziti
  3. Meanwhile, set a large Dutch oven or stockpot over medium-high heat. Add the sausage, onion and garlic and cook, breaking up the meat with a spoon, until the meat is browned and the onions are softened, about 8 minutes. Drain off any excess fat into a small bowl, discard.

    browned ground sausage, onion and garlic in a Dutch oven
  4. Add the marinara sauce, tomato sauce, salt, Italian seasoning and heavy cream, stir until combined. Stir in the cooked ziti and 1½ cups shredded mozzarella.

    marinara, Italian seasoning, cream and ground sausage in a dutch oven
  5. Transfer the pasta mixture to a 9x13 baking dish.

    baked ziti in a baking dish with marinara and pasta
  6. Top with the fresh mozzarella slices and remaining ½ cup shredded mozzarella, cover the baking dish with foil and bake for 20 minutes, until the pasta is tender. Remove the dish from the oven, discard the foil and sprinkle with the Parmesan. Return to the oven uncovered and bake for about 5 more minutes, until the cheese is melted and the sauce is bubbling.

    baked ziti in a casserole dish topped with mozzarella
  7. Serve sprinkled with chili flakes and fresh basil.

    baked ziti in a baking dish topped with fresh basil and parmesan

Nutrition Info

  • Per Serving
  • Amount
  • Calories 575
  • Protein 35 g
  • Carbohydrates 52 g
  • Total Fat 26 g
  • Dietary Fiber 4 g
  • Cholesterol 80 mg
  • sodium 914 mg
  • Total Sugars 4 g

Baked Ziti

Questions & Reviews

Join the discussion below.

or
  • Terry

    Can you make the baked ziti ahead of time? Say a day or two?

    Sure! Just reheat in the oven covered with foil. Hope you enjoy!

  • Julie

    Have you tried this recipe with other pastas? I am trying to use what I have on hand. I have a box of cellentani that I think would probably work well as it's also along noodle like ziti.

    I'm sure it will be fine, hope you enjoy Julie!

  • Jamie

    Hello! Can I make this dish ahead a day ahead of time and bake on the day of? How and which step could I refrigerate it?

    When you add the cheese in step 6, cover it and place it in the fridge and bake it the next day.

  • Erin

    Bake and then freeze? What is best? I want to take it to a friend who had surgery but she asked that all things are able to go into the freezer! Thanks for your help!

    Yes. Bake and then freeze. She can thaw and reheat as needed.

  • Allison

    Aloha! Does this freeze well?

    Hi Allison! Yes, baked ziti is a great freezer meal! It'll keep in the freezer for about a month.

  • Erin

    YUM! Easy recipe to make ahead. I did a version with meat and a herby vegetarian version, and added a big handful of frozen chopped spinach to each to sneak in some more nutrition. Both were great. Crowd pleaser - thanks ladies!

    Thanks Erin, so glad you loved it!

  • Nicolette

    My family loved it! I had rigatoni on hand so I used that instead of ziti but only par boiled the noodles before baking since they are not as sturdy of a noodle.

    Thanks Nicolette, we are so glad you loved it!

  • Erin

    Love this dish. It’s my go-to dish for bringing to friends who have had new babies! Such a comfort meal

    Thank you Erin, we are so glad you loved it!

  • Taylor

    I have been making this recipe roughly every other week for the past year and I swear by it! It’s my favorite thing to make guests and everyone always loves it. I love all MP recipes I’ve made but this one is definitely my favorite

    Wow! So amazing to hear, we are so glad you love it so much!

  • Susy

    The baked ziti was delicious and a hit with my husband. I will definitely keep this recipe in my rotation. I didn’t realize that it made so many servings so we will have pasta for the next few days lol.

    Thanks Susy! We are so happy you both loved it!