Easy Baked Ziti
This easy baked ziti recipe with ricotta, mozzarella, and Parmesan is so good! Three cheeses layered with pasta and marinara sauce — delicious!
This easy baked ziti recipe with ricotta, mozzarella, and Parmesan is so good! Three cheeses layered with pasta and marinara sauce — delicious!
This recipe is nearly identical to my italian mother and grandmother's recipe. We use a full 32 oz container of ricotta, mixed with two eggs and italian seasonings, and only 12 oz of mozzarella. We also layer - starting with sauce in the bottom of the pan, then pasta, then ricotta/egg mixture, then mozzarella, repeat. Top with parmesan or romano cheese. Oh, and it's better the next day. Definitely a make-ahead possibility.
Read MoreI'd have to give this a five for taste, but a three for texture. The layered method has more texture where this is all stirred together in a big mish-mash. Next time I will keep the ricotta/egg mixture and the sauce separate as I put the pasta in the pan.
Read MoreThis recipe is nearly identical to my italian mother and grandmother's recipe. We use a full 32 oz container of ricotta, mixed with two eggs and italian seasonings, and only 12 oz of mozzarella. We also layer - starting with sauce in the bottom of the pan, then pasta, then ricotta/egg mixture, then mozzarella, repeat. Top with parmesan or romano cheese. Oh, and it's better the next day. Definitely a make-ahead possibility.
This was very easy and good. The entire family enjoyed it. I added 1 pound of browned ground beef and followed others suggestions of layering: sauce, pasta, ricotta/egg/mozzerella mixture and repeat topping with sauce and parmesan cheese. I had cooked Baked Ziti I from this site, but everyone liked this one better. Thanks Nancy for the recipe and thank you reviewers for your suggestions. PS: I fixed this again without layering. It tasted the same, just isn't as "pretty". I did have to use a BIG bowl to mix the ingredients in, I mean BIG:-)
VERY TASTY. I WOULD DO LESS RICOTTA, ADD BROWNED HAMBURGER WITH GARLIC. I WOULD NOT MIX THE SPAGHETTI SAUCE WITH THE RICOTTA MIXTURE. I DOUBLED THE MOZZERELLA. I WOULD DO A LAYERING OF THE RICOTTA/ZITI MIXTURE AND THEN SPAGHETTI SAUCE, AND TOP WITH SAUCE AND MOZZERELLA. TASTED GREAT, SERVED WITH GARLIC BREAD.
I LOVE this recipe! It makes wonderful leftovers too. I make this on Sunday nights and have leftovers for lunch all week! I've made this dish for years with a few adjustments, because it does have too much cheese. I only use 15 ounces of ricotta. Instead of mixing 1 pound of mozzarella with the noodles, I only mix about 2 handfuls. Just enough to see it melt, but not overpowering. Then I sprinkle the remaining mozzarella on top of the spaghetti sauce before putting it in the oven. This way I can monitor how much cheese I've got. Try these adjustments and I bet you'll give this 5 stars! (By the way, you can always add meat, mushrooms, etc.)
This was amazing! I added 1/2 lb. ground italian sausage which I cooked with some garlic. I used the 15 oz. size ricotta and mixed it into the cooked pasta along with about half the cheese and egg but not the spaghetti sauce. Instead I layered the ingredients like this: a layer of sauce in the bottom of a lasagna pan, a layer of the pasta/cheese mixture, more sauce, italian sausage, mozzarella, repeat. I made the dish ahead and kept in the fridge till ready to cook. I seasoned both the pasta mixture and the top of the dish with some italian herb seasoning. It was beautiful and a great addition to a dinner buffet.
I'd have to give this a five for taste, but a three for texture. The layered method has more texture where this is all stirred together in a big mish-mash. Next time I will keep the ricotta/egg mixture and the sauce separate as I put the pasta in the pan.
This is good made just as the recipe lays out. I can see the versitility of this to adapt to make it a meat recipe, but you could just add some vegetables, too. To those that talk about layering. Just make lasagna, willya? The beauty of baked ziti is you just mix it and cook.
Very versatile recipe. For those who think it's too bland, use a different kind of spaghetti sauce (I love the Bertolli brand basil) or add some spices of your own. Super easy to add ground beef, grilled chicken, etc.
quick & easy. added some shredded rotassirie chicken & frozen spinach for a satisfying pasta meal.
I've made this before, and it's a really great meal. Add some cooked chicken breast to it (or sausage) and it's even better.
I've made this several different ways now and found the following changes make the best results: 1) Slightly less than 16 oz of noodles - more like 14 or 15 oz. 2) Only 15 oz ricotta. 3) 28 oz crushed tomatoes + 15 oz tomato sauce with italian spices, onion powder and garlic powder for flavor. Otherwise follow as directed. Turns out so delicious and being so quick and easy it's sure to be a keeper!
A very tasty and easy recipe. I agree with the others who suggest only using 15oz of ricotta. This is a great recipe for a beginner cook - it's pretty much foolproof, and I loved how pretty it looked coming out of the oven. I mixed all the ziti with the cheese mixture and would rather not layer, because in my opinion mixing it all together keeps the pasta from drying out in the oven. It was even better the second day! From now on I will make this a day ahead.
This was really really good. Like many others, I didn't mix the spaghetti sauce with the cheeses. I halved the recipe, used whole wheat rotini (it was an "I haven't been to the grocery store in a while" kind of dish) drained and rinsed cottage cheese instead of ricotta, and I just had to throw some ground beef in there. I mixed the pasta, the ricotta, a couple of large handfuls of mozzarella and the egg in one bowl, the spaghetti sauce and ground beef in another and then layered them like lasagna, with the leftover mozzarella on top. It came out very cheesy (which we LOVE) so I got raves from everyone. My husband kept talking about it, even eight hours later. Definitely a keeper for us!
This is what I did because I didn't have exact amounts of some ingredients: I used Barilla pasta (my favorite pasta so far,) 15oz ricotta, about 25oz Rao's marinara sauce (it's the best jar sauce in the world, worth the extra money,) 8oz mozzarella with 6oz Trader Joe's shredded 3 cheese blend (mozzarella, monterey jack, and cheddar), and Trader Joe's Parmesan Romano grated cheese. I cooked the ziti for 6-ish minutes (half the time), mixed it into the ricotta/egg/sauce/half of the shredded cheese, placed it in the greased pan, and added the remaining sauce and shredded cheese. Topped it with the parm/romano and cooked for 30 min at 375 degrees. So, I used less cheese all around, and it was still super cheesy. And the amount of sauce was perfect (you could always add more heated sauce if it's not enough. The pasta was perfectly cooked - just on the other side of al dente - but that could also be because Barilla is great. I made it without meat, but my husband requested some spicy italian sausage to add to leftovers when we eat it again. It's perfect because I could leave it meatless for my daughter and add the meat to my husband's dish. Perfect ziti - better than the $20 ziti from my husband's favorite take out place.
Sauce from a jar ??? Never ! We used Nonna's red gravy instead. We also used a 15 oz container of ricotta - it was great. My one year old and three year old went nuts for it. I added red pepper flakes at the end to my dish. This is a keeper.
The Sicilian grandmother who taught me my basic Italian recipes just called this her "macaroni", and said it to always serve it with more "gravy" (marinara sauce - she used Ragu, unless it was a Sunday dinner)on the side, in case someone thought it was too dry. I love this, and make it often. Good for you for sharing this tradition!
This was a good recipe. I followed it exactly except for - I used 32 oz. ricotta...mixed it with 2 eggs and added some Italian seasoning. Very good! I did not do the layering and it was great.
Delicious! Just like our favorite Italian restaurant's baked ziti. Only changes I made were adding some basil and reserving some mozzerella for the top. I baked it covered for 25 minutes, then uncovered for the last ten. Served it with garlic bread, yummy! Husband licked his plate clean :)
I needed to bring this to an office potluck lunch. The night before, I mixed the ricotta, mozzarella, sauce, eggs, and seasoning in a bowl and put it in the refrigerator. The next morning, I preheated the oven while I boiled the ziti. Then I threw it all together in the baking pan, and it cooked while I took my shower! I was out the door on time and everyone LOVED it! I doubled the recipe, using 2 pounds of ziti, 3 pounds of ricotta, and lots of pre-shredded mozzarella. Creamy and delicious! And the easiest!
This was great! I had 10 people over for dinner so I doubled the recipe, but only used 2lbs of ricotta cheese. I also usee 3 jars of sauce for the ziti and for guests to put on top and that worked out perfect. I would also suggest to add some italian seasoning and salt. I served it with "best brushetta" on toasted slices of bread that I spread butter on, crab and artichoke dip, and "chocolate trifle" for desert! It all came out wonderful (as my guests put it :-))
Very yummy and easy to make. I served it at my play rehearsal, and everyone just gobbled it up! I would recommend using a bit less ricotta cheese. Also, to give the tomato sauce an extra kick, use about half a jar of sweet basil sauce and add a can of diced tomatoes and a jar of Traditional Pizza Bake sauce.
This turned out delicious. A little shot of non stick spray and putting the sauce down first, pretty much guarantees zero mess. I think as listed it might be a tad dry because I used a 45 oz jar of Ragu, (seasoned up with 1 med. onion, garlic powder, and italian seasoning, and 1lb ground beef) and the texture was perfect, not dry, not overly saucy. I also cut back on the ricotta and used a 15oz cup. The quality of this will depend heavily on the quality of your sauce. Definately a great starter recipe, but could use some tweaks and a bit more seasoning. Don't overcook your pasta, it will finish up in the oven, by keeping it undercooked slightly, it will allow the pasta to soak in more of the sauce while it bakes. Great Recipe and perfect to feed a crowd!
I made this last night and it was a huge hit with my picky eaters! I only made a couple changes, I added ground Italian sausage to my sauce, and did layering with sauce and mozzarella, sprinkled some Italian bread crumbs mixed with Parmesan cheese on top, then right before pulling it out of the oven I turned it to broil for a minute to get the cheese a little crunchy on top. DELICIOUS!!! This will definitely be added to the rotation!
This was delicious! I used rotini because that's what I had on hand. I added some garlic and fresh basil to the mixture too, just because I do that with all my pasta. I also used up about a half pound of cooked and crumbled Italian sausage. This was a recipe for me to use up some foods. I read reviews about it being too dry so I baked mine with foil and than 15 min at the end without foil. It was not dry, very moist, cheesy and flavorful! I am definitely making this again.
I followed others' suggestions and made a few changes: I used only 15 oz. ricotta, added 2 heaping T. sour cream, I used 1 1/2 lbs. mozz cheese, added 1 lb. seasoned ground beef, and I didn't mix the sauce in with the cheeses and pasta, I layered the ingredients, like a lasagna. DELICIOUS!! After changes: 5 stars!!! Definitely a keeper.
Very tasty and easy, (though it's just what you expect - not particularly interesting or unusual). For me, the 5 stars instead of 4 stars is because even my kids ate it, and that's unusual. My 4 yr old commented 5 times on how delicious it was, and my 2 yr old ate it, too. The only change I made was to layer it with more sauce - basically I put a layer of sauce and a little of the mozzarella in bewtween two layers of the ziti mixture. Overall I probably used an extra 1/2 jar of sauce. Also, I used real freshly grated parm on top (not the green can).
This is exactly how I make my baked ziti, except that I put some garlic powder, salt, pepper, parsley and parmesan cheese in with the rest of the ricotta mixture. Also, I top mine with a little extra mozzarella along with the sauce and parm. This is very hearty, filling and ALWAYS a crowd pleaser! It really couldn't be simplier. :)
a good basic recipe. add spices if your sauce is plain-ish. i cut back on the mozzarella by 1/4 and could probably have cut back on the ricotta too. i used fat-free ricotta and it was great. next time i'll add garlic powder. ETA: i made this tonight with 15 oz fat-free ricotta instead of 24, and it was still fine. slightly less creamy but i don't think anyone would notice.
Very good but only gave it 4 stars because the recipe calls for way too much ricotta, and this comes from someone who LOVES ricotta. I didn't change anything except adding some sausage to make it a balanced and more filling meal. Oh, I did add a little pesto to the ricotta because I needed to use it up. Don't know if it made any difference, but the ziti was very good. Will def make again, just less ricotta.
As suggested I cut the ricotta cheese in half and doubled the sauce. Also "layered" the ingredients. Used sweet Italian sausage patties (1 lb). We will make it again as everyone liked it and it certainly couldn't have been easier. Only other thing I'll do is to mix the sauce with the ziti first as the family said it didn't go into the holes!! Thanks for an easy dinner...
this was by far the best ziti i've ever made, or had for that matter. i think the proportion of cheeses is perfect. i didn't measure the spaghetti sauce, just stirred in enough that it looked right, keeping in mind it would dry out a little as it cooked. i think that's it is a good idea to splurge on some good quality fresh parmesan cheese on top, the shaker cheese just wouldn't do this recipe justice. yum!
I made this baked ziti , its delicious. I used 15 oz of ricotta and the one egg. Baked ziti never, ever uses sour cream....thats not baked ziti. Nice recipe, i made my own sauce...very good
this is a good base recipe. I can't give it 5 stars because I didn't follow it completely. I browned a lb. of ground beef with onions and garlic, and mixed it with 2 jars of sauce. (I'm really glad I used 2 jars--it would have been much too dry if I didn't!) Also, I think 24 oz. of ricotta is too much. 15 oz. is all it needs. I seasoned the ricotta with salt, oregano, basil and parsley, and wish I added more because it still was a bit bland. I followed some others' advice and layered rather than mixed... a little sauce on the bottom, 1/2 ziti and 1/2 sauce mixed, ricotta, remaining ziti and sauce, and topped it with fresh shredded mozz. Be sure to under cook the ziti, because it cooks more in the oven. And cover the dish with foil for 20-30 min, then cook uncovered for another 10 min. Yum!
Very good and very tasty. I used only one container of ricotta and extra sauce (homemade), and added salt and pepper to the ricotta mixture.
Loved, loved, loved this recipe. My kids kept asking for more servings. It was fast and easy. I couldn't figure out what to make for dinner for the kids and they were starving. We happened to have pasta and ricotta cheese in the house so I followed the original recipe with the remaining ingredients. The best Ziti we ever ate, and it is the best recipe so far! To make it a little healthy, I made a quick salad with romaine, cucumbers, plum tomatoes and carrot sticks.
This recipe turned out really delicious! Here are some things I would change...Save about a cup of mozzerella cheese for the top. I put all the cheese I had into the filling, and there was not any to go on top. I just prefer melty, brown, yummy cheese that looks and tastes fantastic. All I got from this recipe on the top was a sprinkle of Parmesan and some hard sauce There was also a little bit too much filling (ricotta, cheese, sauce) and not enough pasta to balance it out. Next time I make this, I will definitely cut down the ricotta and the red sauce that goes in the dish. So besides those changes, it was great! I don't like it when ziti is layered, so I loved how you got a forkful of everything in one bite with this recipe. I am going to be using this recipe for my sister's bat mitzvah!
Omitted the egg ....adding the egg for me is in lasagna...not baked ziti, also used my own homemade sauce not jarred....my family inhales this as ususal. Thanks!
Baked Ziti is supposed to be cheesy. This dish was awesome. I modified by using 15 oz. of ricotta 2 heaping tablespoons of sour cream. I made my own sauce of 2- 28 ounce cans of crushed tomatoes, 1 C. of Chianti, basil, onion, garlic, ground beef, and Italian Sausage. I liked the macaroni and cheese aspect with the "gravy" on top. Will make (and share) again.
Easy and great basic directions. I double to have leftovers, add more sauce, more cheese, basil to the ricotta/egg mixture, and top with turkey pepperoni slices. I use a spaghetti sauce that is a meat sauce, or I saute some turkey to add in. I cook a little longer since I make a bigger batch. Everybody loves... thank you!
Although I liked it, my family thought that the cheese mixture was overpowering. When I do this again, I will either cut the ricotta/mozzerella or add more sauce and noodles to compensate. But it was tasty.
This was yummy, but I did add some extra stuff (salt, pepper, garlic powder, onion powder, basil, oregano) to the ricotta. I used 16 oz of ricotta only and it was fine, less mozzarella too, but probably more parm than called for. Also made my own sauce and layered it like many reviewers said; I'm not sure that made any difference at all since my layers didn't stay together when serving anyway. A nice base recipe that I'm sure would be fine as is, but was great with extra seasoning.
This is a fantastic basic Ziti recipe. I sometimes throw in more sauce or use more parmesan cheese depending on what I have on hand. Garlic powder is also a must. If I am in the mood I will even chop up some fresh spinach and mix it with the ricotta and egg...thinking I'm making it healthier..ha! The one thing I do not do is mix everything together but in layers (layer of noodles, cheese, sauce, etc). I sprinkle some parsley and basil on top of the cheese to make it look pretty.
This is a good base recipe for baked ziti. I'm glad I decided to use the entire 32 ounce container of ricotta cheese, because I don't think it would have been cheesy enough just using the 24 ounces. Therefore, I used 2 eggs instead of one. I also added about an extra cup of sauce, which really made this nice & cheesy and not dry at all. I had some leftover mushrooms & a cubanelle pepper I chopped & sauteed before adding in this also, which was really good. I also added some Italian seasoning to the cheese mixture. I would make this again, this recipe is very versatile for adding other ingredients of your choice. Thanks :)
This was good. Pretty much followed the recipe with some of the suggestions of others. I layered to ricotta, meat sauce, and noodles.
Really good recipe. I doubled this for a party I was having and made it the night before. I used rigatoni and only boiled it for 1/2 the time...it cooked the rest of the way when I heated in the oven. I also layered the bake...sauce, pasta, ricotta mixture, and some extra mozzarella and repeated. I put in the fridge the night before, and took out 30 mins to take the chill off. I baked it for 40 minutes and it came out hot and bubbily....adults and kids both enjoyed!
I have made this several times. Very good and easy to make! I use my leftover meat sauce. It tastes like lasagna with out having to take the time to assemble.
Though this recipe is perfect the way it is, you can also brown a pound of ground beef with a chopped onion, and mix it with the sauce, instead of having simply marinara sauce. Therefore, the ziti mixture is the same as listed in the original recipe EXCEPT WITHOUT sauce and top it with the mixture of ground beef and the 32 oz. of sauce. Just as delicious, and it brings some thickness to the dish!
This was an okay recipe. Now that I have made it I know the next time to 1. be sure to add seasoning to it, 2. use only 12 oz of ricotta cheese, and 3. 13oz of spag. sauce is plenty. After these changes, I'm sure I will enjoy this dish more.
This is a good basic recipe for baked ziti. We used half the amount of ricotta, and it was really good.
Delicious! Easy recipe to follow and very few ingredients which is great for a cooking novice like me. I made just a few changes...added a can of drained/diced tomatoes for extra flavor and texture, used just a bit more sauce, and saved some of the mozzarella to sprinkle on top with the parmesan cheese. I thought the 24 ounces of ricotta cheese was just right. I cooked the pasta 8 minutes and it baked very well. I made this the day before, kept it in the fridge overnight and it tasted great baked the next day. As others said it tastes just as wonderful reheated. This is a great main dish for vegetarians!
Quick & easy receipe. I prepared the night before, and baked the next day and it tasted pretty good. Good receipe to have around when you're in the mood for baked pasta but don't have time or desire for anything complicated.
This was pretty good. I couldn't find ziti pasta so I used penne. I will probably add a bit more sauce next time. Also, a medium bowl is too small to mix all the ingredients in. You definitely need a large bowl. It wasn't heated as throughly as I think it should have been after 30 minutes, I put it back in the over for about 10 minutes.
Very good. I halved the recipe for the two of us and only used half a 15 oz tub of ricotta because that's what I had on hand. I also used a chunky mushroom sauce which was a nice touch. Will definitely be making this again.
Absolutely delicious. I made the Baked Ziti IV many times before this and will never go back. This is much simpler and much more delicious. It's also great with some ground beef and onions (brown about a pound of beef with 1/4 to a 1/2 of an onion, drain. Then add the sauce to it--I used about 45 oz. instead of 32 to compensate for the sauce--and simmer about 10 minutes. Follow the rest of the recipe as before.) This recipe is great as leftovers, too. I just made this without the meat, and I didn't like it quite as much. Almost TOO cheesy (that's why I gave it only 4 stars).
Amazing ziti! The only reason I rated it 4 stars is because I put in less ricotta cheese, probably around 20 ounces, and I thought that was plenty. Also, I would have used a little more sauce. Personally, I love onions so I added some into the mix, along with a little garlic. I served this with meatballs on the side, and my family loved it. My mom even said it topped her lasagna! Definitely making it again.
very easy and quick recipe! I found it very cheesy, and heavy. I suggest less ricotta cheese. There also wasnt much flavour, and i had added italian seasoning. I would add pepper flakes for some taste. otherwise very filling.
This was a very good recipe! I took advice from others and used 15 oz of ricotta and layered it. I also think more sauce was needed. I made 56 oz home make sauce and I had a little left over. Thank you... I have my perfect ziti recipe!
The recipie was easy to make, made a lot of leftovers. However, I felt that the flavor was quite bland. If I make this again I will definitely add some garlic and some Italian seasoning!
While definitely cheesy and creamy (I didn't even add a whole pound of mozz cheese and it was still cheesy), I think it needed some other ingredients, like a meat or vegetable to make it a complete meal. I added some chopped chicken breast and mushrooms, which was nice. Must use a flavorful sauce. I also used whole wheat pasta which added some more flavor.
My son and I made this tonight. It was very easy and very good. I used low fat ricotta for health reason. I followed the advice of a few reviewers and used 16oz of ricotta instead of 24. My son is very picky, but he loved this recipe. Also, I used a wonderful marinara sauce I discovered in a VA Whole Foods - Cucina39.
Great and super easy!! Next time I will add some meat to the sauce and fresh chopped parsley!!
The ricotta cheese was wonderful! My mom thought it was too cheesy (too much mozz?) but I thought it was perfect. We made our own homemade tomato sauce.
This is a really great simple basic recipe for Baked Ziti, personally I would reduce the Ricotta Cheese to 15 ounces but it's all based on preference. Also I had a ton of spices to my Ricotta blend, I put ground black paper, italian seasoning, dash of nutmeg, and sweet basil, but again it all depends on your spice preference!
Tasty. All 3 of my boys (9,7,5) and my husband enjoyed it. Don't make it if you don't love ricotta though. Very cheesy & gooey. Yum!
You can't ask for more in a recipe...it's quick, it's easy, it feeds a crowd and it's delicious! I did use flavored sauce...I think it was Bertoli Basil and Garlic or something. I prepared this the day before a party and all I had to do the next day was pop it in the oven - so easy! Everyone said it was delicious.
Excellent recipe! It's so easy to make and tastes wonderful. It's especially excellent with some french bread topped with butter/garlic powder/mozzarella cheese broiled to melt the cheese! My only suggestion would be to use more spaghetti sauce and mozzarella cheese than the recipe calls for. I would suggest buying 2 (26 oz) jars of sauce for 7 servings and 2 pounds of mozzarella (for pasta and bread). Add some additional mozzarella to the top of the ziti bake a few minutes before removing from the oven. Enjoy!
I have been making this recipe for just over a year and am just now reviewing. My 4-year old and husband love this! This has been our monthly dinner rotation for awhile. I also use only 15 oz of ricotta cheese.
I never thought I would say this, but, there was too much cheese....I prefer pasta with a lot of sauce and the cheese just overpowered it...definitely need to add some spices (ie. garlic) or it will be bland...if I make it again I would cut about cheese by 1/4 and double the sauce...I also might take the other suggestions and layer it
I made 4 trays of this recipe for our annual Christmas Eve open house. Rather than using tomato sauce from a jar I substituted my own. There was nothing left. This is a wonderful recipe because it does not dry out, as some types of baked ziti do. I've already been asked if I'm making it for next year. Delicious!
This is very cheesy! I messed up and bought a 15oz. container of ricotta instead of the 24oz. and it still was very moist and good. I added some spices to the mix (red pepper flakes, basil, oregano, garlic and minced onion flakes) and added less mozzarella than called for, and it was very, VERY good. Great Recipe!
A few other reviewers said that the pasta in this should be cooked short of al dente. Personally I think this is bad advice! I cooked my pasta just a couple minutes short of what the package directed and even after baking for 30 minutes, the pasta was chewy. Aside from that, I really loved this recipe. I added some crumbled italian sausage to the mix as well as some italian seasoning. I also added a layer of mozzeralla to the top before baking so it was nice an bubbly when it came out. Next time I will mix in some diced tomatoes and fresh mushrooms.
Very good and easily customized recipe. I used less ricotta, added garlic and fresh ground pepper. Next time I will try adding spinach, it needs a splash of color/more nutrients.
I had a leftover cottage cheese mixture from a Stuffed Shells I recipe I also found on allrecipes.com and used that as a layer instead of the ricotta cheese mixture (too fattening). I also added hamburger to make it a more hearty meal for my boyfriend, but I think I'll try it without meat next time, to make it even less fattening. Here is the mixture from the Stuffed Shells I recipe (***keep in mind I used leftovers, so you may want to 1/2 the ingredients***): Mix together 4 cups cottage cheese, 12 oz. mozzarella cheese, 1/2 c. Parmesan cheese, 2 eggs (lightly beaten), and a pinch of garlic powder. Rub a teaspoon dried oregano and a teaspoon dried parsley in the palms of your hands to pulverize them, and stir into the cheese mixture.
Yummy!!! This was my first attempt at making baked ziti and I was very pleased! I cut the recipie in half because I was cooking for two. I did add more than half the amount of pasta and it came out perfect. Served with a side of meatballs and mozz bread.
This wasn't really so great. Too bland for me and my son says it had too much Ricotta. I'd add more sauce, less ricotta and some spices if I were to make it again. Thanks for sharing though!!
very easy recipe, very delicious! I used rice pasta instead of regular pasta, and it was still great.
This had the flavor of lasagna without all the work. I added some ground beef, because I had it, and mixed it with the pasta and sauce. I put that on the bottom, then added the ricotta mixed with parmesan, then finished it off with a layer of mozzerella. My husband really enjoyed it.
A fabulous baked ziti recipe! I cooked 6 Italian sausages in the oven for an hour then chopped them up and added them into the sauce mixture. The pan was nearly overflowing because this recipe made so much food. Yum! :)
This was great--super easy too! I would cut back a little on the ricotta--15oz would be just fine. You could also add some meat, which I intend to try. But by biggest advice is to NOT mix the entire package of mozzerella into it--instead hold some back to sprinkle over the top, because it really makes it look and taste even better.
My new favorite comfort food!!!I did add a lb of ground sausage, and used pasta sauce with spinach in it but otherwise followed recipe. We had it for supper 3 days in a row and my husband brought leftovers to work each day. Quick and easy to make as well.
I've made this twice now, and definitely followed the advice of other reviewers. I use 15 oz ricotta, 8 oz mozzerella, and 2 24-ish oz jars of spaghetti sauce. Last time I made it I also used rigatoni instead of ziti since the rigatoni had ridges instead of being smooth, to adhere to the cheese. Also I layer it, by mixing the pasta, egg, ricotta, and mozzerella all together, then add a little seasoning (basil is good), then also add just a bit of sauce, to keep the ricotta from being bland and dry. Then in the pan I start with one jar of sauce, then the pasta mixture, then top with the other jar of sauce, then just a handful or so of Italian cheese or whatever I have around. Bake for 30 minutes. I also made a little extra sauce for dipping/topping with a jar of tomato sauce that I warmed up, seasoned, and weakened with a bit of water some olive oil. Helped with the dry bits of the pasta. The recipe was a great base, but doing it my way has made it simply delicious! I think I will try it with meatballs or ground beef sometime.
This was excellent, but a word of warning...it makes enough to feed about 15 people!! I did use 32 oz of ricotta, because most reviewers said 15 oz. was not enough. 32 oz. is probably too much. Next time I'll try less.
I enjoyed this recipe but decided to someone else recommendations of 2/3 c. of sour cream, a can of tomatoes and 15oz. of Ricotta. This made the recipes even better. I mistakenly used 26oz jar of spaghetti sauce and the 32oz jar, I feel, would have been a lot better.
This was OK. We made this for dinner last night. I think it definitely needed more sauce and less ricotta cheese. Next time, follow some of the other reviewers and use 15 oz of Ricotta and maybe increase the mozzarella cheese for a more melted cheese effect. It also lacked some flavor. Make sure you either choose a very flavorful sauce or add some Italian seasonings to the sauce.
Easy dish and great! I just combined everything together and threw in the oven, topped with more Moz. cheese at the end and it was super yummy!
I love this recipe, I make it all the time. I always add some extra seasoning and garlic, but this is a great meal and makes really good leftovers too. Almost better the second day :)
Meh, ok... not the best... definitely not good the next day, the cheese gets all hard & crusty. Wouldn't use provolone.... should always be mozzarella and ricotta.
Good traditional baked ziti - but make the sauce from scratch for 5 stars!
This was just o.k. A little to chessey for my taste. My 2 year old loves pasta but she would'nt even try this dish. This won't be a keeper for my family.
I loved how easy this recipe was! I followed others suggestions and didn't cook the pasta as long. I also only added 15 oz of ricotta cheese. I am going to be adding this one to my favorite recipes list!
I made this last year for a holiday party and it was gone in a flash! Guests were raving over it! I make my own spaghetti sauce from a recipe I've had for years, and I've been requested to make this again this year! Thank you!
This recipe was great, but I added a few things.. 1 lb of ground beef 1/2 ground sausage 32 oz of Ricotta cheese instead of 24 oz. 2 eggs instead of 1 1 large onion, finely chopped Used (1) 26 oz jar of roasted garlic and onion spaghetti sauce, (1) jar of garden vegetable spaghetti sauce. Fry ground beef, sausage and onion until well browned. Reserve two large spoons of spaghetti sauce, one of each type of sauce. Add spaghetti sauce and simmer low for 30 minutes. Mix eggs and ricotta, then add beef mixture, ziti and cheese. Use reserve spaghetti sauce and cover bottom of 13" x 9" pan. Add ziti mixture to pan. Bake for 30 mins and let sit for 15 minutes.
Excellent!! I followed the recipe exactly and I will definitly make this again. Some other reviewers said it was too cheesy, but baked ziti is supposed to be cheesy! It was perfect. Thank you so much for sharing this recipe!!
Loved this recipe! Super simple. I also only did 15 oz. of ricotta and I halfed the mozeralla in the mix and put the other half on top.
The ricotta dries it out a bit. So make sure to mix lots of sauce and cheese.
This is so easy and good. I will definitely keep this in regular rotation. I stuck to the recipe pretty much. I just used homemade sauce instead of jarred sauce.
Found this to be bland. I followed some of the suggestions and made this more layered even added some Italian seasonings..edible but won't be making again.
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