Skim by Section
★ Why You'll Love this Recipe ★
Easy Prep, Big Flavor
This baked ziti with ground beef and ricotta is basically lasagna’s chill cousin. You get all the cheesy, saucy goodness but without all the layering stress. Just 15 minutes of prep and the oven does the heavy lifting while you sit back and relax.
Family-Friendly Comfort Food
Nothing says cozy weeknight dinner like a bubbling pan of baked ziti. It feeds a crowd (8 servings!) so it’s perfect for big families or when your kids bring friends over. Everyone gets a hearty scoop of pasta love.
Simple Ingredients, Bold Taste
You don’t need anything fancy—just ziti, beef, ricotta, and a good tomato sauce. With a sprinkle of mozzarella and parmesan on top, it transforms into a restaurant-worthy dish. Fresh parsley at the end makes it look as good as it tastes.
Make-Ahead & Freezer-Friendly
Busy week? No problem. You can prep this baked ziti in advance, pop it in the freezer, and pull it out when life gets hectic. Leftovers reheat beautifully for lunch the next day—no sad desk meals here!
Melty, Cheesy Goodness
The real magic happens when mozzarella and parmesan melt together into golden, bubbly perfection. Add creamy ricotta in every bite, and you’ve got a pasta bake that makes everyone go back for seconds.h
★ Ingredients You'll Need ★
Here's a look at everything you'll need to make delicious baked ziti.
- Ziti. Ziti pasta can be substituted with penne pasta, or any other variety of dried pasta.
- Olive oil. Or any neutral cooking oil.
- Onion. Yellow or white.
- Garlic. Fresh garlic always tastes best in this recipe, however I usually use garlic paste to save time.
- Ground beef. The ground beef could be substituted with ground chicken, turkey or pork.
- Tomato sauce. Use your favorite pasta sauce, marinara, or just crushed tomatoes seasoned to your liking.
- Italian Seasoning. Use store-bought Italian seasoning or a homemade blend.
- Salt and pepper. Add to taste.
- Ricotta cheese. Use a whole fat ricotta cheese for the best flavor.
- Shredded mozzarella. Fresh-shredded mozzarella is best, however store-bought shredded mozzarella can also be used.
- Parmesan cheese. Store-bought shredded parmesan or shred your own.
- Fresh parsley. Used for garnish. Fresh chopped basil could be also be used in place of the parsley.
★ How to Make this Recipe ★
Here are the steps you'll take to bring this dish together.
- Cook ziti al dente, according to package. Drain and set aside.
- Sauté onions and brown ground beef.
- Add sauce and seasonings.
- Combine sauce, beef and ziti in a casserole dish.
- Layer with ricotta cheese.
- Layer with mozzarella cheese and bake.
Serve topped with fresh parsley for garnish.
★ Tips & FAQs ★
Here's a quick recipe that you can adjust to your liking:
2 tablespoons dried oregano
2 tablespoons dried basil
2 tablespoons dried parsley
1 tablespoon dried thyme
1 tablespoon dried rosemary
1 tablespoon dried marjoram
1 teaspoon garlic powder
If you like a little heat, add a pinch of crushed red pepper flakes.
Store this baked ziti in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 3 days. Reheat until hot using the microwave or covered in the oven.
Yes. Ziti can be prepared and frozen before baking. Freeze in an airtight container for up to 3 months. Thaw in the fridge overnight then bake according to the instructions below.
Yes. Shredded cooked chicken or ground chicken could be used in place of the ground beef. Ground turkey can also be used for a more lean option as compared to beef.
★ More Italian Pasta Recipes ★
Love a one-pan meal? Browse all my easy casserole recipes.
This recipe for Baked Ziti with Ground Beef and Ricotta was featured on South Your Mouth!
Baked Ziti with Ground Beef and Ricotta
Equipment
Ingredients
- 16 oz ziti pasta
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 1 white onion diced
- 3 teaspoon garlic paste
- 1 lb lean ground beef or ground turkey
- 24 oz marinara sauce I love Rao's!
- 2 teaspoon Italian seasoning
- salt and pepper to taste
- 16 oz ricotta cheese
- 8 oz mozzarella cheese shredded
- 4 oz Parmesan cheese shredded or grates
For Garnish (optional)
- ¼ cup fresh parsley chopped
Mighty Mrs. is a #WalmartPartner.
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350°F.
- Prepare pasta. Cook ziti al denté, according to the packet directions. Drain and set aside.
- Make meat sauce. Heat oil in a large skillet, over medium-high heat. Add onion and cook, stirring, for 4 minutes or until softened. Add garlic and cook, stirring, for 1 minute or until fragrant.Add ground beef to the skillet and cook, stirring, for 3 minutes or until browned. Add tomato sauce and Italian seasoning. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Simmer on a low-medium for 5 minutes.
- Assemble casserole. Add half the cooked pasta to a greased 9 x 13 baking dish. Layer with half the meat sauce.Spoon ricotta cheese on top and spread with a spoon. Add another layer of pasta then meat mixture. Sprinkle an even layer of shredded mozzarella and Parmesan on top.
- Bake. Cover with a sheet of foil, and bake for 30 minutes. Remove foil, and bake for an additional 5 minutes or until the cheese is melted and golden. Remove from the oven, garnish with parsley and serve.
Notes
- Make sure to cover ziti loosely so cheesy does not stick but sealed on the edges with a sheet of foil. This prevents the pasta from drying out while baking. Remove foil for the last 5 minutes of baking time to allow the cheese to turn golden in color. You can spray the foil with cooking spray to ensure the cheese does not stick to it.
- Be sure to cook pasta al denté, as it will continue cooking in the oven and you want the pasta to absorb some of the sauce when baking.
- Be sure pasta is well coated with sauce before baking.
- If you like your baked ziti extra saucy (more lasagna-style), you might want closer to 32 oz of sauce.
Annelise says
I just made this for the first time and it was so easy to make I was very happy with that, Not a lot of dishes that needed to be cleaned. It was so good. I used a can of crushed tomatoes and it worked very well. I did not add any onion or garlic since my dad can't have it for his tummy. Thank you for sharing this recipe. I hope to use it in the future but with more spice next time.
Brandy Gregor says
Delicious. Whole family loved it.