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EASY BAKED ZITI CASSEROLE (+Video)

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5 from 45 votes

This easy baked ziti is a huge family favorite. Creamy, cheesy alfredo pasta topped with a beefy spaghetti sauce! Then topped with melted cheese!

EASY BAKED ZITI CASSEROLE

This is one of my favorite comfort food pasta dishes. This one along with my BAKED SPAGHETTI (SPASAGNA) is the ultimate comfort food for me. Serve it with some GARLIC BREAD and a salad and I am a happy camper!Easy Cheesy Baked Ziti

HOW-TO VIDEO INCLUDED BELOW

CAN I USE ANY KIND OF PASTA FOR 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. Or maybe you are able to find the Ziti with ridges in your local supermarket, then you could use that as well. This recipe is versatile and you can use almost any other pasta noodle you prefer. I love it in this CREAMY GARLIC PENNE PASTA.
Easy Baked Ziti Casserole recipe from The Country Cook
WHAT YOU’LL NEED:
ground beef
spaghetti sauce*
alfredo sauce
penne pasta (or ziti or rigatoni)
yellow onion
shredded mozzarella cheese

ground beef, mozzarella, Alfredo Sauce, penne pasta, spaghetti pasta sauceSTEP-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.
pouring Alfredo Sauce over cooked penne pasta in a large pot
 Pour pasta mixture into bottom of 9×13 dish.
Alfredo covered penne pasta in a 13x9 baking dish
Cover pasta with spaghetti sauce mixture.
meat sauce poured over ziti and Alfredo Sauce
Sprinkle top with mozzarella cheese.
shredded mozzarella cheese on top of ziti mixture
Cover with aluminum foil and bake for 15 minutes. I like to spray the inside of my foil with nonstick spray so the cheese doesn’t stick to it. Or you could use nonstick aluminum foil.
foil covered casserole dishRemove foil and bake for another 15 minutes until cheese is melted and bubbly. Let rest for about 5 minutes after taking out of oven.
Super Simple Baked Ziti recipe (closeup)
*Cook’s Notes: When I make this, I usually purchase an extra can of spaghetti sauce so we can pour extra sauce over the top when serving.
Easy Cheesy Baked Ziti, forkful
Enjoy!

Originally published: May 2011
Updated and republished: May 2019

Easy Cheesy Baked Ziti

EASY BAKED ZITI

This easy baked ziti is a huge family favorite. Creamy, cheesy alfredo pasta topped with a beefy spaghetti sauce! Then topped with melted cheese!
5 from 45 votes
Print Pin Rate
Course: Main Course
Cuisine: American
Keyword: Easy Baked Ziti
Prep Time: 10 minutes
Cook Time: 35 minutes
Total Time: 45 minutes
Servings: 6
Calories: 368kcal
Author: Brandie @ The Country Cook

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.

Video

Nutrition

Calories: 368kcal | Carbohydrates: 25g | Protein: 27g | Fat: 16g | Saturated Fat: 8g | Cholesterol: 78mg | Sodium: 287mg | Potassium: 317mg | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 1g | Vitamin A: 5% | Vitamin C: 0.8% | Calcium: 20.5% | Iron: 15.7%
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LOVE THIS PASTA RECIPE? HERE’S MORE!
EASY BAKED SPAGHETTI (Spasagna)
SAUSAGE SPAGHETTI “CUPCAKES”
PIZZA PASTA BAKE
MEATBALL SUB CASSEROLE
CROCK POT CHICKEN ALFREDO LASAGNA

Reader Interactions

Comments

  2. Maria says

    August 21, 2018 at 10:22 pm


    Not bad for an easy bake ziti recipe. I mix Italian sausage into the meat mix. Going to keep this recipe in my rotation.

    Reply

  3. Sue says

    September 23, 2018 at 5:47 pm


    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.

    Reply

  4. Sonya says

    September 28, 2018 at 7:15 am

    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!!!!

    Reply

  5. Bethany says

    October 20, 2018 at 7:56 pm


    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!

    Reply

  6. Sherri says

    October 22, 2018 at 8:01 pm


    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!

    Reply

  7. Christine says

    November 2, 2018 at 12:08 am


    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.

    Reply

  9. Kelly says

    January 18, 2019 at 9:34 am


    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!

    Reply

  11. Elizabeth says

    June 7, 2019 at 4:00 pm


    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?

    Reply

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