Baked ziti with sausage, three types of cheese, and homemade marinara sauce is a classic pasta bake that’s pure comfort food! It’s also an easy make-ahead dinner for busy days.
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If you’re looking for more pasta bake recipes, be sure to try our favorite homemade lasagna, this easy dump-and-bake meatball casserole, and this million dollar baked spaghetti, too!
Fantastic!!! This is such an easy recipe to follow and the turn out was beyond delicious! Thank you!
– Clayton
Video: How to Make Baked Ziti with Sausage
Why You’ll Love Baked Ziti with Sausage
- Make Ahead. This convenient meal can be baked immediately, or you can assemble it in advance and store it in the fridge or freezer until you need it.
- Stovetop to Oven. If you prep the dish in a cast iron skillet, Dutch oven, or other oven-proof skillet, you can transfer it directly from the stovetop to the oven. No extra pan to wash!
- Versatile. You can easily adapt this recipe to suit your family’s preferences. For instance, swap out the Italian sausage and replace it with ground beef, ground turkey, ground pork, or ground chicken. Add extra veggies, too!
- Cozy. Baked ziti is a comfort food classic!
The Best Pan for Baked Ziti
I prefer to make my baked ziti with sausage in a deep 12-inch cast iron skillet (or in a Dutch oven). It saves me from washing extra dishes at the end, because cast iron skillets go from the stovetop to the oven. The sausage and sauce cook in the same skillet that you use to bake the casserole! More importantly, though, cast iron retains and evenly-distributes the heat better than any other type of pan. As a result, your baked ziti heats through evenly and you get those delicious crisp edges on the pasta and cheese. It’s heavenly!
Don’t worry, though — you don’t actually need a cast iron skillet or a Dutch oven to prepare this dish. Feel free to transfer the mixture to a standard 9 x 13-inch baking dish for the final step in the oven. The baking dish is ideal if you plan to make the casserole in advance and keep it in the fridge or freezer before baking, too.
Ingredient Notes and Tips for Success
- Ziti is a tube-shaped pasta without ridges. Feel free to substitute with other short pasta shapes, such as penne or rigatoni.
- You can buy a pound of ground Italian sausage, or purchase the links and remove the casings yourself. Any variety works — sweet, spicy, mild, or turkey sausage.
- Red wine adds a nice depth of flavor to the sauce. Pick a dry red, such as Pinot Noir, Cabernet Sauvignon, or Merlot.
- Granulated sugar helps to balance the acidic nature of the tomatoes, yielding a sauce with more complex, deep flavor. You can adjust the amount of sugar that you use to suit your taste.
- If you don’t care for ricotta cheese, you can omit that ingredient entirely from this recipe. You can also substitute with some extra mozzarella stirred into the dish, or swirl in dollops of softened cream cheese or cottage cheese.
- You do not need to add eggs to this recipe. A typical baked ziti includes layers of pasta, sauce, meat, and ricotta. The ricotta layer usually uses eggs as as a binder to give the cheese mixture more structure. Since we’re not layering the ingredients in our skillet, there’s no need for an egg in this particular recipe.
Directions
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 and simmer the sauce while the pasta boils.
You’ll find detailed directions in the recipe card below, but here’s the quick version:
- Boil and drain the ziti. Undercook the pasta slightly, because it will continue to cook while it bakes in the oven. You don’t want to end up with overdone, mushy ziti. I typically boil the pasta for 1 minute less than recommended on the box for al dente. For instance, if my box of ziti suggests 10-11 minutes for al dente, I boil the pasta for 9 minutes.
- Brown the Italian sausage.
- Simmer the marinara sauce in the skillet.
- Stir in the cooked sausage, cooked pasta, half of the mozzarella, and the basil.
- Add dollops of ricotta and stir gently to swirl. You don’t want to mix it in entirely, because those pockets of warm, melty cheese are delicious in the finished dish!
- Sprinkle remaining mozzarella and Parmesan on top.
- Bake uncovered for about 15-20 minutes, or until the cheese is melted. We bake it uncovered so that the cheese on top turns brown and the edges get crispy. The best part!! Since all of the ingredients are already cooked and your cast iron skillet is already hot, the dish will only need about 15 minutes in the oven. You don’t want to bake it for too long, or the pasta will become mushy and overdone.
- Fresh herbs really brighten up a warm, cozy casserole. I love to garnish with parsley, basil, oregano or thyme. Some extra grated Parmesan on top is also a great touch, then serve!
Serving Suggestions
Baked ziti with sausage pairs perfectly with garlic bread, no-knead focaccia bread, our favorite house salad with candied pecans, a green side salad with red wine vinegar salad dressing, sauteed spinach, sauteed zucchini or roasted yellow squash.
Preparation and Storage Tips
- Make Ahead: Assemble the dish in a 9 x 13-inch baking dish up to 2 days in advance. Keep it covered with plastic wrap or foil in the refrigerator. When ready to bake, allow the baking dish to sit on the counter and come to room temperature for at least 30-60 minutes. If the dish is cold when it goes into the oven, you will need to add some extra baking time. Keep a close eye on the skillet and cover the pasta loosely with foil if it starts to get too brown on top before it’s heated through.
- How to Freeze: Baked ziti can be frozen either before or after baking. The quality is best if you assemble the casserole in advance (in a 9 x 13-inch freezer-safe dish) and freeze before baking. Wrapped tightly, the baked ziti will last in the freezer for up to 3 months. When you’re ready to cook it, defrost in the refrigerator for at least 24 hours, then proceed with the Make Ahead instructions above.
- Storage: Leftovers will keep in the refrigerator for 3-4 days. Cover and reheat leftovers in a 350°F oven for 20-25 minutes, or until warmed through. You can also reheat individual portions in a microwave for 1-2 minutes.
Did you make this recipe?
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Watch How to Make It
Baked Ziti with Sausage
Ingredients
- 1 lb. dry ziti pasta
- 1 lb. Italian sausage, casings removed
- 3 cloves garlic, minced or pressed
- ¼ teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes
- ¾ cup dry red wine
- 2 (28 ounce) cans crushed tomatoes
- 1 teaspoon kosher salt
- 1 teaspoon granulated sugar
- 8 ounces (about 2 cups) shredded mozzarella cheese, divided
- ¼ cup chopped fresh basil (or sub with 1 ½ tablespoons of dried basil or dried Italian seasoning)
- ½ cup whole milk ricotta cheese
- ½ cup grated Parmesan cheese
- Optional garnish: additional chopped fresh basil or other herbs, such as parsley
Instructions
- In a large pot of salted boiling water, cook ziti according to package instructions for very al dente, about 9 minutes. (It will continue to cook in the oven, so you want to undercook the pasta just a bit.) Drain; set aside.
- Preheat the oven to 425°F and set the oven rack in the middle position. Meanwhile, cook sausage in a 12-inch cast iron skillet or Dutch oven over medium-high heat until no longer pink, about 5-7 minutes. Use a slotted spoon to remove the sausage from the skillet and set aside on a paper towel-lined plate. Reserve 1 tablespoon of drippings in the skillet and drain off the rest (if you don't have enough fat in the skillet, add a tablespoon of olive oil).
- Add the garlic and red pepper to the drippings in the skillet; cook over medium-high heat for 1 minute. Add wine; bring to a boil, and use a wooden spoon to scrape any browned bits from the bottom of the pan (these add tons of flavor to your sauce). Cook until reduced by half, about 5 minutes. Stir in tomatoes, salt and sugar; bring to a boil. Reduce heat to medium-low, and simmer for 10 minutes, stirring occasionally. Remove from heat.
- Stir in cooked sausage, cooked pasta, 1 cup of mozzarella, and the basil.
- Add dollops of ricotta and stir gently to swirl, leaving streaks and pockets of ricotta throughout. Top with remaining 1 cup of mozzarella and the Parmesan.
- Transfer skillet to the oven and bake, uncovered, until cheese is melted, about 15-20 minutes. Garnish with additional basil and serve.
Notes
Nutrition
Recipe Variations
- Add baby spinach to the sauce. It will wilt almost instantly and blend into the casserole.
- A splash of heavy cream gives the sauce creamy richness.
- Use ground beef, ground chicken, or ground turkey instead of the Italian sausage. Since you will be missing the extra flavor boost from the herbs and seasonings in the sausage, you might want to add some extra herbs and seasonings to the sauce.
- For a vegetarian option, try this one-skillet vegetable and 5-cheese baked ziti.
- 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!
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This recipe was originally published in June, 2021. It was updated in January, 2024.
Easy to follow recipe! I used frozen ziti noodles that I precooked a few weeks ago and RAO’s Vodka Sauce. GREAT FLAVOR! I’ll definitely make this again! Thank you!
Sounds perfect. Thank you, Joy!
Fantastic!!! This is such an easy recipe to follow and the turn out was beyond delicious! Thank you!
Thank you, Clayton! We’re so glad you enjoyed it.
Hi making for a wedding of 50 people. How many times should I double recipe ? Thank you
Hi Lori! The recipe serves 8. So, you’ll want to make at least 6 servings. We recommend making 7 or 8 just to be safe!