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Baked Ziti with Ricotta, Sausage and Asparagus is the perfect way to incorporate fresh seasonal produce in a traditional dish that we all know and love! The simple Italian casserole is loaded with layers of pasta, meat sauce, veggies and cheese for a hearty and comforting dinner recipe that makes mealtime easy!
With all of the craziness that the world is currently experiencing, nothing tastes better than some classic comfort food. In fact, with our current moods waffling somewhere between stress, sadness and anxiety, I’ve found myself reaching for cozy dishes like meatloaf, chicken and stuffing casserole, chicken soup…and this Baked Ziti with Ricotta! The familiar recipes are like a warm hug from Grandma, and they just feel so appropriate for the season that we’re in.
That said, spring is officially here…which means warmer weather is upon us and bright, fresh produce is more available and affordable at the market. In an effort to bridge the gap between cozy winter casseroles and sunny spring veggies, this layered baked ziti with ricotta and sausage includes a little dose of green (in the form of asparagus), without changing the overall taste of the traditional dinner that your family has come to love.
What is Baked Ziti?
Baked ziti is a casserole that’s made with ziti and a Neapolitan-style tomato-based sauce that’s popular in Italian-American cuisine. Ziti is a tube-shaped pasta, which gets its name from the word “zita,” or bride. In Naples, ziti is the classic pasta served for weddings as the “zita’s pasta.”
To make Baked Ziti, the pasta is typically boiled first, while the sauce is prepared separately. The cooked and drained ziti is then layered with the sauce and other ingredients such as cheese, sausage, mushrooms, peppers or onions. The whole dish is then baked in the oven and served warm!
Baked ziti is very similar in taste to lasagna, but uses the ziti-shaped pasta instead of the long, flat lasagna noodles.
How to make Baked Ziti with Ricotta:
While there are quite a few steps involved in preparing this dish, none of it is difficult! This recipe doesn’t need to be too time-consuming either, so long as you have various components cooking at the same time. For instance, you can brown the sausage while the pasta cooks and the asparagus boils. While you wait for those ingredients to cook, you can also stir together the cheese mixture! Let’s get started…
Ingredients:
- Ziti pasta
- Ricotta cheese
- Parmesan cheese
- Pesto
- Egg
- Italian sausage
- Marinara sauce
- Asparagus
- Mozzarella cheese
Why put eggs in Baked Ziti?
Baked Ziti with Ricotta often calls for an egg in the recipe. The egg is mixed with the ricotta and acts as a binder to give the ricotta mixture more structure. If you don’t have eggs, or if you have an egg allergy, you can omit the egg from this recipe and it will still “work.”
Step 1: Cook the Ziti
Cook the pasta in a large pot of salted boiling water, until not quite al dente. Drain and rinse under cold water and set aside.
Step 2: Stir together the Ricotta Mixture
Prepare the cheese mixture by stirring together the ricotta, Parmesan cheese, pesto and egg. Be sure to season with salt and pepper, too!
Step 3: Brown the Sausage
Cook the sausage in a large skillet until the meat is no longer pink, then drain off the fat.
Step 4: Stir together the Meat Sauce
You’ll need a BIG jar of marinara sauce (32 ounces). Stir the marinara into the cooked sausage and your meat sauce is done!
Step 5: Blanch the Asparagus
You’ll want the asparagus slightly tender (but still bright green) when you add it to your dish, so boil the vegetables in salted water for just 3-4 minutes. Then place the asparagus in an ice bath to stop the cooking process. Once drained, add the asparagus to the cooked pasta.
Step 6: Layer the Baked Ziti with Ricotta
To begin layering the baked ziti, spread a very thin layer of meat sauce in the bottom of a 9 x 13-inch dish and dollop with half of the ricotta mixture.
Ladle two scoops of meat sauce into the pasta and toss to combine.
Spread the pasta mixture in a single layer in the dish.
Pour the remaining meat sauce over the pasta and dot with the remaining ricotta.
Sprinkle mozzarella and Parmesan on top, then cover with foil.
Step 7: Bake the Casserole
Bake the ziti in a 350 degree F oven (covered) for 25-30 minutes, or until it’s hot and bubbly. Then remove the cover and return the dish to the oven for about 10 more minutes, or until the cheese is lightly browned on top.
What to serve with Baked Ziti with Ricotta and Sausage:
This dish includes meat, pasta and veggies, so you really don’t need too much more. Here are a few easy sides that go well with the Baked Ziti:
- Green salad dressed in Italian Balsamic Vinaigrette
- Cucumber Salad
- 2-Ingredient Italian Sugar Snap Peas
- Garlic Roasted Broccoli
- Green Bean Salad
- Marinated Vegetable Salad
- Garlic bread or breadsticks
Preparation and Storage Tips:
- Prep Ahead: You can make the baked ziti up to one day ahead of time! Assemble the casserole as instructed, cover and refrigerate until ready to bake. Before baking, allow the dish to sit on the counter and come to room temperature (for about 30 minutes to 1 hour).
- How to Freeze Baked Ziti: Baked ziti can be frozen either before or after baking. The quality is best if you assemble the casserole in advance and freeze before baking. Wrapped tightly, the baked ziti will last in the freezer for up to 3 months. Just make sure that you allow the dish to cool completely before wrapping and freezing.
- Leftover baked ziti will keep in the refrigerator for 3-4 days.
- How to Reheat Baked Ziti: To reheat the baked ziti directly from the freezer, cover with foil and warm in a 350 degree oven for about 1 hour. Remove the cover and continue baking for about 10 more minutes. If you’re reheating a thawed baked ziti, you can reduce the baking time to about 20-25 minutes (covered).
Cook’s Tips and Recipe Variations:
- Don’t have ziti pasta on hand? You can substitute with penne pasta.
- Cook the pasta until not quite al dente (about 1 minute less than called for on the box). The ziti will continue cooking in the oven, so you don’t want it to become too mushy and overdone.
- Frozen Asparagus: If you’re making this dinner in the off-season when fresh asparagus is hard to come by, you can buy frozen asparagus spears in microwaveable bags. Just steam the asparagus in the microwave for about half as long as called for on the package (it stays crisp and doesn’t get mushy when you bake it). Cut up the asparagus once it’s cooked and mix it with the pasta, as instructed.
- Omit the asparagus if you don’t want vegetables in the casserole.
- Baked Ziti with Ricotta and Spinach: Swap out the asparagus and use frozen chopped spinach that has been thawed and drained really well. You can also sauté fresh spinach to use in place of the asparagus.
- Baked Ziti with Ricotta and Meat Sauce: We prefer the extra boost of flavor that you get from adding Italian sausage to baked ziti. If you prefer, you can swap out the sausage and replace it with ground beef or ground turkey.
- Vegetarian Baked Ziti: For a vegetarian 3-cheese baked ziti, omit the sausage! The rest of the recipe will still be delicious.
- Cooking for a smaller family? Cut the ingredients in half and bake the ziti in an 8-inch square dish. Alternatively, you can prepare the full recipe, but divide the ingredients between two 8-inch square dishes. Bake one for now, and freeze the other for later!
More Italian pasta casserole recipes that you might enjoy:
- Chicken Lasagna
- Dump-and-Bake Meatball Casserole
- Spaghetti Casserole
- Dump-and-Bake 3-Cheese Baked Ziti
- Spinach Stuffed Shells
Baked Ziti with Ricotta
Ingredients
- 16 ounces ziti pasta
- 15 ounces ricotta cheese
- ½ cup grated Parmesan cheese, divided
- 2 tablespoons prepared pesto
- 1 egg, lightly beaten
- 1 lb. Italian sausage, casings removed
- 1 (32 ounce) jar marinara sauce
- 1 lb. asparagus, woody ends trimmed, cut into 1-inch pieces
- 1 cup grated mozzarella cheese
- Salt and pepper, to taste
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Spray a 9 x 13-inch baking dish with cooking spray and set aside.
- Cook the pasta in a large pot of salted boiling water, until not quite al dente (about 9 minutes). Drain and rinse under cold water. Set aside.
- Stir together ricotta, 6 tablespoons of Parmesan cheese, pesto and egg. Season with salt and pepper to taste. Set aside.
- In a large skillet, brown sausage until no longer pink. Drain and return to the skillet. Stir in marinara sauce. Set aside.
- Bring a pan of lightly salted water to a boil. Add the asparagus pieces, cook for 3-4 minutes until just tender. Drain and immediately transfer to a large bowl of ice water to stop the cooking. Let asparagus cool for 2-3 minutes. Drain the water and pat the asparagus dry. Add asparagus to the cooked pasta.
- Spread a thin layer of the marinara sauce mixture in the bottom of the dish. Dot the surface with half of the ricotta cheese mixture. Ladle 2 scoops of the marinara sauce into the pasta and toss to combine. Spread the pasta and asparagus mixture in a single layer in the dish.
- Pour remaining marinara sauce over the pasta. Dot with remaining ricotta mixture. Sprinkle with mozzarella and 2 remaining tablespoons of Parmesan.
- Cover the ziti and bake for about 25-30 minutes (or until the casserole is hot and bubbly). Remove the cover and return the dish to the oven for about 10 more minutes, or until the top is lightly browned and the cheese is melted.
Notes
- Prep Ahead: You can make the baked ziti up to one day ahead of time! Assemble the casserole as instructed, cover and refrigerate until ready to bake. Before baking, allow the dish to sit on the counter and come to room temperature (for about 30 minutes to 1 hour).
- How to Freeze Baked Ziti: Baked ziti can be frozen either before or after baking. The quality is best if you assemble the casserole in advance and freeze before baking. Wrapped tightly, the baked ziti will last in the freezer for up to 3 months. Just make sure that you allow the dish to cool completely before wrapping and freezing.
- Leftover baked ziti will keep in the refrigerator for 3-4 days.
- How to Reheat Baked Ziti: To reheat the baked ziti directly from the freezer, cover with foil and warm in a 350 degree oven for about 1 hour. Remove the cover and continue baking for about 10 more minutes. If you're reheating a thawed baked ziti, you can reduce the baking time to about 20-25 minutes (covered).
Nutrition
This recipe was originally published in April, 2014. It was updated in April, 2020.