Baked Ziti
Recipe Date:
December 29, 2025
Difficulty:
Easy
Measurements:
Imperial (US)
Baked Ziti is one of those dishes I have not prepared the same way twice, it really just depends on what I have on hand and what I am craving. This recipe is a nice starting point, feel free to follow it completely or just pull the parts you like and adjust it a bit. I don’t think you can ever mess up baked pasta.
Ingredients
- 1 lb ziti noodles
- 1 1/2 lbs ground spicy or sweet Italian sausage, removed from casings.
- 4 garlic cloves, minced
- 1 28 oz can crushed tomatoes
- crushed red pepper flakes to taste
- 1 cup heavy cream
- 1/3 cup Romano or Parmigiano Reggiano cheeses
- 1/3 cup chopped fresh basil
- 8 oz whole milk mozzarella cheese, shredded
- salt and pepper to taste
Directions
- Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Add the ziti noodles and cook according to the package directions for al dente, about 8 minutes. Drain and add the pasta back to the pot. Set aside.
- Preheat oven to 400F and set the oven rack in the middle postion.
- Heat a large saute pan over medium high heat, crumble the sausage into the pan and cook until browned. Break up large pieces with a spoon. Add the 4 cloves of garlic and cook until fragrant, stirring constantly. Add the can of crushed tomatoes, salt and pepper to taste, add red pepper flakes and simmer for about 10 minutes.
- Add the cream, Romano or Parmigiano cheese and basil to the pan, stir until combined. Gently pour the sausage mixture to the pasta and stir until evenly combined. Spoon half of the mixture into a baking dish and top with mozzarella, top with remaining sauce and noodles and add the rest of the cheese to top. Bake uncovered until the cheese has melted and the top is browned, about 30 minutes.