This easy baked ziti is a huge family favorite. Creamy, cheesy alfredo pasta topped with a beefy spaghetti sauce! Then topped with melted cheese!
THE BEST EASY BAKED ZITI CASSEROLE
HOW-TO VIDEO INCLUDED BELOW:
TIPS FOR MAKING THIS DELICIOUS BAKED ZITI:
- I like the Penne pasta because it has those little ridges in it. And those little ridges are really good at hanging onto the pasta sauce. But if you prefer the Ziti pasta, then use that instead of the Penne. This recipe is versatile and you can use almost any other pasta noodle you prefer. I love it in this CREAMY GARLIC PENNE PASTA.
- When I make this, I usually purchase an extra can of spaghetti sauce so we can pour extra sauce over the top when serving.
- Try using different flavored Alfredo sauces – like garlic or basil.
- Ground turkey or pork can be used.
- Want an extra kick? Try adding some ground Italian sausage to the mixture!
STEP-BY-STEP INSTRUCTIONS TO MAKE BAKED ZITI:
Preheat oven to 350F degrees. Spray a 9×13 baking dish with nonstick spray. Prepare pasta according to directions. In a medium sauce pan, brown ground beef with onion (if using.) 
After beef is browned and crumbled, drain excess grease. Put back in pot and pour in one jar of spaghetti sauce.
Keep mixture on low until pasta is done. When pasta is finished, drain well. You want the pasta as dry as possible. Put pasta back in large pot (with heat off) and pour in jar of alfredo sauce. Combine until thoroughly coated.
Pour pasta mixture into bottom of 9×13 dish.
Cover pasta with spaghetti sauce mixture. 
Originally published: May 2011
Updated and republished: February 2020
LOVE THIS PASTA RECIPE? HERE’S MORE!
INSTANT POT BAKED ZITI
EASY BAKED SPAGHETTI (Spasagna)
SAUSAGE SPAGHETTI “CUPCAKES”
PIZZA PASTA BAKE
MEATBALL SUB CASSEROLE
CROCK POT CHICKEN ALFREDO LASAGNA
EASY BAKED RAVIOLI CASSEROLE
THE BEST EASY BAKED ZITI
Ingredients
- 1 lb ground beef
- 1 (32 oz) jar of your favorite spaghetti sauce
- 1 (16 oz) jar alfredo sauce
- 1 lb penne pasta (or ziti or rigatoni)
- ½ yellow onion, diced
- 2 cups shredded mozzarella cheese
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350F degrees.
- Spray a 9 x 13 baking dish with nonstick spray.
- Prepare pasta according to directions.
- In a medium sauce pan, brown ground beef with onion (if using).
- After beef is brown and crumbled, drain excess grease.
- Put back in pot and pour in one jar of spaghetti sauce.
- Keep mixture on low until pasta is done.
- When pasta is finished, drain excess water from pasta. You want the pasta as dry as possible.
- Put pasta back in large pot (with heat off) and pour in jar of alfredo sauce. Combine until thoroughly coated.
- Pour pasta mixture into bottom of 9 x 13 dish.
- Cover pasta with spaghetti sauce mixture.
- Don’t put the pot that you used for the spaghetti sauce in with the dirty dishes yet. Keep that pot out and start heating up second jar of spaghetti sauce on low heat. Put a cover on it to keep warm until ziti is finished baking.
- Sprinkle top with mozzarella cheese.
- Cover with aluminum foil and bake for 15 minutes.
- Remove foil and bake for another 15 minutes until cheese is melted and bubbly. Let rest for about 5 minutes after taking out of oven.
- Serve portions onto plates, and pour some of the heated spaghetti sauce on top.
I love penne, too! And your baked ziti sounds fabulous…I'd go with extra sauce, too. YUM! Merry Christmas, Brandie! xo
???? You think it’d be good to add risotto ?????
Not really
???? You think it’d be good to add ricotta?????
Yup, the extra sauce is a keeper. I just made a penne pasta dish as well, but it didn't have all the ooey gooey creaminess that this one does. Totally comfort food.
This looks heavenly Bran! I love Baked ziti though I've never had it with alfredo sauce! Mmmm sounds delish!!
Can I freeze this once all put together but before the baking?
I'm a sucka for all pastas, one fave is the penne and for the same reasons too! That looks awesome. I will have to try it in my large Dutch oven.
Baked Ziti is one of my favorites and especially with extra sauce. New here and it is nice to meet you Brandie. Looking forward to more of your posts. Happy Holidays to you.
I have homemade marinara sauce cooking in my CrockPot and was going to use some of it for pizza tonight…but this is too good to pass up on this frigid day in NM!!!!
I used your recipe for dinner tonight. Big hit. Very yummy!
Thanks!
Karen
Extra sauce is a must, this is a stick to your ribs meal. The fact that it is inexpensive is an extra bonus.
What a fabulous dish. It looks and sounds delicious. I love to visit your blog. I never leave empty handed and always have a recipe or tip to show for the time I spend here. I hope you have a great day. Blessings…Mary
Baked Ziti (or Penne) is a go-to dish here when we have a crowd. I love that you used Alfredo too. What a great idea!
I know without a doubt that we would gobble that up in a heartbeat!
I too am very intrigued with using Alfredo sauce as well as regular spaghetti. Looks REALLY good & I bet the Alfredo sauce makes it a little creamier! Will be making soon!
WOW! That looks so good! I'm going to ask hubby if he wants that tonight! YUMO! ♥♥♥
I made a meatless version of this for supper tonight – can't wait to try it. I'm sure the whole kitchen will be warm and good-smelling!
Lovely! Baked pasta is just such a comfort dish 🙂
Your Baked Ziti (penne) is marvelous.
I call it penne, too;) I've been craving a pasta dish, so I'll be making this one with the extra sauce, soon.
I came across this wonderful dish on pinterest. My family loved it…especially the kids!
Faith, thank you for taking the time to let me know how it turned out for you. I just love Pinterest. I've made some great new food friends because of it!! So happy to have you here! 🙂
I was wondering if you can taste the alfredo sauce, or if it just adds a little creaminess? I am not a huge fan of alfredo sauce but if it just adds more flavor without the taste that would be good for me.
Pics of this meal look delicious
Hi Stephanie! Personally, I don't think the Alfredo Sauce has a strong flavor in this. It really just adds creaminess to the sauce. I love the additional garlic flavor that it adds when you use the garlic flavored alfredo sauce. Hope you enjoy it if you give it a try!
I've used a no-boil recipe to make this and loved it, but I'm really liking the idea of the garlic Alfredo instead of ricotta – so much more affordable without much flavor variation. Will try this the next time I have all the ingredients.
thank you country cook i am definitely going to give the garlic alfredo a try.
I'm new to your blog and I'm looking at all you delicious-sounding recipes. I'm so excited to try this one and the Creamy Chicken Enchiladas. I've gotten so bored with the same old recipes that I make so it will be fun to try some new ones! Thank you!!!!
I made this exactly to your recipe for supper tonight. It is SO good. Creamy and tastes wonderful. This will be appearing on my table again.
Yay! Thank you so much!! I appreciate you letting me know how it turned out for you! 🙂
Ive made this recipe for my sons bday party tomorrow and I made a double batch! Because I wanted it hot at party I prepared it to bake and have it in fridge! Do you think it will be ok that it’s sitting overnight??
Thank You,
Andrea in PA
Hi Andrea! It would be fine (if it is only overnight) to keep it in the fridge. 🙂
Thank you so much for the recipe.
I made this last night and everyone Loved it.
It was very easy and very good!!!
Thanks again!!
Could you substitute ground pork instead of beef? This looks oh too good and I happen to have GP on hand.
I'm making this for dinner tonight–works out I already have everything needed. All your recipes look soo yummy, can't wait to take some time to look at others =)
Just took this out of the oven – and wow, does it look and smell great! Giving it a few minutes to cool and then feed the starving peeps here! Thank you so much for sharing great recipes!
This looks delicious! And how easy? Yum…thanks for the recipe!
My husband is allergic to eggs which is in many Alfredo sauces. Can I substitute something for it?
Hi Kim! I didn't think there were eggs in alfredo sauces. I know there are eggs in carbonara sauces but alfredo is usually butter and heavy cream. But I would definitely check the back of the label to make sure there aren't egg products in it. You could make your own alfredo from scratch if you like. There are some pretty simple recipes for it online. I hope that helps!
Hi, I was just wondering if this would freeze well? I have made it once before and it was a hit with my family!! Delicious!
Wow! I think this will become family favorite, it just came out of the oven and it took some willpower to let it cool. It is delicious and I think I may need seconds. Thank you.
excellent
thank you
I'm sure you know this but the dish freezes very well. I cook the hamburger and ziti and assemble it. Once it's cooled I freeze it. Then when I want to cook it I pull it from the freezer the day before. It works great and there is one batch going in the freezer today!
Thx for adding this tip!
Can I use classic Alfredo sauce instead of garlic Parmesan? I accidentally bought the wrong one.
Yes, you can use the classic Alfredo 🙂
I made this over the break and picky husband who says he does not like pasta loved it. I exchanged sausage for the ground beef and mixed a beaten egg with the alfredo sauce only because I had read somewhere to do that when making baked pasta. This is the perfect funeral food dish, so the ingredients are on my shopping list to have on hand when necessary. Thanks so much.
Thank you so much!!! I love how you take a picture of the ingredients and step by step of the process!! I'm such a visual person and this rocks! I am 28 and LOVE your receipes…finally I feel like I can cook! 😛
Please keep the receipes coming!!!
It warms my heart reading these comments!! Thank you so much! I'm so happy y'all have had success with this one!! Brandy- yep, I just heat up that second can of sauce and either spoon it right on top of the individual servings. Or if you like, put some on the bottom of the plates & then serve pasta on top 🙂
I can't wait to try this!! I have a question about the extra can of sauce? If you set it to the side & warm it while the dish is cooking, do you just use it as a topper after the dish is done cooking?…. as you can tell I don't cook much! Lol! Thanks for your help, I will definitely be trying this out this week!
I can't wait to try this! It sounds delish! I have a quick question about the extra can of sauce? Since you set it to the side & warm it while the dish is cooking, do you just use it as a topper when the dish is done?… as you can tell I don't cook a Whole lot! Lol! Thanks for your help! Definitely trying this, this week! Nom!
This was the best Baked Ziti I ever had! My family absolutely loved it and we had the leftovers a few days later and to me, it was even better, lol. I will definitely be making this for now on, Thank you for a great recipe!
This was a big hit at our house tonite!
Another hit, Brandy….
LeighAnne
I am thinking of substituting the ground beef with sweet Italian pork or chicken sausage for more of a spicy taste. Maybe adding sweet onions. This dish sounds delicious. I plan to baked and bring to a potluck dinner happening in a few weeks. Thanks!
I made this last night and was delicious! I love all pasta. I used 1 can of the Hunts sauce (which happens to be my favorite) and a container of homemade sauce my friend made. Her sauce had hot sausage and zucchini in it. Awesome easy dinner to make. I did make it ahead night before. I commute so it was nice to come home and just pop it in the oven. I did keep it in the oven a bit longer as it was in the fridge. Thanks!:)
Looks delicious! Yum. I love how everyone makes this recipe their own. Thanks for sharing.
My granddaughter and I made this for dinner tonight. My Dad actually complimented it (he never, ever says anything nice about food), and my granddaughter put this on the top of her favorite recipes. It uses a lot of pans, but well worth it!
Dear Lord woman! This is my Favorite recipe now. I pretty much always have noodles , meat and sauces so this meal is perfect. Quick for whipping out dinner when i'm tired and don't know what to cook. It is SO good and always gets me compliments, which of course i tell them it was you. 😉
Awww Shelby – thank you so much for that!! You made my day! I know all about being too exhausted to cook. I am glad to hear this is now a "go-to" recipe for you. Thank you for taking the time to comment!
Brandie,
My husband BEGS for this Baked Ziti! He absolutely loves it. I've tried many of your recipes and they've all been hits! Thanks so much!
Ruth
I made this recipe last night after searching for pina colada cakes!! This is really good!! The only substitution was the mozzarella cheese for a 5 cheese Italian blend from Kraft that I just found. Yummy!
and the cake? I made it for the potluck here at work today.
Thanks so much – glad I found this site!!! 🙂
This was delicious, quick, and easy to make. The flavors go well together. This will be a regular in my house. I made the roast chicken today and the butterfinger cake. Can't wait to try it. I try at least one of your recipes a week and have not been dissappointed. I love your website and tell everyone about it. Thanks for the many wonderful recipes!
Made this tonight for my family and they LOVeD it and let's just say they are a tough crowd to please!!! Thank you
Cooking in my oven right now. Can't wait to taste it!
Going to be making this for dinner tonight and I know it is going to be a hit with my hubby, son and I! Thanks for sharing your wonderful recipes!
Great recipe! I made a meatless version, and it turned out great! Next time, I will use the non-garlic alfredo sauce because the garlic taste was a bit strong for my preferences. I will also use a bit more mozz cheese because I am a huge cheese fan. I loved how simple this recipe is to make, and it only took a few ingredients! Thanks for posting!
I'm making this tonight, I'm using garlic spag sauce instead of garlic alfredo sauce…we'll see if it makes a different taste. I'll come back and let you know..looks yummy.
Do you think you could use a different kind of pasta for this recipe? Or does it work best with penne? I wanna make this tonight so bad lol. But the only pasta I have is Radiatori?
Ever since I've found this receipe it has become a favorite to make. I make it meatless. Just made it for dinner last night.
Just wanna say I <3, <3, <3 ALL your recipes and am constantly sharing them. Thank you for this wonderful blog.
Think this would be good if I added turkey kielbasa? Would I mix it with the red sauce?
Hubby isn't a big fan of pasta but he gave this a thumbs up. I used meatballs instead since that's what I had on hand and I also added a little garlic salt to the sauce. Delicious!
yum
I love the idea of mixing both flavors of sauces – delicious! This is the only Alfredo sauce I will use… 1 stick of butter, 1 cream cheese 8 oz, 1 pint of half and half, onion powder, lots of garlic powder, Parmesan cheese ( about one quarter to half a container – Kraft) and Parsley, salt and pepper. Simmer (but not boiling) and wisk until creamy. Will thicken as it cools – 100% better the next day.
What are your proportions for onion powder and garlic powder?
Oh, I am making this for supper tonight! It's cold and snowy out and this will be perfect to warm us all up! Love your recipes!
I have tried this recipe twice! It is already my fast favorite. I love how easy it is, and how gooey it gets with the jar of Alfredo sauce. This is my favorite recipe. It's even better than homemade lasagna.
I make something very similar to this and it is one of our favorites! I put the uncooked penne pasta in the bottom of my baking dish then sprinkle it with Italian sausage that I've already cooked. Then I pour a jar of pasta sauce over that plus a jar of water. Mix it all together, cover it up and bake it for 1/2 hour. Then I uncover it and put Italian-style shredded cheese on top, then bake it uncovered until the cheese melts. YUM!
Made this the other night and we loved it! We will definitely be making this again. So easy to make and delicious! Thank you!!
This was super! Adding the alfredo sauce to the pasta and then adding the extra sauce on top really made a difference. Definitely a keeper!
It looks great Brandie. I always use Delmonte Garlic & Onion in the can as it is the best I have ever eaten.
This works for me! Add a glass of red wine and I am a happy camper. The Mr loves lots of pasta sauce so that extra jar of sauce is a must have.
Came across this recipe yesterday and tried it! OMG it is so good! I think the Alfredo sauce adds a different flavor to it. My son loves it! Thanks
I made this last weekend. It was a big hit in my house. The alfredo just gives the Zita a good flavor and blends with the sauce and cheese.
Delicious!
Made this tonight & it was delish! I made my own Alfredo sauce instead of bought & will def be making this dish again!
I made this yesterday. It's wonderful! As you recommended, I used penne pasta. I didn't use the additional/2nd jar of spaghetti sauce. I bought plain (Classico) alfredo sauce, then (as someone here suggested) I added garlic powder to my own taste. I used Francisco Rinaldi with mushrooms spaghetti sauce, and I did add onion. My dear husband panicked when he saw the jar of alfredo sauce. I assured him that he wouldn't really taste this ingredient, once it was mixed in. He took 2nd helping and maybe a 3rd. He said "I didn't expect to like this, but I really do." Thanks, Brandie – It's a keeper!
We like spicy in our house. So, changed the beef to hot Italian sausage, put it in the food processor (because the hubs and kiddos don't like chunky sauce) and added some additional spices to the sauce…keeper in our house! Made a quick green salad and some garlic bread…there is dinner on a busy Wednesday night!
This is one of the few Pinterest recipes that I make over and over. It's delicious!! Thanks for the great recipe.
I made this last night, only I made it with ground turkey instead of ground beef! It was delicious! I'll definitely make this again soon! It was so easy, and no complaints from the husband or kids! Thanks!
Thank You so much for this recipe! Just made it tonight and it was sooooo yummy! Nephew had 3 servings! The only thing I did was to add some spices and seasonings to the meat sauce. MMMMMMMM…..
The addition of the garlic alfredo sauce was GENIUS! I'll be emailing you soon to request permission to use this on my Shrinking On a Budget Meal Plan. I'll need to tweak it a little for my subscribers, but love the concept!
I learned from the first time I made this. Make two at a time; one to eat know and one to freeze for another meal. I used turkey and pork sausage for a flavor twice – yum!
I just made the baked ziti tonite for a celebratory supper and it was a HUGE hit. Everyone loved it including me because it was super easy. I have never used the alfredo sauce in this dish before and it made all the difference. Thanks for a great new dish that is very budget friendly and quick.
I've made this several times now, but have used Italian sausage instead of ground beef. This last time, I added a layer of fresh Bella mushrooms between the noodles and the spaghetti sauce and it was to die for! Thanks for sharing this great recipe!
I saw this on Pinterest today and baked it. I used ground beef and hot italian sausage and it was a winner. Made some garlic bread and now everyone is resting. Will definitely be doing this again. Very easy to make and didn't take much time. Thanks for sharing.
I wasn't sure about this recipe when I first read it but saw all the great comments and decided to give it a go and was not disappointed!!! This was easy and was loved by my hubby and myself! I will be taking it with me for lunch tomorrow and sharing with my boss. Thank you for all the wonderful recipes and keeping me from doing the same old recipes every week!
Thank you for sharing this recipe. I've never been a fan of mixing white and red sauces but it looked yummy enough to give it a try. I did modify slightly by only using half the pasta at the bottom with half a jar of alfredo and mixed the rest of the pasta with a can and a half of red with the hamburger…. LOVED IT as did my 18 year old who will be cooking it for her boyfriends family as the first dish she cooks for them.
Made this for Christmas dinner today! It was wonderful! Thanks for the great recipe!
Looks like you added some spice on the top….what is it?
Thanks,
Cheryl
Dinner success! I made this tonight. The recipe was simple and it tasted great. My boys absolutely loved it! The garlic Alfredo sauce was an excellent touch. This dish will definitely be in my dinner rotation. Thanks for sharing!
My family loved your recipe. Thanks for all the helpful hints along the way, you made me look good. 🙂
This was amazing!! I did make a few changes… I used half ground sausage and half ground beef, made my own Alfredo sauce which turned out amazing btw, and instead of using all mozzarella cheese I used some provel as well!!! My husband raved and said he didn't want to quit eating it! And yes the extra sauce is a must! Thanks for a great recipe!!!
Does this freeze well? I am 8 mos pregnant & I am looking for some options for freezer meals so that I don't have to cook after the baby arrives.
Yay! Congratulations on your pregnancy! Yes! It freezes really well! This is one I love to make for new Mommas!
So, I asked hubby what does he want me to take out of the freezer for dinner = he said the ziti!
I need to get a photo so I can do a post on my blog and add your link so lots of people can enjoy this delicious meal.
Thanks
Linda
I've made this recipe before and it is AMAZING!!
I will be making for my work holiday party to knock everyones socks off! Just going to double the recipe and put it in the crock pot, cook on low for 8 hours, then YUM!! CAN"T WAIT!!
Thanks you so much for the amazing recipe!
Hi! Curious if anyone has made this with 1 lb beef and 1 lb sausage? If so, did you make any adjustments to the recipe to accommodate the extra meat? My husband likes pasta dishes meaty but the rest of us like it saucy. Was curious if I add an extra lb of meat if I should add an extra jar of Alfredo and pasta sauce
I love your recipe, but the pop up for another recipe was super annoying. I couldn't get it to go away, and it covered half the ingredients making it hard to shop.
I make this all the time. My kids love it
I made this tonight! I used one can of spaghetti sauce instead. And I used the penne! It was delicious! Might try it with sausage instead of ground beef next time! Definitely worth making again! Great recipe!
Yay, so glad you loved it!
I only use one can/jar of spaghetti sauce and instead of ground beef I use Italian sausage and no onion. Add a sprinkle of cinnamon for a different taste.
All I had was macaroni but was a huge success! When I cooked the hamburger I added the onion, green peppers, fresh mushrooms, and garlic. Then added plain sauce to those that wanted it. Phenomenal!!!
Hi Bobbie! This makes my day to read! So thrilled you loved it – thank you!!
I doubled this recipe for Christmas Eve and made it exactly as written. It was fantastic. Everyone absolutely loved it. I made two pans in the morning, put in refrigerator. Let sit at room temperature before putting in oven. Baked about 15 minutes longer. Thank you so much. It was so easy for a very busy holiday!
Love this recipe! I’m in my first trimester and can’t stand cooking hamburger meat, so I used sausage (strange, yes?). Then I didn’t have alfredo, so I used some homemade bechamel that I had frozen. Amazing! Thanks for sharing this quick and yummy dish. My 2 littles and my hubby (and I) all enjoy it!
I’m a college student and hate onions so I didn’t add those in but I love this easy recipe
I’m even cooking it for work today!
Nice! Love hearing that Jordyn!!
Found on Pinterest. I love this. I make this often in my meal rotation. I do not use the onion. And only use 1 jar of spaghetti sauce. Thank you for the recipe!!
Thank you for this recipe. My picky husband loves this and will eat leftovers for days after I make it.
Another great recipe! Made it tonight, I added a baby spinach layer and my 6 year old gobbled it up! Win-Win!
I’ve made this twice already, and wow, what a great meal! My boyfriend loves it too. If you freeze it, do you assemble it completely, cheese and all? Then freeze, oven to 350 for any extended amount of time or will the 15 mins with foil and 15 mins without be sufficient timing? Thanks! LOVE the recipe!!
I make this dish for dinner and my family loved it!! This will be one of my favorite easy dish to make for the family…. Thanks
Is it one 32oz jar of pasta & you use half with meat and heat up the other half to pour on top?
Hi Dayle! You’ll want to use the whole jar with the meat sauce. And if you’d like, you can buy another jar of marinara to serve with the ziti. But it’s not necessary! We just like a lot of sauce 🙂
Sorry meant 32oz jar pasta sauce
Hi!! We absolutely loved this dish!!
Thank You, this was quick weekday dinner. Easy and tasty. I used creamy mozzarella. Look forward to trying next time with Parmesan Garlic.
Can you make this dish ahead and put in ref. till ready to bake?
Hey! My family absolutely loves this recipe! We are working to eat healthier (including less calories at dinner) so I’ve been counting calories. My question is how did you get your calorie count? I’ve totaled it and I get 3690. If I divide that by 6 that’s 615 per serving. My ground beef is 88/12 so maybe that’s where a lot of the calories differ. Thank you for the amazing recipe!!!
This was great. My husband doesn’t really like Ziti but he really liked this one. He took leftovers to work and he never does that. I used Sweet Italian sausage instead of hamburger since that is what we had on hand. It turned out great. Thanks so much.
No salt and pepper?
???? Maybe you could use the salt and pepper in the individual meals… win win.????
This was easy and fast fast just what I was looking for! Interestingly enough this tasted surprisingly close to Stouffers lasagna.
Yum. Made this over at a friend’s house who didn’t have a baking pan so I put it in the oven in a giant pan, worked out just fan. Very easy and perfect recipe to make at someone’s house. Thanks !
This was a total hit with my family. I used Bertolli garlic Alfredo sauce and bertolli meat marinara sauce and my family loved it
Woot! Thank you Angelina!
is there a way to make it without the alfredo? anything i could substitute. trying to keep the calories down. going to use barilla protein plus penne pasta and lean ground beef.
Made this last night and loved it! Easy and delicious. I do agree with having extra sauce on hand. I ate some leftovers today with a bit of the pasta sauce alone added, but am debating making the hamburger/sauce mixture again to add to the left overs (can use extra for a different dish) and possibly adding some alfredo sauce to to the bottom of the plate? Just wondering how everyone else has reheated their leftovers considering the sauces and whether using the oven for the whole pain or microwave for individual servings works best? Thank you again for your great recipes!
This is a wonderful recipe. So easy and makes great leftovers. Thanks for sharing.
Hi!
Does the 32 ounces of spaghetti sauce include 16 ounces to mix in with the beef and 16 ounces to top it with, or is it 32 ounces to mix in with the beef, and you need another 16 ounces to top?
Making tonight.
Thanks!
Kristen
Hi Kristen! It’s 32 ounces (the whole jar) that mixes with the beef. I hope that helps. Sorry for any confusion! 🙂
just made this used smoked Gouda cheese with the mozzarella very good
i meant cheese not cheese cake lol its very good thank you for the post
No problem Ted! I knew what you meant! It’s fixed. Thank you!!!
OMG! Amazing!!
Not bad for an easy bake ziti recipe. I mix Italian sausage into the meat mix. Going to keep this recipe in my rotation.
I made this last night in the hopes that this would finally be the baked ziti my husband liked (he’s typically not a fan). He loved it! We both very much enjoyed it and are having the leftovers tonight. Super quick and easy for this busy mom, too!
Made this recipe once before and it was so delicious. Making again this week. Everyone loves it, made exactly as you posted.
Thank you for this amazing recipe.
Hello this recipe looks so yummy. I was wondering do you use any spices . Thanks…. I was going to make this tonight. I can’t wait to try!!!!
We have had this several times now, and absolutely love it! I’ve switched the ground beef to a pound of ground Italian sausage, and added fresh sliced mushrooms on top of the pasta before pouring the spaghetti sauce on! Yum! This is a definite keeper! Thanks for sharing!
Brilliant idea to use Alfredo. Makes it so creamy. I have made so many ziti recipes and they always turn out dry. I also have never thought to use extra sauce for the top. Great idea. This will definitely be a regular on my menu. Delicious!
How many servings do you get? I’m having 6 adults. And 3 very young kids. They love ziti and I want to make enough.
Hi Christine, I responded to the email you sent me. 🙂
Can you use cheddar shredded cheese?
If that is what you enjoy – sure!
Can I double this recipe to have some to freeze? If so is it just doubling all ingredients?
Made this last night for dinner and I have a picky crowd. My family doesn’t like to try new things as I do. I made it axacly the same that shows in picture besides added more spaghetti sauce based on other comments which I think it needed and did 1/2 ground beef and 1/2 spicy Italian sausage. I was a big hit! Definitely a keeper. Thank you it was was delicious!
How about adding ricotta cheese?
If you love Ricotta then I say go for it! 🙂
Love this recipe. I have made several times. Do you think I can make in the crockpot? Wanted to take for a potluck. Was going to double everything and add right to the crockpot and not cook the noodles first. Do you have any other suggestions?
The recipe was easy enough, my family liked it. I really didn’t care for it. But then, I’m not big on Italian food either.
Thank you for this amazing recipe!! This turned out fantastic. Even my son who is INCREDIBLY picky ate his entire plate full. I didn’t add extra sauce but could see how it would be good with it on there. My oldest said it tasted a bit like lasagna. I did put a layer of cheese between the noodle mixture and meat mixture. I will definitely be making this again real soon.
Wow this was really good! It also freezes well.
I am a little confused. Your list of ingredients only mentions one jar of spaghetti sauce, yet in the directions, it refers to two jars of spaghetti sauce in addition to the alfredo sauce.
Hi Bev! The second can is optional. It can be used when serving but is not necessary/ It just depends on how much sauce you like. 🙂
This was a thumbs up from everybody! My 11 year old can be a little picky and he raved about it! i had some shredded chicken left over and i used it instead of the ground beef and I omitted the onion This will definitely become a go to meal especially on soccer nights because it is so easy! Thank you for posting!
This was really good. Makes a whole lot of food!!!!
So happy you enjoyed it Bobbi! Thank you for coming back to review!
I see there is a box of cream cheese in the pic of ingredients. Where is that used?
Hi Christi! I am not sure what you’re seeing there. There’s no cream cheese in this…
I think the confusion is with the bag of cheese. At first glance, it does look like a box of cream cheese but it is actually the bag of mozzarella that contains a bit of Philadelphia cream cheese.
Excellent recipe! The children loved it!!
Love hearing that Marvin! Thank you so much!
This is a big hit in our house! I’ve been making it a few times a month for the last year. I have VERY picky boys and they LOVE this recipe. Thank you for sharing!
I absolutely love hearing that!! Thanks so much Lori!!
This recipe is Delicious!!!! Makes a whole lot!!!
This is a family favorite! I’ve tweaked the recipe a bit. I use ground Italian sausage instead of the ground beef and I add sautéed mushrooms. We also made it with grilled chicken instead of the ground meat. All have been delicious but the ground sausage is our fave!
Thank you so very much! I love the variety you brought to it as well. So awesome to get great feedback like this. Thanks Kimberlee!
Love this recipe and so do my kiddos!! Question – is the 368 Cal for 1 serving or for the entire dish? Thank you!
Hey Erinn!! I am SO happy to hear that – yay!! Thank you! That amount is per serving. However, I always tell everyone (I even have a DISCLOSURE on my site here) that you should use your own trusted nutrition calculator. My recipe card does it automatically but should not be used for dietary or health purposes.:)
I love this recipe and have been using it for years now, I love your site, there hasn’t been one recipe here that my family doesn’t love! Whenever I say I’m baking baked ziti the boys (hubby and son) lol are very happy about it 🙂 I’ve made it for my sister’s family of 6 a few times and her picky little ones gobble it up! I always refer back here whenever I make it and since I’m about to make it now I thought “why haven’t I left a comment?” Five stars!!
Hey Brandie, I made this for dinner tonight and wanted to thank you! It was very good!! It makes a lot so we will be enjoying leftovers! Again…Thanks!!
You’re the best Kim – thank you so much!!
I made this dish and it was great! Next time I’ll add 2 tsp Italian seasoning!
This has replaced my family’s favorite ziti recipe that I’ve used for many years. It is so easy and filling. And the leftovers are even better! Thanks Brandie! Your recipes make up over half of the ones in my collection.
Hello!
I made this a while back based on your recipe and love it!! I came back and realized the picture is different now and there is only one spaghetti sauce jar instead of two? Also in the ingredients – but the instructions call for two as well. So I’m just confused and wondering if that has changed or are you just using a bigger jar of sauce? Wanting to make this for a crowd to trying to figure out exact measurements!!!
Thank you!
-Courtney
Hey Courtney,
I updated the photos and didn’t add that second can in there but I still kept it in the recipe because I like extra sauce but I know some people may not want it. So if you have always made it and enjoyed it with the two cans – keep doing that! 🙂
I read the recipe ingredients and it states only 1 jar of spaghetti sauce, but in the recipe #12 it says to add in a second jar?????
It’s optional. We like a lot of sauce but not everyone does.
Delicious
I am going to make this tonight and I am so excited. My question is what is a serving considered? Would a serving be 1 cup? Thank you!
Hi Cassie – I would say that is about right. 🙂
Fantastic! Rich and satisfying. I feel like a real Italian chef. A crowd pleaser. I have shared the recipe with all my friends! THANK YOU!
This was excellent and quick to make. Thank you
This is a great recipe….easy, tasty and filling. My family of 5 loves it. It be challenging to find something everyone enjoys.