This Easy Baked Ziti with sausage and ricotta is always a crowd-pleaser! It’s hearty and filling, and packed with flavor. A big casserole with eight generous servings means that this cheesy, meaty casserole is perfect for big family dinners, potlucks, or your hungry family!
I love making baked ziti with ricotta cheese because it’s super similar to a classic lasagna, but without the hassle of those big floppy lasagna noodles.
Instead, simple tube-shaped pasta (ziti) is layered with a flavorful meat sauce and plenty of ricotta and mozzarella cheese to make this easy Italian casserole that nobody can get enough of.
If you enjoy this recipe for baked ziti, I know you’ll also love my Pizza Casserole recipe! It’s similar, but made with ground beef, pepperoni, and all of your favorite pizza toppings mixed in.
The Best Baked Ziti with Sausage
- Big Flavor – Using sausage rather than plain ground meat to make the sauce for baked ziti gives it so much more flavor, and you won’t need to think much about adding extra seasonings. Mild sausage will give you plenty of flavor, but If you like a bit of kick, look for spicy Italian sausage at the grocery store.
- Completely Homemade – Aside from a jar of marinara sauce and a can of diced tomatoes, everything else in this recipe is fresh, and the whole thing is made from scratch. This is a meal you can be proud to serve your family.
- Classic Italian Comfort Food – What’s not to love about pasta baked with meat, cheese, and tomato sauce? Everyone loves baked ziti, and my recipe never disappoints.
Ingredients In Baked Ziti
Here’s what you need to make this amazing casserole:
- Italian Sausage: Look for “bulk” Italian sausage at the grocery store. This just means that the meat hasn’t been put into casings. If you can only find traditional sausage, remove it from the casings first and then it will be ready to go.
- Ziti: Ziti is, of course, the traditional pasta in baked ziti, but penne, medium shells, or any other type of short pasta can work in its place. Use what you have.
- Tomatoes and Sauce: To add the right amount of moisture to the casserole we’re using 1 can of diced tomatoes plus a jar of your favorite marinara sauce. If you make homemade sauce, feel free to use it here. Otherwise, just choose a jarred marinara that you enjoy.
- Garlic and Onion: For rich, savory, home-cooked flavor.
- Ricotta Cheese: This is what makes the best baked ziti wonderfully creamy and extra satisfying.
- Parmesan and Mozzarella Cheese: To add even more cheesiness!
Complete list of ingredients and amounts can be found in the recipe card below.
How To Make Baked Ziti
Tip!
To get this beautiful browning on top of the casserole, place it under the broiler in your oven for a few minutes once it’s finished baking.
Recipe Tips
- Don’t overcook the pasta: When making baked pasta, you should cook it just to al dente. The pasta will soften a bit more in the oven, so if it’s overcooked to start with, you’ll end up with mush.
- Be careful with the foil: Just like lasagna, you want to cover the dish, but not so tightly that the foil touches the mozzarella cheese. If it is, the cheese will melt and stick to the foil rather than to the pasta.
- Make it ahead: You can prepare and assemble this baked ziti casserole and keep it covered in the refrigerator for up to 24 hours. When you’re ready, bake according to the instructions, but add at least 15 extra minutes to the bake time to account for the cold pasta.
How to Store Baked Ziti
- Refrigerator: Once baked, store either the entire casserole or portions of it in an airtight container in the refrigerator. It will stay fresh for 4-5 days this way.
- Freezer: You can freeze the entire casserole after you’ve baked it, or smaller portions if you like. Reheat in the oven either frozen or thawed. It will take 45-60 minutes to reheat fully.
What To Serve With Baked Ziti
Turn this hearty pasta dish into a wonderful family meal with fresh bread or garlic bread and a simple salad. My homemade caesar salad is also a wonderful side for baked ziti.
For dessert, try a classic Italian treat, like Tiramisu or Cannoli.
Recipe FAQs
While you may find recipes out there for baked ziti that start with uncooked pasta, I don’t recommend it. This recipe bakes up perfectly with cooked pasta and sauce.
Yes! Keeping the pasta covered for most of the baking time will help it to cook through more quickly and keep the pasta from drying out. Uncover the casserole during the last ten minutes or so for the cheese to get melty and browned.
Small curd cottage cheese is the most common replacement for ricotta cheese in baked pasta recipes and is a good option in baked ziti.
More Baked Pasta Recipes
All Pasta →
This Easy Baked Ziti recipe with sausage and ricotta is a delicious, classic, and hearty meal that is sure to satisfy your hungriest eaters! I know that this recipe will stay in your dinner rotation because everyone will ask for it again, so make sure to Pin this post!
Did you make this? Be sure to leave a review below and tag me on Facebook, Instagram, or Pinterest!
Baked Ziti with Sausage
Equipment
- 6-quart Dutch Oven or a large skillet
Ingredients
- 1 pound (450 g) dried ziti pasta
- 1 tablespoon (15 ml) olive oil
- 1 pound (450 g) Italian sausage mild or spicy
- 1 small yellow onion diced
- 3 cloves garlic minced
- 24 ounces (710 ml) marinara
- 14 ounces (400 g) canned diced tomatoes
- ½ cup (120 ml) water
- 2 teaspoons italian seasoning
- ½ teaspoon salt
- ¼ teaspoon ground black pepper
- 15 ounces (425 g) ricotta cheese
- 1 large egg
- 2 cups (224 g) shredded mozzarella cheese
- ½ cup (43 g) shredded parmesan cheese
- 2 tablespoons fresh chopped parsley
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- ¼ teaspoon ground black pepper
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350°F (180°C or 160°C for a fan oven), and lightly grease a 9×13-inch (33×22 cm) baking dish.
- Cook the pasta according to package instructions. Drain and set aside.
- Meanwhile, in a large skillet or dutch oven, heat olive oil over medium high heat, add the italian sausage and onion, and cook breaking the sausage apart with a spatula until the sausage is browned (about 7-8 minutes).
- Drain excess fat if needed.
- Add garlic, and cook for 1 minute.
- Add marinara sauce, diced tomatoes, water, italian seasoning, salt and pepper. Bring the mixture to a boil, reduce heat to a simmer and cook for 10 minutes stirring occasionally.
- In a medium mixing bowl, combine ricotta cheese, egg, half of the mozzarella cheese, parmesan, parsley, salt, and pepper.
- Add about 2 cups of meat sauce to the ziti, and stir together.
- To the baking dish, add all of the ziti, spread the ricotta filling on top.
- Top with the remaining meat sauce, and remaining mozzarella cheese.
- Cover the casserole loosely with foil (make sure it’s not touching the cheese), and bake in the preheated oven for 20 minutes. Remove the foil, and bake for 10 more minutes. If the top is not slightly browned, place under the broiler for 2-5 minutes until it is golden.
- Garnish the baked ziti with fresh chopped parsley before serving if desired.
Notes:
- Don’t overcook the pasta: When making baked pasta, you should cook it just to al dente. The pasta will soften a bit more in the oven, so if it’s overcooked to start with, you’ll end up with mush.
- Make it ahead: You can prepare and assemble this baked ziti casserole and keep it covered in the refrigerator for up to 24 hours. When you’re ready, bake according to the instructions, but add at least 15 extra minutes to the baking time to account for the cold pasta.
- To Store: Once baked, store either the entire casserole or portions of it in an airtight container in the refrigerator. It will stay fresh for 4-5 days this way.
- To Freeze: You can freeze the entire casserole after you’ve baked it, or smaller portions if you like. Reheat in the oven either frozen or thawed. It will take 45-60 minutes to reheat fully.
Nutrition Information
This website provides approximate nutrition information for convenience and as a courtesy only. Nutrition data is gathered primarily from the USDA Food Composition Database, whenever available, or otherwise other online calculators.
© Little Sunny Kitchen
Emma Kimbrel says
one of those rare recipes that is PERFECT!!! usually my husband and I always are like this is good but next time I would ‘insert ingredient’ – but this one left us saying we wouldn’t change one thing! delicious and cozy.
Little Sunny Kitchen says
Oh, wow, thank you so much for the amazing feedback, Emma! Glad you enjoyed!