Feeding a crowd? This baked ziti recipe is the easiest way to do it! Saucy, cheesy, comforting, and flavorful, this fuss-free pasta is always a hit.
Have you tried this baked ziti recipe?! It’s a fan favorite on the blog, and it’s one of our family favorites as well. If you have yet to make it, I hope you will soon.
This easy baked ziti is a perfect no-fuss recipe for feeding a crowd, and the combo of marinara sauce, pasta, and three (yes, three!) types of cheese is so comforting.
This baked ziti recipe is my veggie spin on the version I grew up eating. Reliably present at every potluck or party I attended, it was my favorite comfort food. I loved the jumbles of noodles mixed with tangy tomato sauce, gooey cheese, and Italian sausage or ground beef. These days, I skip the meat in favor of creamy ricotta and lots of fresh spinach, but this baked ziti recipe is still hearty, satisfying, and packed with flavor.
I love it, and I think you will too!
How to Make Baked Ziti
Here’s what you’ll need to make this baked ziti recipe:
Ingredients
- Ziti, of course! Another tube-shaped pasta, such as penne or rigatoni, would work nicely too.
- Marinara sauce – If I have the time, I like to use my homemade marinara sauce here, which comes together with a quick 20-minute simmer on the stove. But store-bought sauce is fair game too! I recommend Rao’s.
- Ricotta cheese – It creates a creamy layer in the center of the baked ziti. For the best texture, make sure to use whole milk ricotta in this recipe.
- Garlic, lemon zest, oregano, and red pepper flakes – I use these ingredients to season the ricotta. The garlic, oregano, and pepper flakes add classic Italian flavor, and the lemon zest brings a delicious, unexpected brightness.
- Fresh spinach – An entire pound wilts down into this comforting pasta.
- Smoked mozzarella and pecorino cheeses – For topping. The smoked mozzarella gives the pasta a kick of rich, smoky flavor, which I love, but if you can’t find it, no worries! Sub in regular shredded mozzarella. And in a pinch, salty, nutty Parmesan cheese is a great sub for the pecorino.
- Torn fresh basil and chopped parsley – I sprinkle them over the final dish for a fresh, vibrant finishing touch.
- And salt and pepper – To make all the flavors pop!
Find the complete recipe with measurements below.
Method
This baked ziti recipe is easy to make! Here’s how it goes:
First, cook the pasta. Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil, and cook the pasta until al dente. Be careful not to overcook it! It will soften more while it bakes.
While the pasta cooks, make the ricotta cheese mixture. Stir together the ricotta, garlic, lemon zest, oregano, and red pepper flakes, and season with salt and pepper.
Next, sauté the spinach. Drain the pasta, and heat a glug of olive oil in the same pot. Sauté the spinach until it’s just wilted. Tip: Work in batches here! I do 1/2 pound at a time so that the spinach cooks evenly.
Gently squeeze some of the excess moisture out of the sautéed spinach and roughly chop it.
Then, mix everything together. Return most of the spinach and all of the ziti noodles to the pot, along with all but 1/2 cup of the tomato sauce. Stir until everything is well combined.
Finally, layer it up. Spread the remaining sauce on the bottom of a large casserole dish, and spread half of the pasta mixture over it. Dollop in the ricotta and the reserved spinach, and scoop the rest of the pasta on top. Top with the shredded mozzarella and pecorino cheeses, and drizzle with olive oil.
Bake the pasta at 425°F until the cheese is golden brown and bubbling, about 20 minutes. Enjoy!
How to Store and Reheat Baked Ziti
Leftover baked ziti keeps well in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 5 days. Reheat it in the microwave or a 325°F oven.
You can also make this recipe ahead. Assemble the baked ziti a few hours, or up to day, in advance. Cover it, and store it in the fridge. Allow it to sit at room temperature for 30 minutes before baking according to the instructions in the recipe below.
Can you freeze baked ziti?
Yes! This baked ziti recipe freezes well.
- Assemble it up to the point of baking, cover it tightly with foil, and freeze for up to 3 months.
- Transfer it to the fridge to thaw overnight.
- To reheat, bake, covered, at 400°F until heated through, 30 minutes to an hour. Uncover and bake until the cheese on top is browned and bubbling.
What to Serve with Baked Ziti
This baked ziti recipe is a delicious main dish. Pair it with garlic bread, garlic knots, or homemade focaccia for sopping up any stray marinara sauce. Round out the meal with a big salad. Any of these would be fantastic:
- Caesar Salad
- Italian Chopped Salad
- Simple Green Salad
- Arugula Salad
- Pear Salad with Balsamic and Walnuts
Not feeling the salad? Skip it, or opt for a simple veggie side dish instead. Roasted broccoli, roasted Brussels sprouts, and sautéed green beans would all be great choices.
More Favorite Comfort Food Recipes
If you love this easy baked ziti recipe, try one of these comforting dishes next:
Easy Baked Ziti
Ingredients
- 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 red pepper flakes
- ¾ teaspoon sea salt, more for the pasta water
- Freshly ground black pepper
- 1 pound ziti pasta
- Extra-virgin olive oil, for drizzling
- 1 pound fresh spinach
- 1½ cups grated smoked mozzarella cheese
- ¼ cup grated pecorino or Parmesan cheese
- Chopped fresh parsley and/or torn basil leaves, for garnish
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 425°F. Spread ½ cup marinara in the bottom of a 9x13-inch baking dish.
- In a medium bowl, combine the ricotta cheese, garlic, lemon zest, oregano, red pepper flakes, ½ teaspoon salt, and several grinds of fresh pepper.
- In a large pot of salted boiling water, cook the pasta according to package directions until al dente. Drain.
- Return the pot back to the stove. Over low heat, drizzle the bottom of the pot with a little olive oil and add the spinach. Toss and sauté 1 to 2 minutes until just wilted, working in batches if necessary. Turn off the heat, remove the spinach from the pot, and gently squeeze out some of the excess water. Coarsely chop it and set aside.
- Add the pasta back to the pot along with the remaining marinara, most of the chopped spinach, ¼ teaspoon sea salt, and more fresh pepper and toss until combined.
- Add half the pasta to the baking dish, top with dollops of the ricotta, the remaining spinach, and scoop the remaining pasta on top. Top with the mozzarella and pecorino cheese. Drizzle with olive oil and bake until the cheese is browned, 16 to 22 minutes.
- Garnish with fresh basil or parsley and serve hot.
Delicious! This was a family favorite, everyone in the household loved. A beautiful balance of flavors all around, the lemon zest really surprised me (which I would not have added otherwise). My brother said it has a nice mild bite from the red pepper flakes and ingredient blend. This dish opened my dad’s appetite, he has been sick and unwilling to eat. This was a heartwarming meal and nourishing, the ultimate comfort food.
I’m so glad everyone loved it!
A fabulous recipe!
Absolutely awesome! I reduced the recipe by 1/2 because there’s just 2 of us & we have some leftovers. Love this! My husband does too!
Hi Lisa, I’m so glad you both loved it!
Hi! Wondering if you can do this with a no-boil method (throw the dry noodles right into the dish and cook for ~40 minutes)? It seems similar to other no-boil methods with the exception of the added spinach
Hoping to make this for my family tomorrow night. Looks delicious! Has anyone added ground beef or turkey? If so, do you cook the meat and throw it in with the pasta?
Great recipe. Made it for guests and they loved it. Flavorful and just the right proportions of every ingredient. I’ll definitely be making this over and over!
Hi, I’m so glad you loved the baked ziti!
Made 2 pans tonight for Mom’s birthday dinner with family tomorrow night. 1 with your marinara and 1 with jarred sauce (doctored with a can of diced tomatoes and sugar) without spinach. Will serve with the meatballs I made last night and salad. We tasted a sample from each pan, both were DELISH!! The one with jarred sauce is sweeter than the other and adding the lemon zest takes it to a whole new level of yum!. I can’t wait to taste tomorrow after the flavors all meld together while they rest overnight. Definitely adding to our menu selection, it’s so easy my young adult kids could make it without me. Also need to make a big pot of sauce to freeze for future use.
Do you ever use a combo of roasted fresh tomatoes mixed with the canned crushed?
Or add basil to your sauce?
Hi Debbie, I’m so glad you loved the recipe! I love the idea of mixing roasted fresh tomatoes and canned tomatoes in marinara sauce. I’ve never tried it, but I’ll have to soon! I often add a sprig of basil to the sauce as it simmers.
Best baked ziti recipe ever! I’m normally not a huge baked ziti fan but my husband requested it. The lemon zest in the ricotta adds so much brightness to this and makes it feel less heavy. Super easy to make and so yummy. We didn’t have spinach so I left that out but I’m sure it’s great with it too!
Hi Caitlin, I’m so glad you loved it!
I made this recipe, using your marinara sauce recipe, as well. Things I changed: doubled the recipe. I still used a 13 x 9 pan. I was able to get about 2/3 of everything in the pan. The rest went in a separate container. I had fresh oregano, basil, thyme. I used those where I could. Organo and thyme in the ricotta. Fresh basil in the marinara. I didn’t have shallots, so I used half a red onion in the marinara. I added extra sugar, a little at a time, to taste. I didn’t have smoked mozzarella, I used fresh mozzarellaon top. I used some Romano Parm blend on the inside layer, and real grated Parm with the fresh mozzarella on top. The balsamic in the marinara was amazing. The lemon and garlic in the ricotta was so good. This dish came out amazing. I let the marinara simmer for over an hour. So very good. Like the best Italian food I have ever made. Thank you for an amazing recipe.
Hi Holly, I’m so glad you loved the recipe! Your version sounds especially delicious—I love the idea of all those fresh herbs here.
Love this recipe! Do you have nutrition facts?
Do you think fresh smoked mozzarella would work in place of the grated?
yep! I think that would be great.
Thank you – I made it last night and was great!
Question:
Is it 1 lb of dry pasta or cooked pasta?
Hi Natalia, one pound dry.
iSoes this freeze well?
Does rhis freeze well?
Hi Dara, yes it does! Assemble it up to the point of baking, cover it tightly with foil, and freeze for up to 3 months. To reheat, bake, covered, at 350°F for an hour, or until heated through. Uncover and bake until the cheese on top is browned and bubbling.
Yum!
But, oops – I made this for a friend to put in her freezer for a meal train, but didn’t read this thread until it was too late! (I already finished cooking it all the way.) To reheat once fully cooked, do you think it’s best to reheat for 1 hour on a lower setting, like 225 or so?
Hi Rebecca, I’d reheat it at 325°F, covered, until the middle is warmed through – probably about 40 to 60 minutes (start checking at 40). A lower setting like 225 would take a very long time and I don’t think that low is necessary. Hope that helps!
This is amazing! I just made it tonight for my dad’s birthday. He was going to go get a pizza but there was too much traffic, too many crowds, so he decided to stay in. I had the ingredients and was planning on making it soon anyway, so I did, and it was a hit with the whole family! The lemon zest and the red pepper flakes in the ricotta are a really nice touch. Brilliant recipe and fairly easy to prepare. I love this so much!
Ha ha, I’m so glad the recipe came in handy and everyone enjoyed!
This is so delicious. My whole family loved it. The lemon zest really brightened up the meal and made it even more delicious. Great way to get my kids to eat more spinach too! I followed the recipe exactly. Might add more lemon zest next time. Otherwise, Perfect!
I love leftovers so thought I’d test the comment the “best on the day it’s made” guidance. Alas, won’t be able to do that because there were NO LEFTOVERS. Delicious!!!
BTW, My brother doesn’t like spinach so I prepared the spinach on the side and also made a side of sautéed mushrooms. Super versatile!
Hi Cristine, I’m so glad everyone loved it!
Easy Baked Ziti is a game-changer! Simple to make, yet bursting with flavor. A go-to comfort food that never disappoints. Highly recommend!”
Hi Noah, so glad you loved it!
We made this last night. I know my family doesn’t love lemon so I only put 1 teaspoon of lemon zest. It was fabulous! Definite keeper. Great reheat as well.
I’m so glad it was a hit!