Delicious Baked Ziti Recipe | SO Easy!

ricotta cheese

🥗Healthier: cottage cheese

💰Cheaper: cream cheese

Cottage cheese offers a similar texture with fewer calories.

mozzarella cheese

🥗Healthier: part-skim mozzarella

💰Cheaper: provolone cheese

Provolone is often less expensive and melts well.

ground beef

🥗Healthier: ground turkey

💰Cheaper: ground chicken

Ground turkey is leaner and often cheaper.

Parmesan cheese

🥗Healthier: nutritional yeast

💰Cheaper: grated Pecorino

Nutritional yeast is a lower-calorie alternative with cheesy flavor.

Chop 1 onion and mince 8 cloves of garlic.

Heat 2-3 tablespoons of olive oil in a large skillet until shimmering.

Add the chopped onion to the skillet and sauté for about 5 minutes until translucent.

Add 1 pound of ground Italian sausage to the skillet and break it up with a spoon, cooking until browned.

Add the minced garlic to the skillet and mix well.

Stir in 1 jar of marinara sauce, 1 tablespoon of Italian seasoning, 1 can of whole peeled tomatoes, salt, and black pepper to taste.

Reduce heat to medium-low and let the sauce simmer for about 30 minutes.

In a separate large pot, bring water to a boil and add a generous amount of salt.

Add 1 pound of ziti pasta to the boiling water and cook until al dente, about 8-10 minutes.

Grate 2/3 cup of Parmesan cheese while the pasta cooks.

Drain the pasta and add it back to the pot, mixing in about 2 cups of the sauce to coat the pasta.

Spoon some sauce onto the bottom of a casserole dish to prevent sticking.

Add half of the pasta into the casserole dish and spread it into an even layer.

Pour half of the remaining sauce over the pasta evenly.

Sprinkle half of the grated Parmesan cheese over the sauce.

Dot about 1/2 cup of ricotta cheese on top of the pasta and sauce.

Cooking Techniques

Equipment Needed

Spice Level:

Allergens