Feeding a crowd? This baked ziti recipe is the simplest strategy to do it! Saucy, tacky, comforting, and flavorful, this fuss-free pasta is at all times a success.
Have you ever tried this baked ziti recipe?! It’s a fan favourite on the weblog, and it’s one in every of our household favorites as nicely. When you’ve got but to make it, I hope you’ll this season. This simple baked ziti is an ideal no-fuss recipe for feeding a crowd, and the combo of marinara sauce, pasta, and three (sure, three!) kinds of cheese is so comforting right now of 12 months.
This baked ziti recipe is my veggie spin on the model I grew up consuming. Reliably current at each potluck or social gathering I attended, it was my favourite consolation meals. I liked the jumbles of noodles combined with tangy tomato sauce, gooey cheese, and Italian sausage or floor beef. Nowadays, I skip the meat in favor of creamy ricotta and many contemporary spinach, however this baked ziti recipe continues to be hearty, satisfying, and filled with taste. I adore it, and I feel you’ll too.
Baked Ziti Recipe Components
Right here’s what you’ll have to make this baked ziti recipe:
- Ziti, in fact! One other tube-shaped pasta, comparable to penne or rigatoni, would work properly too.
- Marinara sauce – If I’ve the time, I like to make use of my home made marinara sauce right here, which comes along with a fast 20-minute simmer on the range. However store-bought sauce is honest sport too! I like to recommend Rao’s.
- Ricotta cheese – It creates a creamy layer within the heart of the baked ziti. For one of the best texture, make sure that to make use of complete milk ricotta on this recipe.
- Garlic, lemon zest, oregano, and crimson pepper flakes – I exploit these elements to season the ricotta. The garlic, oregano, and pepper flakes add basic Italian taste, and the lemon zest brings a scrumptious, sudden brightness.
- Recent spinach – It wouldn’t be a Love & Lemons recipe if it wasn’t loaded with contemporary veggies! I sauté an entire pound of spinach in olive oil earlier than stirring it into the pasta.
- Smoked mozzarella and pecorino cheeses – For topping. The smoked mozzarella offers the pasta a kick of wealthy, smoky taste, which I really like, however should you can’t discover it, no worries! Sub in common mozzarella. And in a pinch, salty, nutty Parmesan cheese is a superb sub for the pecorino.
- Torn contemporary basil and chopped parsley – I sprinkle them over the ultimate dish for a contemporary, vibrant of entirety.
- And salt and pepper – To make all of the flavors pop!
Discover the entire recipe with measurements under.
Find out how to Make Baked Ziti
This baked ziti recipe is straightforward to make! Right here’s the way it goes:
First, prepare dinner the pasta. Deliver a big pot of salted water to a boil, and prepare dinner the pasta till al dente. Watch out to not overcook it! It is going to soften extra whereas it bakes.
Whereas the pasta cooks, make the ricotta cheese combination. Stir collectively the ricotta, garlic, lemon zest, oregano, and crimson pepper flakes, and season with salt and pepper.
Subsequent, sauté the spinach. Drain the pasta, and warmth a glug of olive oil in the identical pot. Sauté the spinach till it’s simply wilted. Tip: Work in batches right here! I do 1/2 pound at a time in order that the spinach cooks evenly. I like all of it to be tender and vibrant inexperienced, not slimy or soggy. After I work in batches, I’m in a position to hit that candy spot each time.
Gently squeeze a number of the extra moisture out of the sautéed spinach and roughly chop it.
Then, combine all the things collectively. Return many of the spinach and all the pasta to the pot, together with all however 1/2 cup of the tomato sauce. Stir till all the things is nicely mixed.
Lastly, layer it up. Unfold the remaining sauce on the underside of a big casserole dish, and unfold half of the pasta combination over it. Dollop within the ricotta and the reserved spinach, and scoop the remainder of the pasta on prime. Prime with the grated smoked mozzarella and pecorino cheeses, and drizzle with olive oil. Bake till the cheese is golden brown and effervescent. Get pleasure from!
Wish to get forward?
This baked ziti freezes nicely. Assemble it as much as the purpose of baking, cowl it tightly with foil, and freeze for as much as 3 months. To reheat, bake, lined, at 350°F for an hour, or till heated by way of. Uncover and bake till the cheese on prime is browned and effervescent.
As a substitute of freezing the pasta, you can too assemble it a number of hours, and as much as day, upfront, cowl it, and retailer it within the fridge. Enable it to take a seat at room temperature for half-hour earlier than baking in line with the directions within the recipe under.
What to Serve with Baked Ziti
This baked ziti recipe is a scrumptious chilly climate primary dish. Pair it with garlic bread, garlic knots, or home made focaccia for sopping up any stray marinara sauce. Spherical out the meal with an enormous salad. Any of those can be improbable:
Not feeling the salad? Skip it, or go for a easy veggie aspect dish as a substitute. Roasted broccoli, roasted Brussels sprouts, and sautéed inexperienced beans would all be nice decisions.
The baked ziti is greatest on the day it’s made, however leftovers preserve nicely for as much as 4 days within the fridge. Reheat particular person parts within the microwave, or heat bigger portions in a lined pan in a 325°F oven.
Extra Favourite Consolation Meals Recipes
In case you love this simple baked ziti recipe, strive one in every of these comforting dishes subsequent:
Need less difficult dinner concepts? Take a look at this put up!
Straightforward Baked Ziti
Serves 6 to eight
This baked ziti recipe is straightforward to make and ideal for serving a crowd. Full of tangy tomato sauce, al dente pasta, and three kinds of cheese, it is comforting and scrumptious.
- 4 cups (32 ounces) marinara sauce
- 2 cups (16 ounces) ricotta cheese
- 2 garlic cloves, minced
- 1 tablespoon lemon zest
- 1 teaspoon oregano
- ¼ teaspoon crimson pepper flakes
- ¾ teaspoon sea salt, extra for the pasta water
- Freshly floor black pepper
- 1 pound ziti pasta
- Further-virgin olive oil, for drizzling
- 1 pound contemporary spinach
- 1½ cups smoked mozzarella cheese
- ¼ cup grated pecorino or Parmesan cheese
- Chopped contemporary parsley and/or torn basil leaves, for garnish
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Preheat the oven to 425°F. Unfold ½ cup marinara within the backside of a 9×13-inch baking dish.
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In a medium bowl, mix the ricotta cheese, garlic, lemon zest, oregano, crimson pepper flakes, ½ teaspoon salt, and a number of other grinds of contemporary pepper.
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In a big pot of salted boiling water, prepare dinner the pasta in line with package deal instructions till al dente. Drain.
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Return the pot again to the range. Over low warmth, drizzle the underside of the pot with a little bit olive oil and add the spinach. Toss and sauté 1 to 2 minutes till simply wilted, working in batches if obligatory. Flip off the warmth, take away the spinach from the pot, and gently squeeze out a number of the extra water. Coarsely chop it and put aside.
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Add the pasta again to the pot together with the remaining marinara, many of the chopped spinach, ¼ teaspoon sea salt, and extra contemporary pepper and toss till mixed.
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Add half the pasta to the baking dish, prime with dollops of the ricotta, the remaining spinach, and scoop the remaining pasta on prime. Prime with the mozzarella and pecorino cheese. Drizzle with olive oil and bake till the cheese is browned, 16 to 22 minutes.
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Garnish with contemporary basil or parsley and serve sizzling.
