Baked Ziti | The Modern Proper (2025)

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.

More Classic, Cheesy Baked Pasta Recipes Your Family Will Love

• Manicotti

• Classic Lasagna Recipe

• Baked Gnocchi

• Baked Penne Alla Vodka

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.

Baked Ziti Ingredients

• Italian sausage

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• 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

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.

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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!

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.

More Italian American Pasta Recipes To Love

• Pink Sauce Tortiglioni

• Pasta Carbonara

• Simple Ragù

• Creamy Roasted Red Pepper Pasta

Baked Ziti Is Just The Beginning

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