Easy Cheesy Baked Ziti

By
Diana Rattray
Diana Rattray
Diana Rattray
Southern-cuisine expert and cookbook author Diana Rattray has created more than 5,000 recipes and articles in her 20 years as a food writer.
Learn about The Spruce Eats' Editorial Process
Updated on 02/20/24
Tested by
Noah Velush-Rogers
Noah Velush-Rogers
Tested by Noah Velush-Rogers
Noah Velush-Rogers works on food prep for several area caterers. He has worked with a team of prep chefs for a private school group. He was an assistant cooking teacher for children and teen group cooking classes. Noah was hired as an intern and was then trained as a recipe tester for Fine Cooking Magazine. 
Learn about The Spruce Eats' Editorial Process
Cheesy baked ziti with beef in a white casserole dish

The Spruce Eats / Emily Baker

Prep: 20 mins
Cook: 40 mins
Total: 60 mins
Servings: 6 servings

There are endless versions of baked ziti, all wonderfully delicious. Some are covered in a generous layer of cheese and moistened by a tomato-based sauce with ground beef, but others are made without meat and with other variations on the sauce, like pesto or sour cream. Each cook has a favorite combination, the perfect ratio of cheeses, and their preferred sauce, but it's fair to say that all baked zitis make a wonderful and easy weeknight dinner, as you can pretty much put in it anything you'd like that you have at hand. Our ziti casserole is a flavorful combination of seasoned tomato sauce with ground beef, baked to perfection with a melty mozzarella cheese topping.

Traditionally served in Southern Italy back in the day when the bride, the zita, needed to present her new husband a lunch, ziti comes from the slang term that referred to such young ladies. Baked ziti was also part of the nuptial meal. The Americanized version has added and subtracted ingredients, but nowadays anything and everything can go in such a casserole and there is no one traditional recipe.

Use any short pasta, but go for a tubular pasta as it best soaks up the sauce. Easy to prepare, assemble the night before, cover and refrigerate, and simply pop in the oven when it's time to eat. Serve with a green salad and some garlic bread.

What You'll Need to Make This Cheesy Baked Ziti Recipe
Emile-henry-modern-classics-rectangular-baker
A Sturdy Baking Dish
Misen Stainless Skillet
A Great Skillet
OXO Good Grips Multi-Grater
A Handy Dandy Cheese Grater

“A classic comfort recipe in countless households, baked ziti benefits from being thrown together with a lot of kitchen staples. But don’t underestimate it; it’s a classic for a reason!” —Noah Velush-Rogers

Cheesy Baked Ziti With Beef/Tester Image
A Note From Our Recipe Tester

Ingredients

  • 1 teaspoon unsalted butter

  • 3/4 teaspoon salt, more as needed

  • 1 1/2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil

  • 1 pound lean ground beef, ground chuck, or ground round

  • 1/2 cup coarsely chopped onion

  • 1/2 cup coarsely chopped green bell pepper

  • 1 (14.5-ounce) can diced tomatoes, undrained

  • 1 (8-ounce) can tomato sauce

  • 1/2 teaspoon dried basil

  • 1/2 teaspoon dried oregano

  • 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder, or 1 small minced clove garlic

  • 1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper, more to taste

  • 8 ounces dry ziti pasta

  • 2 cups shredded mozzarella cheese, divided

Steps to Make It

  1. Gather the ingredients.

    Cheesy Baked Ziti with Beef ingredients gathered

    The Spruce Eats / Emily Baker

  2. Position a rack in the center of the oven and heat to 350 F. Lightly butter a 2 1/2-quart baking dish. Bring a large pot of well salted water to a boil.

    Buttered casserole dish

    The Spruce Eats / Emily Baker

  3. Drizzle the oil in a large skillet or sauté pan and place it over medium heat. When the oil is hot, add the ground beef, onion, and bell pepper. Cook, stirring often, breaking up the meat with a wooden spoon until the beef is no longer pink and the vegetables are tender.

    Ground beef with peppers and onions in a frying pan

    The Spruce Eats / Emily Baker

  4. Drain off the excess fat. Add the tomatoes, tomato sauce, basil, oregano, garlic powder, salt, and pepper. Bring to a boil, then reduce to a simmer.

    Ground beef, tomatoes, onions and green peppers in a pan

    The Spruce Eats / Emily Baker

  5. While the meat is simmering, cook the ziti in the boiling salted water until just al dente. The pasta needs to still have some bite as it will continue cooking in the oven. Set aside. Drain the pasta and return it to the pot with the meat mixture and half of the mozzarella. Stir to combine.

    Ziti pasta in a pot of water

    The Spruce Eats / Emily Baker

  6. Transfer the mixture to the prepared baking dish.

    Ziti, tomato sauce and ground beef in a casserole dish

    The Spruce Eats / Emily Baker

  7. Top the casserole with the remaining half of the mozzarella cheese.

    Unbaked ziti with tomato sauce and mozzarella cheese in a casserole dish

    The Spruce Eats / Emily Baker

  8. Bake the ziti until the cheese melts and begins to bubble and brown, 25 to 30 minutes.

    Cheesy Baked Ziti with Beef baked in a casserole dish

    The Spruce Eats / Emily Baker

Make Ahead or Freeze

  • This is a great dish for a make-ahead dinner. Assemble the casserole and wrap it tightly in foil. Refrigerate overnight and allow the dish to rest at room temperature for 30 minutes before baking as directed.
  • For freezing, assemble the casserole in a freezer-safe dish but do not bake. Cover tightly with foil or plastic wrap and keep for up to 3 months. Allow the dish to thaw overnight before baking it as directed. Add extra mozzarella cheese and a drizzle of olive oil if needed.

Recipe Variations

There are as many recipes for ziti as there are cooks to make them. Here are some of our favorite takes on this dish:

  • Add an extra 8-ounce can of tomato sauce for a saucier casserole, or 1 cup of heavy cream. In either case, adjust the seasoning accordingly.
  • Replace the ground beef with 1 pound of bulk Italian sausage, ground turkey, ground chicken, or ground venison. Brown as directed with the onion and bell pepper.
  • Replace the mozzarella cheese with a pizza cheese blend, an Italian cheese blend, or cheddar and mozzarella. For a cheesier version, sprinkle 1/4 cup of Parmesan on top of the casserole before adding the final mozzarella layer.
  • Add 2 cups of steamed broccoli or cauliflower florets into the mixture. Alternatively, add 3 cups of baby spinach into the pan at the same time as you're adding the tomato sauce.
Nutrition Facts (per serving)
383 Calories
21g Fat
17g Carbs
32g Protein
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Nutrition Facts
Servings: 6
Amount per serving
Calories 383
% Daily Value*
Total Fat 21g 27%
Saturated Fat 8g 42%
Cholesterol 94mg 31%
Sodium 1057mg 46%
Total Carbohydrate 17g 6%
Dietary Fiber 3g 11%
Total Sugars 7g
Protein 32g
Vitamin C 25mg 126%
Calcium 286mg 22%
Iron 4mg 22%
Potassium 811mg 17%
*The % Daily Value (DV) tells you how much a nutrient in a food serving contributes to a daily diet. 2,000 calories a day is used for general nutrition advice.
(Nutrition information is calculated using an ingredient database and should be considered an estimate.)