Layered Baked Ziti

Classic baked ziti with tender pasta, savory ground beef, rich marinara sauce, and plenty of gooey mozzarella and ricotta cheeses, all baked to golden perfection.

• Prep: 20 min
• Cook: 45 min
• Total: 1 hr 5 min
• Servings: 4
• Cuisine: Italian
• Difficulty: Medium
• Cost: $5.78/serving

Dietary

• Nut-Free
• High-Protein

Tags

• classic
• comfort food
• savory
• kid-friendly
• crowd-pleaser
• rich

Ingredients

• 8 ounce ziti pasta (uncooked)
• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• 1 pound ground beef
• 0.5 yellow onion (chopped)
• 3 clove garlic (minced)
• 1 teaspoon dried Italian seasoning
• 0.5 teaspoon salt
• 0.25 teaspoon black pepper
• 24 ounce marinara sauce
• 15 ounce ricotta cheese
• 1 egg (large)
• 2 cup mozzarella cheese (shredded)
• 4 slice Italian bread
• 2 tablespoon butter (melted)
• 1 tablespoon fresh parsley (chopped)

Instructions

1. Preheat oven to 375°F. Cook ziti or penne pasta according to package directions until al dente. Drain well.
2. While pasta cooks, heat olive oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add ground beef and chopped yellow onion, breaking up the beef. Cook until beef is browned and onion is softened, about 6-8 minutes. Drain any excess fat. Stir in minced garlic, dried Italian seasoning, salt, and black pepper. Cook for 1 minute more.
3. Pour marinara sauce into the skillet with the beef mixture. Stir to combine and simmer gently for 5 minutes. Remove from heat.
4. In a separate medium bowl, combine ricotta cheese, egg, and 1 cup of the shredded mozzarella cheese. Mix until well combined.
5. Spread about 1/2 cup of the meat sauce in the bottom of a 9x13 inch baking dish. Layer half of the cooked pasta over the sauce. Top with dollops of the ricotta mixture, then spread with half of the remaining meat sauce. Repeat layers once more: remaining pasta, then remaining ricotta mixture, then remaining meat sauce. Top evenly with the remaining 1 cup shredded mozzarella cheese.
6. Cover the baking dish with foil and bake for 30 minutes. Remove foil and bake for another 10-15 minutes, or until cheese is melted and bubbly and lightly golden.
7. While ziti bakes, prepare garlic bread: Melt butter and mix with minced garlic. Brush mixture over Italian bread slices. Bake alongside ziti for the last 10 minutes, or until golden brown.
8. Let ziti stand for 5-10 minutes before serving. Garnish with chopped fresh parsley if desired. Serve with garlic bread. For picky eaters, offer plain pasta, meat sauce, and garlic bread components separately.

Notes

This dish is even better the next day as leftovers! You can assemble it the day before and refrigerate, then just add a bit of extra baking time when cooking.

Nutrition (per serving)

• Calories: 1092
• Protein: 52.4 g
• Carbohydrates: 81 g
• Fat: 62.8 g
• Fiber: 6.9 g
• Sodium: 1793 mg
• Saturated Fat: 29.8 g
• Sugar: 16.1 g
• Cholesterol: 237 mg