The Best 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!
A DELICIOUSLY EASY BAKED ZITI RECIPE
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!
FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS
I usually use 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.
When I make this, I usually purchase an extra jar of spaghetti sauce so we can pour extra sauce over the top when serving.
Absolutely! Or you can try using different flavored alfredo sauces – like garlic or basil.
Yes, of course. Whatever you prefer. Ground pork can also be used.
Want an extra kick? Try adding some ground Italian sausage to the mixture!
Yes! Like most pasta dishes this freezes very well. Just cover properly to protect against freezer burn and it will jeep for up to 3 months.
Allow it to cool fully then put it in a covered container and into the refrigerator where it will keep for up to 3 days.
INGREDIENTS NEEDED: (SEE RECIPE CARD BELOW FOR THE FULL RECIPE)
- ground beef – you can use Italian sausage, ground pork or pretty much any ground meat you prefer.
- spaghetti sauce – I really love Rao’s pasta sauce when I can get it on sale. It’s so good! As you can see below, I had to go with Prego here which is a good sauce as well. Use a sauce that you enjoy. Or you can make your own Homemade Marinara Sauce.
- alfredo sauce – use your favorite storebosugh alfredo sauce or make your own from scratch. I have a delicious homemade alfredo sauce that I make for my Copycat Olive Garden Chicken Alfredo recipe.
- penne, ziti or rigatoni pasta – you can use any pasta that is of similar size and you’ll want to use the same amount.
- onion – if you also enjoy adding peppers to your sauces, you would add it in at the same time you add the onion.
- shredded mozzarella – shred your own or use store bought pre-shredded cheese
HOW TO MAKE BAKED ZITI
Preheat oven to 350F degrees. Spray a 9×13-inch 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.
Sprinkle top with mozzarella cheese.
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. 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.
CRAVING MORE RECIPES?
The Best Baked Ziti (+Video)
Ingredients
- 1 pound ground beef
- 32 ounce jar of your favorite spaghetti sauce
- 16 ounce jar alfredo sauce
- 1 pound 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.
- 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 additional paghetti sauce on top (optional)
Video
Notes
- Please refer to my FAQ’s (Frequently Asked Questions) and ingredient list above for other substitutions or for the answers to the most common questions.
Nutrition
Nutritional Disclaimer
“The Country Cook” is not a dietician or nutritionist, and any nutritional information shared is an estimate. If calorie count and other nutritional values are important to you, we recommend running the ingredients through whichever online nutritional calculator you prefer. Calories and other nutritional values can vary quite a bit depending on which brands were used.
Originally published: May 2011
Updated and republished: February 2020
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 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!
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
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.
It looks great Brandie. I always use Delmonte Garlic & Onion in the can as it is the best I have ever eaten.
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!
Made this the other night and we loved it! We will definitely be making this again. So easy to make and delicious! Thank you!!
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!
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.
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!
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?
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!
Think this would be good if I added turkey kielbasa? Would I mix it with the red sauce?
Just wanna say I <3, <3, <3 ALL your recipes and am constantly sharing them. Thank you for this wonderful blog.
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.
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?
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.
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!
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!
Cooking in my oven right now. Can't wait to taste it!
Made this tonight for my family and they LOVeD it and let's just say they are a tough crowd to please!!! Thank you
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!
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!!! 🙂
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
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!