The Best Easy Baked Ziti Recipe

5 from 5 votes

The Best Easy Baked Ziti - This baked ziti recipe with ricotta and Italian sausage is so easy because there is no layering.

Prep Time15

Cook Time30

Course: Dinner, Main Dish

Cuisine: American, Italian

Keyword: baked ziti recipe, easy baked ziti

Servings: servings

Calories: 507kcal

Author: Amanda Finks

Ingredients

1 lb. dry ziti pasta
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 medium yellow onion chopped
1 lb. Italian sausage
1 cup Ricotta cheese
2 teaspoons Italian seasoning
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper
2 (24 oz.) jars pasta sauce
2 cups shredded mozzarella cheese
1/2 cup grated parmesan cheese

Instructions

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Spray a high-sided 9 x 13 inch baking dish with cooking spray.
Cook the ziti pasta according to its package directions.
Place a large soup pot, or a large high-side skillet* over medium-high heat. Add the olive oil, and onion. Cook for 5 minutes, stirring occasionally.
Add the Italian sausage to the skillet. Break the sausage apart with a wooden spoon. Cook for 10-11 minutes, until the sausage is browned, stirring occasionally. Drain off the excess fat if necessary.
Add the ricotta cheese, Italian seasoning, salt, and pepper to the skillet. Stir until the ricotta is smooth.
Add the pasta sauce to the meat. Stir to combine. Bring the liquid to a simmer. Remove from the heat.
Once the pasta is cooked, drain the water from the cooked pasta and return the pasta to the hot pot. Add the meat sauce to the cooked pasta. Stir until the pasta is completely coated in sauce.
Transfer the pasta to the baking dish**. Spread it into an even layer. Sprinkle evenly with the mozzarella cheese and the parmesan cheese.
Bake for 30 minutes, until the cheese is melted.

Video

Notes

*I use a 12 inch high-sided skillet for this.

**If you don’t have a 9x13 inch baking dish with high sides, you may want to leave out a couple cups of the pasta mixture out so that it doesn’t bubble over in your oven.

Nutrition