Cheesy Baked Ziti (Printable Version)

A comforting pasta casserole with layers of cheese and savory marinara sauce.

# What You'll Need:

→ Pasta

01 - 1 pound ziti or penne pasta

→ Cheeses

02 - 1 ½ cups ricotta cheese
03 - 2 cups shredded mozzarella cheese, divided
04 - ½ cup grated Parmesan cheese

→ Sauce

05 - 4 cups marinara sauce (homemade or store-bought)

→ Other

06 - 1 large egg
07 - 2 tablespoons chopped fresh basil or 1 tablespoon dried Italian herbs
08 - 1 teaspoon salt
09 - ½ teaspoon black pepper
10 - 1 tablespoon olive oil

# Steps:

01 - Set the oven to 375°F and grease a 9x13-inch baking dish with olive oil.
02 - Boil ziti in salted water until al dente, approximately 8 minutes. Drain and set aside.
03 - In a large bowl, blend ricotta, 1 cup mozzarella, Parmesan, egg, basil or Italian herbs, salt, and black pepper until uniform.
04 - Incorporate cooked pasta into the cheese mixture and toss to coat evenly.
05 - Spread 1 cup marinara sauce on the bottom of the baking dish, then evenly layer half of the pasta mixture atop the sauce.
06 - Pour 1 ½ cups marinara sauce over the pasta, then sprinkle half of the remaining mozzarella cheese evenly.
07 - Layer the remaining pasta mixture, cover with the rest of the marinara sauce, and top with the remaining mozzarella.
08 - Cover loosely with foil and bake for 25 minutes until heated through.
09 - Remove foil and bake an additional 10 minutes until cheese is bubbly and golden brown.
10 - Allow to rest for 10 minutes before serving. Garnish with fresh basil if desired.

# Expert Insights:

01 -
  • It's a one-dish meal that tastes like you spent hours in the kitchen when really you didn't.
  • The cheese ratio is genuinely perfect—creamy ricotta, stretchy mozzarella, and salty Parmesan all doing their job.
  • It reheats beautifully, which means tomorrow's lunch is basically already done.
02 -
  • Don't skip the resting period; those 10 minutes transform it from delicious chaos into something you can actually serve on a plate.
  • If your marinara sauce is thin or watery, it'll make the bake soupy—always taste it and simmer it down a bit if needed before assembling.
03 -
  • Taste your ricotta and cheese mixture before adding it to the pasta—it's your last chance to fix the seasoning before everything bakes together.
  • Loose foil instead of tight foil matters; you want steam to escape slowly so the top gets brown and bubbly, not pale and steamed.
Go Back