How to Make the BEST Baked Ziti!

Italian sausage

🥗Healthier: ground turkey

💰Cheaper: ground beef

Ground turkey reduces fat while maintaining flavor.

mozzarella cheese

🥗Healthier: part-skim mozzarella

💰Cheaper: cheddar cheese

Part-skim mozzarella has fewer calories while still melting well.

parmesan cheese

🥗Healthier: nutritional yeast

💰Cheaper: grated pecorino

Nutritional yeast is a vegan alternative that adds a cheesy flavor.

ground beef

🥗Healthier: lean ground beef

💰Cheaper: ground turkey

Lean ground beef has less fat, while ground turkey is often cheaper.

Bring a large pot of water with 1 tbsp of salt to a rolling boil.

Add 1 lbs of uncooked ziti noodles to the boiling water and cook for about 8 minutes or until tender.

Drain the ziti into a colander and set aside.

Finely dice 1 yellow onion and chop 2 handfuls of fresh parsley.

In a large bowl, mix together 15 oz of ricotta cheese, 1 cup of shredded Italian cheese blend, 0.5 tsp of black pepper, 0.5 tsp of salt, and one handful of chopped parsley until well combined.

In a large sauce pot over medium heat (350°F or 176°C), add 1 lbs of diced Italian sausage and sprinkle with salt and black pepper; cook until no longer pink.

Add the diced onions to the pot and sauté for another 5 minutes until soft and translucent.

Stir in 1 tbsp of Italian seasoning, 3 oz of tomato paste, 1 28 oz can of crushed tomatoes, and 0.5 cup of water; mix to combine and cover to simmer.

Once simmering, reduce heat to low (225°F or 107°C) and let simmer for about 10 minutes.

In a large bowl, combine the cooked ziti with 1 cup of the pasta sauce, stirring until the noodles are coated.

Pour half of the coated ziti into a 9 by 13 inch baking dish.

Add half of the cheese mixture on top of the pasta in small portions, leveling it out with an offset spatula.

Pour half of the remaining pasta sauce over the cheese mixture.

Repeat the layering process with the remaining ziti, cheese mixture, and pasta sauce.

Top the dish with 2 cups of shredded mozzarella cheese.

Cover the dish with tinted aluminum foil and bake for 20 minutes.

Remove the foil and broil for about 5 minutes until the cheese is slightly browned, keeping an eye to prevent burning.

Garnish with additional freshly chopped parsley before serving.

Cooking Techniques

Equipment Needed

Spice Level:

Allergens