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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Hi Jenn, made this dish several times for my husband and myself – it is always very good. Fast forward I made it for friends and was told it was really “ too rich” with the heavy cream. Can I skip the heavy cream or substitute something else and if so what? Thank you so much, Cora.
Hi Cora, You can replace the cream with half and half.
Ok Jenn, I will definitely try that! Thank you for you swift reply. Cora
Do you drain the can of tomatoes?
No, you use the entire can. Enjoy!
What is the best method for freezing this dish?
I’d assemble and freeze it unbaked. See the bottom of the recipe for Make-Ahead/Freezer-Friendly instructions.
I like this with a bit more sauce but I am making it for just 4 people. Rather than increasing the sauce, can I simple use the recipe as is but decrease the amount of noodles to 12 oz? Also, I use linguini instead of ziti, does that change how much sauce gets absorbed?
Hi Joni, It’s fine to use 12 ounces of pasta instead of 16 ounces, but I wouldn’t use linguini. If you can’t find ziti, I’d recommend rigatoni or penne.
This recipe is fantastic. Easy to make. I prepped it the day before then brought it to room temperature and baked. It turned out great. My guest loved it. I used the spicy sausage. Put some pecorino cheese on the table for my guest to add more cheese. It was great. We both loved it. Now I have leftovers for my lunch this week. Delicious. I highly recommend this recipe.
I prepared this dish yesterday, but I didn’t have time to bake it. I wrapped tightly and it is in the fridge now. I need to deliver it tonight to a family with a seriously ill little girl. I saw the instructions to bake covered and then bake without a cover, but I am concerned about it drying out… So I saw this comment that an alternative approach is to leave the ziti out to get room temperature. Is there advice on which approach works best? And if it’s better to leave out so ziti gets to room temperature – how long would that be?
Hi Sue, You truly can go either way. If you leave it on the counter, an hour should be sufficient.
We liked this recipe a lot, but our small family didn’t finish it last night, and I covered it tightly and stored in the refrigerator. Today I put some on a microwavable plate and reheated on a medium power. I was surprised to find the pasta to be very chewy/tough/leathery. I have stored and reheated spaghetti, lasagna and macaroni this way and found it to be very good. This is my first time to buy and use ziti. Do you have any suggestions? Wondered if I should have added liquid before reheating, or…? I did not microwave for too long, and it was definitely covered well in the refrigerator, although not vacuum-sealed.
Hii Judy, sorry to hear you didn’t enjoy this after microwaving. For any additional leftovers, I’d reheat them in a 300° oven, covered with foil until heated through.
I made this delicious pasta recipe and we loved it. But Jenn, we only ate about a third, and the rest is in my fridge, covered with foil. Since it’s already cooked, how would you recommend to reheat it? I was thinking of heating 2 portions at about 325 for about a half hour or until it’s hot?
Glad you liked it! That sounds good. I think I’d opt for a 300-degree oven (and I’d cover it with foil).
This pasta dish is amazing. The crushed tomatoes, heavy cream, and shredded mozzarella came together to make a simple, elegant sauce. It’s perfect for a fireside supper at home with lots of leftovers, or to serve at a refined dinner party any time!
Jenn Segal has done it again!!
This baked ziti is delicious. I would like to 11/2 the sauce.
along with the tomatoes would I double the grated cheese, cream, basil and seasonings.
I will be cooking for a large group and using big pans so I don’t want it to dry out.
Only reason I want to add more sauce. It is really the best baked ziti and the only one I’ve ever liked. My go to.
Glad you like it! If you’d like to make 1.5 times the sauce, yes, I’d increase everything else aside from the pasta. Hope everyone enjoys. 😊
Hi Jenn,
I have made this several times and everyone loves it. I was going to make it tomorrow for friends, but one does not eat pork. What would be a good substitute?
Thank you,
Susan
Hi Susan, Glad it’s been a hit. You can use turkey sausage in place of the pork sausage.
Hi Jenn. A quick question that I shouldn’t ask a chef! My family doesn’t like tomato pieces and I’m hoping to sub in a Rao’s Marinara sauce for the crushed tomatoes. I know it won’t be the same! Suggestions? Thought I would omit most of the seasonings then?
If I puree the crushed tomatoes and follow the recipe I’m thinking there will tiny tomato pieces thru out. Help.
Hi Susan, I’d go with pureeing the crushed tomatoes. Once you purée them, I believe that you won’t be able to detect any tomato pieces.
We used a can of pureed tomatoes instead of crushed, because our family has the same preferences. The recipe worked out just as well and there was no need for bottled sauce.
Crowd pleaser! Easy to make and absolutely delicious