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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The flavor is out of this world delicious!!!
Can I make this and divide it between 2 smaller pans so I can freeze one?
Sure!
I can’t find ziti pasta in our grocery stores. Could I substitute some other variety of pasta?
Sure! Penne or rigatoni would both work nicely. Hope you enjoy!
I was excited to try this, but found it to be pretty dry. I’ll make again, but with extra sauce.
This is an amazing recipe. We hurt ourselves last night. The only reason I gave it a 4, is needs more sauce. I used 2 15.8oz canned crushed tomatoes, and it still needed more sauce. With that being said, this recipe is bookmarked and will be made again in our home. Just next time, I think I do 3 cans vs the two.
What a wonderful recipe! Everything I make from you site is extremely reliable. My family loved the flavors. Very delicious comfort food with nuanced flavors. Good presentation, also.
I did make one tweak knowing my family’s tastes and that I wanted to freeze some (and have enough moisture). I simmered the contents of a small can of tomato paste with water and good quality red wine for about 8 – 10 minutes. I did not measure the liquid – maybe 6-8 oz max if I had to guess,with more emphasis on the wine. I added this mixture to the meat/sauce mixture and decided the added moisture might be more to my family’s taste and stand up better for freezing knowing that some would go into the freezer. This is probably a personal preference and not a criticism of the recipe. Otherwise, I followed the recipe.
It looks good before baked and out of the oven and holds together well. I baked at 400 degrees for about 10 minutes and then turned the oven down to 375. Any higher and it would have burned in my oven. Will definitely make this again!
In the picture of ingredients, there is a small bowl of what appears to be cottage cheese. Is that supposed to be in the ingredients. Thanks! I looking forward to making this recipe!
Hi Catherine, it does look kind of like cottage cheese because of the clumps in the bowl, but that’s actually the pecorino Romano. Hope that clarifies, and that you enjoy the ziti if you make it!
In the future, if fresh basil is not available may I substitute dried? If so, how much?
Thank you.
Kelly
Hi Kelly, I’m not a huge fan of dried basil, but a few readers have commented that they’ve used it and have gotten a good finished dish. You’ll need just shy of 2 tablespoons. Please LMK how it turns out if you try it!
Everyone loves this dish when I make it. It makes the dinner rotation a least once a month. I also love that there is enough for lunch leftovers for my two sporty teenage boys.
I’ve done the recipe exactly as instructed but added a bit more to make more marinara sauce as some wanted more of that. When I’m short on time or exact ingredients, I have opted to add Rao’s homemade marinara sauce (sorry Jenn if this is offensive!). This way, I can add more sauce since my family likes it this way.
I love the heavy cream texture and flavor. I use one New York Style Co. hot Italian sausage 16oz package and one NY Style Co. mild Italian sausage. This gives it the perfect heat even with the extra red pepper flakes. My family loves our food to have a bit more kick, so this recipe can be adjusted to your tastes.
Fabulous! Married over 40yrs and this is the one ziti that was bringing me confidence on Italian dishes, not soupy but firm and tasty! Thank you!
So yummy and decadent!!! Followed the recipe exactly except didn’t want it to become burned or crunchy so set my oven to 375 and the result was so delicious! Thank you for another five star recipe Chef Jenn!