Baked Ziti
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My baked ziti skips the ricotta for a silkier, creamier sauce that never bakes up dry or grainy. Made with Italian sausage, it’s easy enough for a weeknight and hearty enough for a crowd.
Photo by Johnny Miller, (Clarkson Potter, 2021)
This baked ziti is a MAJOR crowd-pleaser, whether I’m hosting a family gathering or cooking for my son’s college friends (I usually double the recipe in that case!). In fact, I love it so much that it’s featured proudly on the cover of my second cookbook. The Italian sausage does a lot of the heavy lifting here, giving the sauce deep flavor without a long ingredient list. It’s doable on a weeknight yet special enough to serve to company, and it’s also a fantastic make-ahead potluck dish.
What really sets this version apart from most baked ziti recipes is what’s not in it: ricotta. I know that’s the classic approach, but after lots of testing, I landed on a cream-based sauce instead—and I think it makes for a better dish. More on why below.
As the baked ziti works its magic in the oven, throw together a big Italian salad and warm some garlic bread, and you’re ready to feast!
“Simply outstanding…I made the ziti for a huge birthday party I hosted for a member of my family. Everyone (ages 5 to 91) devoured it.”
Why I skip The Ricotta
Most baked ziti recipes call for dolloping in ricotta, but baked at high heat, it tends to dry out and turn grainy—exactly the texture problem people worry about with baked ziti. So instead, I build the sauce with heavy cream and grated cheese. Stirred into the whole dish rather than dolloped throughout, it coats every piece of pasta evenly and keeps the ziti moist, down to the last leftover bite.
What You’ll Need to Make Baked Ziti
- Ziti noodles – Rigatoni or penne work fine too; look for a ridged shape that holds onto sauce.
- Italian sausage – Bulk sausage is easiest to crumble, but links work if you remove the casings first. Sweet or spicy, your call.
- Garlic: Adds savory depth to the sauce.
- Canned crushed tomatoes – The base of the sauce.
- Salt, sugar, and red pepper flakes – The sugar balances the acidity of the tomatoes; don’t skip it.
- Heavy cream – Stands in for ricotta here (see above).
- Pecorino Romano – Parmigiano Reggiano works as a substitute if that’s what you have.
- Pecorino Romano: Lends a sharp and salty flavor. Parmigiano Reggiano cheese can be substituted if needed.
- Fresh Basil: Adds a fresh, aromatic finish.
- Mozzarella Cheese: Whole milk mozzarella is best. You can purchase a plastic-wrapped brick of mozzarella (usually sold in the dairy case) and shred it yourself. To make it easier to work with, pop it in the freezer for 15 to 20 minutes prior to shredding. Or, to save time time, use pre-shredded mozzarella; just be sure it is made from whole milk, not part-skim.
- Jump to the printable recipe for precise measurements
Step-by-Step Instructions
Step 1: Boil the noodles. Since the ziti finishes cooking in the oven, boil it a few minutes short of al dente on the stovetop—it’ll continue cooking in the casserole dish and won’t turn mushy by the time it’s done baking.
Step 2: Make the sauce. Brown the sausage first, then use the same pan (with just a bit of the rendered fat left behind) to soften the garlic and simmer the tomatoes. Finish the sauce with cream, cheese, and basil.
Step 3: Combine the sauce and pasta. Pour the sauce into the pot with the drained pasta and stir gently until every piece is coated—this is what keeps the ziti from baking up dry in spots.
Step 4: Assemble and bake. Spread half of the pasta mixture in the baking dish, then sprinkle with half of the mozzarella and pecorino. Top with the remaining pasta mixture and the rest of the cheese. Layering it this way—rather than stirring all the cheese in at once—gives you a stretchy, melted layer running through the middle of the dish, not just on top. Bake until bubbling and browned.
Baked ziti can be assembled, covered, and refrigerated for up to 2 days before baking. It can also be frozen before or after baking, for up to 3 months. See the recipe card notes below for freezing and reheating instructions.
More Classic Italian Dishes You’ll Love
Video Tutorial
Baked Ziti
Ingredients
- 1 lb ziti noodles
- 1½ lbs ground spicy or sweet Italian sausage (or removed from casings)
- 4 cloves garlic, minced
- 1 (28-oz) can crushed tomatoes
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1½ teaspoons sugar
- ¼ teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes
- 1 cup heavy cream
- ⅓ cup plus 3 tablespoons grated pecorino Romano (or Parmigiano Reggiano cheese), divided
- ⅓ cup chopped fresh basil, plus more for serving
- 8 oz whole milk mozzarella cheese, shredded (about 2 cups)
Instructions
- Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Add the ziti noodles and cook according to the package directions for very al dente, about 7 minutes. (It will continue to cook in the oven, so you want to undercook it just a bit.) Drain and add the pasta back to the pot. Set aside.
- Preheat the oven to 425°F (220°C) and set the oven rack in the middle position.
- Heat a large sauté pan (preferably nonstick) over medium-high heat. Crumble the sausage into the pan and cook, breaking apart with a wooden spoon, until lightly browned and just cooked through, 5 to 6 minutes. Use a slotted spoon to transfer the cooked sausage to a plate. Drain all but 1 tablespoon of the fat from the pan and set over low heat (if you don't have enough fat in the pan, add a tablespoon of olive oil). Add the 4 cloves of minced garlic and cook, stirring constantly with a wooden spoon, until soft but not browned, about 1 minute. Add the can of crushed tomatoes, 1 teaspoon salt, 1½ teaspoons sugar, and ¼ teaspoon red pepper flakes and simmer, uncovered, for 10 minutes.
- Add the cream, ⅓ cup (33 g) of the pecorino Romano, cooked sausage, and basil to the pan; stir until evenly combined. Carefully pour the contents of the sauté pan into the large pot with the pasta and gently stir to combine. Spoon half of the mixture into a 9 x 13-inch (23 x 33-cm) baking dish. Sprinkle with half of the shredded mozzarella (1 cup/113 g) and half the remaining pecorino Romano (1½ tablespoons). Spoon the remaining pasta mixture on top and sprinkle with the remaining mozzarella (1 cup/113 g) and pecorino Romano (1½ tablespoons). Transfer to the oven and bake, uncovered, until the cheese has melted and browned, 15 to 20 minutes. Sprinkle with more basil and serve.
Notes
Pair with
Nutrition Information
This website is written and produced for informational purposes only. I am not a certified nutritionist and the nutritional data on this site has not been evaluated or approved by a nutritionist or the Food and Drug Administration. Nutritional information is offered as a courtesy and should not be construed as a guarantee. The data is calculated through an online nutritional calculator, Edamam.com. Although I do my best to provide accurate nutritional information, these figures should be considered estimates only. Varying factors such as product types or brands purchased, natural fluctuations in fresh produce, and the way ingredients are processed change the effective nutritional information in any given recipe. Furthermore, different online calculators provide different results depending on their own nutrition fact sources and algorithms. To obtain the most accurate nutritional information in a given recipe, you should calculate the nutritional information with the actual ingredients used in your recipe, using your preferred nutrition calculator.
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Made this for dinner last night and it was delicious! I added 1/2 lb hot Italian sausage because I had some I needed to use. It was awesome! Other than that addition, I followed the recipe exactly. Thank you.
I’ve made this a few times and it’s always a hit.
Can the sauce be made ahead of time and then when I want to eat the pasta cook the noodles and mix them together with the heated already made sauce and bake?
Made this last night and it was AMAZING! would love to make this when we are traveling because it is a crowd-pleaser.
Glad you enjoyed it! You can definitely make the sauce ahead – just leave out the cream and add it when you combine the pasta and sauce.
Thanks! I actually just found out at the place we are staying at there is no oven. Is this recipe still good without baking?
Should I add something to the sauce if I am not baking it?
If you won’t have an oven to put the dish in, I’d omit the cheese. Also, I’d cook the pasta just a little longer as it will not cook at all in the oven. Hope that helps!
Thank you so much!!!
Just curious do you have any other pasta recipes that are really loved and a crowd pleaser to everyone? My family doesn’t really like creamy white sauce pasta but they love seafood pasta and red sauce type pasta. Or do you have any loved recipes that is one pan or pot? I know you have categories on the website but wanted your opinion on favorite crowd pleaser dishes etc.
My pleasure! A couple of things that come to mind: meatless lasagna, Classic Lasagna, Linguine with Clams, Spaghetti Pie. Hope that helps and that you enjoy whatever you try!
Made exactly as recipe suggests and LOVED IT! It’s just my husband and I so we ended up eating several meals of this, but when we got to the end of the pan my husband said “I’m really going to miss this!”. 🙂 And he’s not one to eat leftovers very easily. Will definitely make again!!
First, I have to say that I have tried and loved several of your recipes! With the ziti recipe, can ground beef be used instead of sausage?
Thank you
So glad you like the recipes, Ali! You can get away with using ground beef here; just make sure it’s well seasoned as the sausage has a lot of seasoning. Enjoy!
This is a pleasure to make and eat. A better lasagna in half the time. Thanks for the inspiration!
So delicious! I made it tonight and the whole family loved it, even the baby! The tween asked us to include it in our weekly meal rotation. Thank you so much for sharing this with us.
I had a question about the Pecorino Romano. Is the total amount for the dish 1/2 cup? I misread it and added 1/3 to the sauce, and another third when layering the pasta and cheeses.
Hi Denise, Glad to hear this was a family-pleaser! Yes, you want a total of 1/2 cup of the Pecorino Romano; 1/3 cup gets incorporated into the sausage mixture and the remainder gets sprinkled onto the two layers of that mixture. Not a big deal though to have a little extra cheese! 🙂
So delicious and comforting. Love all of your recipes!
So delicious. As others have suggested, I used 18% cream and it was still fantastic. I also used a little less sausage than suggested and it was perfect. Cheesy, creamy, and smooth.
I’ve made LOTS of versions of baked ziti, and this one blows the rest out of the water! I couldn’t stop eating it, and when I finally did, I couldn’t stop thinking and talking about how good it was!
🙂 Glad you enjoyed!
Hey Jenn, still loving your recipes after all these years! I’ve made this several times and loved it. Just curious but do you think fresh Parmesan cheese would work well? It’s hard to find percoriano or reggiano cheese at times so thought I would ask!
So glad you like the recipes! Yes, you can get away with using Parmesan here. 🙂
We made this for the first time tonight, and we LOVED it! My husband has been raving about it! The proportions are absolutely perfect, and the timing you suggested was perfect too — the ziti were not gummy and overcooked, the sausage was just right. The addition of cream and a little sugar was perfect, and the cream reminded me of how my French friends throw a big spoonful of creme fraiche into any tomato-based recipe. Considering how fantastic this tastes, it’s a surprisingly simple recipe, and one we will make again and again. Thank you so much! This recipe is FANTASTIC!!!