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If you love lasagna, you’ll adore this easy, baked ziti recipe. It’s a quick and easy casserole you can put together at the last minute, and the whole family will love it. It’s a no-fail crowd-pleaser, regardless of who you are serving.
It’s a very versatile dish. Add veggies and different meats, and even change up the spices if you like. You can, of course, also use other cheese as well. I’ve made this with mozzarella several times, and it’s delicious. But I try not to get carried away with the cheese as often as I’d like, so I stick with the parmesan the majority of the time. Either way, it’s pretty darn tasty and doesn’t take too long to assemble either!
What Is Ziti?
Ziti is a pasta shape. It’s similar to penne but has straight edges instead of the edges being cut at an angle. However, if you don’t happen to have any handy (like me!), you can use penne pasta or rigatoni pasta, too. For this recipe, I actually used a gluten-free rigatoni because I couldn’t find a ziti pasta I could have. That’s why you see ridges in the pasta. Ziti pasta does not have those ridges. It’s just smooth tubes of pasta.
What Is Baked Ziti?
In case you’re wondering, baked ziti is a casserole dish (like this one! Ta-da!!!) using ziti pasta. It is a version of pasta al forno and is very much like lasagna without all the layers.
Budget Ziti
Ziti is far more budget-friendly than lasagna and uses far fewer ingredients. It’s the same idea as lasagna in many ways but is a much easier, time-sparing dish to make. Think of it as the “poor man’s lasagna”. You can bake it in just about any type of oven-safe dish. Try different cheeses, veggies, and meats, as mentioned above. Basically, you can purchase what’s on sale and use it to put this together.
Traditional baked ziti is very heavy on cheese. If you google it, you’ll find plenty of photos showing ooey-gooey, cheesy potions of pasta. But I don’t like to go hog-wild on the fat content of my recipes, so I cut back by using parmesan. While there will obviously be a difference between using parmesan instead of something like mozzarella or jack cheese, I find it to be just as tasty and far more friendly for my hips.
Easy Baked Ziti Recipe
This recipe cooks up fast and easy! All you have to do is mix the tomato sauce and spices in one bowl while you cook the pasta in a pot and saute the meat in a skillet. Put them all together, top with cheese, and bake! You can even make a salad to go with it while it bakes in the oven. This dish comes together in minutes.
Vegan Baked Ziti Recipe
If you prefer a meatless version of this recipe, simply omit the meat. If you want something plant-based for texture, use TVP. If this must be totally plant-based, use vegan parmesan cheese or some vegan mozzarella.
Baked Ziti With Italian Sausage
If you can find an Italian sausage you feel good about eating, it makes a wonderful addition to this recipe. You can add it instead of ground meat or in addition to it.
Baked Ziti With Meatballs
It’s easy to make meatballs and simply mix them in. You’ll want to cook them completely before adding them to the casserole dish.
About Baked Ziti Ingredients
Whole-grain ziti– Cooked separately to package directions.
Ground turkey – You can also use beef or ground chicken if you have a preference.
Salt
Extra virgin olive oil – Or another good-quality oil you feel comfortable using.
Dried basil
Dried oregano
Garlic granules – Or garlic powder.
Onion granules – Or onion powder.
Honey – Any type will work.
Balsamic vinegar
Water – Use filtered water that won’t taste like chlorine.
Canned tomato sauce– Low sodium with no added sugar.
Grated parmesan cheese – You can also use mozzarella or even ricotta.
Shredded Mozzarella cheese – While the recipe gives you a measurement, you can use as much as you want to get it as cheesy as you like.
How To Make Baked Ziti
Set pasta to cook according to package directions and preheat oven to 350℉.
In a large mixing bowl, combine half of the basil, oregano, garlic powder, onion powder, and all of the honey, vinegar, water, and tomato sauce.
In a large skillet, cook the turkey meat in the olive oil with the other half of the spices. Once fully cooked, transfer it to the bowl of pasta.
Add the sauce to the cooked pasta along with the parmesan cheese and the cooked meat. Mix well and season to taste with salt and pepper.
Transfer to a baking dish and top it with the mozzarella.
Bake at 350 F. for about 30 minutes or until the cheese is melted.
Garnish with extra parmesan and fresh, chopped basil.
Storing Baked Ziti
Store leftovers in an airtight container for up to three days in the fridge.
Freezing Baked Ziti
This is easy to freeze in portioned, single-serving containers. Pack well and freeze for up to four months.
Reheating Baked Ziti
This is super easy to reheat in a microwave. If you prefer, you can also reheat this in an oven at 350F. until warmed through.
More Healthy Pasta Recipes
- Chili Mac
- Rustic Italian Pasta Salad
- Olive Pasta
- Garlic Asparagus Penne Pasta
- Summer Vegetable Bow Tie Pasta
- Cheese Burger Pasta
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Recipe updated 1/31/24.
Baked Italian Ziti
This delicious dish is sure to become a family favorite! Serve with a green salad or a side of veggies.
4 from 9 votes
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Course: Main Course
Cuisine: American, Italian
Prep Time: 10 minutes minutes
Cook Time: 30 minutes minutes
Total Time: 40 minutes minutes
Servings: 8 servings
Calories: 540kcal
Ingredients
- 1 lb. whole-grain ziti (cooked to package directions)
- 2 lb. ground turkey
- 1 tsp. salt
- 1 tbsp. olive oil
- 3 tbsp. dried basil (divided between sauce and meat)
- 2 tbsp. dried oregano (divided between sauce and meat)
- 2 tbsp. garlic powder (divided between sauce and meat)
- 2 tbsp. onion powder (divided between sauce and meat)
- 1 tsp. honey
- 1 tbsp. balsamic vinegar
- ½ cup water
- 30 oz. can tomato sauce (low sodium, no sugar)
- 1 cup grated parmesan cheese
- 8 oz. grated mozzarella cheese You can use up to a full pound if you like it extra cheesy.
US Customary – Metric
Instructions
Set pasta to cook according to package directions and preheat oven to 350℉.
In a large mixing bowl, combine half of the basil, oregano, garlic powder, onion powder, and all of the honey, vinegar, water, and tomato sauce.
In a large skillet, cook the turkey meat in the olive oil with the other half of the spices. Once fully cooked, transfer it to the bowl of pasta.
Add the sauce to the cooked pasta along with the parmesan cheese and the cooked meat. Mix well and season to taste with salt and pepper.
Transfer to a baking dish and top it with the mozzarella.
Bake for about 30 minutes or until the cheese is melted.
Garnish with extra parmesan and fresh, chopped basil.
Notes
Please note that the nutrition data below is a ballpark figure. Exact data is not possible.
Nutrition
Serving: 1g | Calories: 540kcal | Carbohydrates: 56g | Protein: 46g | Fat: 15g | Saturated Fat: 7g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 2g | Monounsaturated Fat: 5g | Trans Fat: 0.02g | Cholesterol: 96mg | Sodium: 1258mg | Potassium: 920mg | Fiber: 5g | Sugar: 7g | Vitamin A: 821IU | Vitamin C: 8mg | Calcium: 347mg | Iron: 5mg
This recipe from the Gracious Pantry archives, originally posted 10/12/12.
