There are so many reasons to love pasta. It’s easy to serve a crowd, easy to make, and everyone loves it! We have had a few favorite pasta recipes over the years, but I really wanted to commit to making the best ever baked ziti. A pasta recipe we love from a cookbook uses sundried tomatoes and balsamic vinegar in the sauce and those two things really take this recipe to the next level. With a hearty meat sauce, creamy ricotta filling, and a whole pound of noodles, this is a recipe to make for so many occasions. It’s my go-to when we’re bringing a meal to friends who had a baby, entertaining friends, or just need a meal that makes plenty of leftovers.
There are a few components of this dish, but if you time it right you can make them simultaneously!
How to Make the Best Baked Ziti
- First, bring a large pot of salted water to a boil and cook the pasta according to package directions. While the pasta is cooking, you’re going to make your ricotta cheese mixture. Once the pasta is done cooking, you’ll toss it with the ricotta cheese mixture to make sure the noodles don’t stick together. I like to leave some larger clumps of the cheese because they get all melty and delicious while it’s baking!
- The ricotta mixture is just ricotta cheese, mozzarella cheese, parmesan cheese, some spices, and an egg! Mix this all together in a large bowl. You’ll be adding your pasta to this bowl once its drained so it needs to be pretty large!
- While you’re waiting for the pasta to boil, you can also make your sauce. Brown the ground beef and sausage before adding onions and garlic. After a few more minutes, add the pasta sauce, diced tomatoes, sundried tomatoes, balsamic vinegar, and seasonings. Bring this to a simmer and taste and add more salt and spices as needed.
- Add a few big ladles of the sauce to the pasta and cheese mixture. Take a 9 x 13 baking dish and put a layer of sauce on the bottom. Add half of the pasta, followed by some sauce, then the remaining pasta and sauce! Sometimes I don’t use all the sauce! You can freeze any sauce that you don’t use or save it for another recipe! Top it with mozzarella cheese and pop it in the oven until its nice and bubbling. When it’s done baking, top with fresh parsley and enjoy!
This time of year is perfect for a pasta recipe like this sundried tomato baked ziti, and it would also be a great dish to make for Christmas Eve!
- 1 lb. rigatoni noodles
- 15 oz. ricotta cheese
- 1 cup parmesan cheese
- 3 cups mozzarella cheese, divided
- ½ tbsp. Italian seasoning
- 1 lb. ground beef
- 1 lb. Italian sausage
- 1 onion, chopped
- 4 cloves garlic, minced
- 2 jars pasta sauce of choice
- 1 tbsp. dried oregano
- ½ tbsp. dried basil
- ½ cup balsamic vinegar
- ¼ tsp.- ½ tsp. red pepper flakes
- 1 tsp. salt + more to taste
- ½ tsp. black pepper + more to taste
- 15 oz. can fire-roasted tomatoes
- 8.5 ounce jar of julienned sundried tomatoes, packed in oil
- Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. While waiting for the pasta to boil, in a large bowl mix together the ricotta, parmesan, one cup of the mozzarella cheese, and the Italian seasoning.
- Cook the pasta according to package directions, then drain and place in the bowl with the cheese mixture. Toss to combine, making sure the noodles are coated but also leaving some larger cheesy chunks.
- In a large pot, brown the ground beef and sausage. Add the oil from the sundried tomatoes as needed while cooking for extra oil.
- Add the onions and garlic and cook until onions are tender. Add the pasta sauce, oregano, basil, balsamic vinegar, red pepper flakes (use ¼ tsp. for less heat, ½ tsp. for more heat), salt, pepper, sundried tomatoes, and fire roasted tomatoes. Bring to a simmer, taste and add more seasonings as needed. I like to simmer the sauce for at least 20 minutes but you can always do it for longer or less time if you are in a time crunch.
- Add a few scoops of the pasta sauce to the noodles and give it a stir.
- Preheat the oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit. Place a layer of sauce on the bottom of a 9 x 13 pan, followed by half of the noodles. Cover with some sauce, then place the remaining noodles on top and the remaining sauce. Top with the remaining 2 cups of mozzarella cheese.
- Bake for 35-40 minutes until bubbling. Serve with salad and garlic bread for a cozy dinner!
- Enjoy!
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