You don’t even have to boil the pasta for this quick and easy Dump-and-Bake 3-Cheese Baked Ziti! Just stir all of the uncooked ingredients together in the dish, cover it with foil, and pop it in the oven. Weeknight dinners just got a whole lot easier!
I’m raising a family of pasta lovers! I swear, my husband and my 3 boys could eat some variety of spaghetti, pesto rotelle, or fettuccini Alfredo every single night of the week. But you know what? Baked Ziti has never been on my go-to list…until now.
I just always assumed that Baked Ziti was kind of like lasagna — a lot of prep work, multiple steps involved, and a ton of dirty dishes at the end. WRONG!
At least, not with my dump-and-bake version!
When I decided that I wanted to create a quick-prep twist on the classic 3-Cheese Baked Ziti, I knew that I was stepping out of my comfort zone.
I wasn’t sure how the cheese mixture would set up in the oven as the pasta baked in the marinara sauce, and I was fully prepared to trash the final product and try again if it wasn’t an initial success.
Easy Dump and Bake Dinners
I’m happy to report, however, that I have apparently become a Dump-and-Bake Dinner Pro. Is that a “thing?” Because if it’s a “thing,” then I’m definitely one of them.
I just can’t get enough of these ultra-easy meals that cook in one dish without any pre-boiling the pasta, washing pots and pans, or slaving over a hot stove. You might just call me lazy? Or busy? Yes and yes!
This hearty, soul-satisfying vegetarian one-dish meal comes together in a matter of minutes and my job is done! It’s delicious served with a green salad and some garlic bread if you have the time or desire, but it’s certainly not necessary.
This Dump-and-Bake 3-Cheese Baked Ziti is a new way to prepare an old favorite — and there’s no going back to the original once you’ve had a taste!
Cooking Just for Two?
You can cut all of the ingredients in half and prepare one smaller casserole. Just bake in an 8-inch square pan. The cooking instructions remain the same.
Extra Tips For Making Baked Ziti
- Don’t have mozzarella? Use cheddar instead or another good melting cheese
- Try adding red pepper flakes for a spicy kick
- Store this baked ziti in the fridge for a few days it makes great leftovers
- Feel free to add extra fresh or dried herbs such as basil or parsley
- You could also try adding cooked sausage, chicken or bacon
More Pasta Recipes You Might Like;
- Taco Pasta Casserole
- Garlic and Herb Shrimp Pasta
- B.L.T Pasta Salad
- Ravioli lasagna with ricotta and spinach
- Baked Ziti with Sausage
Did you make this recipe?
If you enjoyed this recipe, please leave a comment with a 5-star review at the bottom of the post. Thank you!
Dump-and-Bake 3-Cheese Baked Ziti
Equipment
- 9 x 13-Inch Baking Dish
Ingredients
- 16 ounces small curd cottage cheese
- 2 tablespoons grated Parmesan cheese
- 1 large egg
- 1 teaspoon dried parsley flakes
- ¾ teaspoon kosher salt, divided
- ¼ teaspoon garlic powder
- ¼ teaspoon ground black pepper
- 1 (16 ounce) package uncooked ziti pasta
- 1 (24 ounce) jar marinara sauce
- 3 cups water
- 1 tablespoon Italian seasoning
- 8 ounces shredded mozzarella cheese
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 425°F (220°C). Spray a deep 9 x 13-inch baking dish with nonstick cooking spray. Set aside.
- In a small bowl, stir together the cottage cheese, Parmesan cheese, egg, parsley, ¼ teaspoon of salt, garlic powder, and pepper. Set aside.
- In a separate bowl, whisk together the marinara sauce, water, Italian seasoning, and remaining ½ teaspoon of salt. Set aside.
- Spread about half of the uncooked pasta in the bottom of the prepared dish. Pour about half of the sauce mixture over top.
- Dollop the cottage cheese mixture over the pasta.
- Top with another layer of the remaining uncooked pasta and the remaining sauce mixture.
- Cover tightly with aluminum foil and bake for 40 minutes.
- Uncover. At this point you should check the pasta to make sure that it is al dente (firm but just about finished cooking; it doesn't need to be completely done yet). If it’s still really hard, cover the dish and return it to the oven until the pasta is al dente. Then move on to the next step.
- Sprinkle the mozzarella over the top.
- Bake uncovered until the cheese melts and the pasta is tender, about 5-10 more minutes.
Notes
- Use a deep dish. Your 9×13-inch pan should be at least 2-3 inches deep to hold all the ingredients.
- Don’t reduce the water. The 3 cups of water is necessary for cooking the pasta in the oven. Reducing it may result in undercooked noodles.
- Cover tightly. A good foil seal traps steam and cooks the pasta evenly.
- Pasta swap: Penne or rigatoni work well in place of ziti.
- Cheese swap: Cheddar, provolone, or Italian blend can replace mozzarella.
- Add protein: Stir in cooked Italian sausage, ground beef, or shredded chicken for a heartier meal.
- Cooking for two: Halve all ingredients and bake in an 8-inch square pan. Cooking time stays the same.
- Make ahead: Assemble up to 24 hours in advance and refrigerate. Add 5-10 extra minutes to the covered bake time.
- Storage: Refrigerate leftovers for up to 4 days. Freeze for up to 3 months.
I made baked ziti a few months back, but this version is even easier! Love your dump-and-bake recipes, Blair! You can’t beat comfort food like this, especially when the weather gets cooler!
I agree — this type of comfort food is THE BEST at this time of year. Love it! 🙂
I love your version of baked ziti! So much quicker to getting the pan in the oven.
Thank you, Joanne! 🙂
Can’t wait to make thos for Christmas dinner. It’s only a few of us but we carry on the traditional Italian dinner for Christmas my mom taught us! And who doesn’t like pasta without boiling the noodles!
Thanks, Cece! I hope that you enjoy it. Merry Christmas!
Oh Blair, this sounds super easy & yummy, so I’ll be making it tonight. I always use whole grain pasta(s) & low fat (2%) dairy products, so I’ll use what I have on hand. That being said, I’m sure that the flavor of this dish will not be compromised in any way. I plan to serve this with a huge tossed green salad. I love easy (yet tasty) recipes on a busy day, and this dish surely fits the bill. Thanks, Blair!
Great, Angelina! Let me know how the whole grain pasta works! Hope you enjoy! 🙂
I’m not Angelina, but I tried this with whole wheat pasta yesterday and it came out great. 🙂
Perfect! So glad to hear that, Elisabeth! Thanks for letting me know! 🙂
Can you use ricotta in place of the cottage cheese? Thanks!
Hi, Marsha! Yes — you can absolutely use an equal amount of ricotta!
Thank you! Trying it tonight!
Great! Enjoy!
That’s what I plan to do!
Perfect. Enjoy, Evelyn!
Followed the recipe to the T.
The ziti took long time to cook about 1 hour and some not cooked and just got hard
Tasted great where everything cooked
Hi, Diana! The recipe time can definitely vary depending on your oven, the type of pan that you use, and on the brand of pasta that you use. I would give it a stir once or twice during the baking process if you don’t like those crispy exposed edges on top. Thanks for your feedback!
This was fantastic. So easy and good. I don’t think I’ll ever make ziti the traditional way again. I might even try adding some cooked ground beef, sausage or chicken the next time. We got 10 servings from the recipe. I’m freezing leftovers in single portion sizes for easy lunches to take to work. Thank you Blair!
Yay! I’m so glad that you liked it, Holly! I agree — I doubt I’ll ever make ziti another way again. And yes — adding some meat would work well, too!
I’ve been making this yummy stuff for a few years. I use ricotta cheese, but that’s not a big difference. One of the things I love about this is that, since it’s to much food for us, I can mix everything but the pasta, divide it, dump half back into the cheese tub and freeze for another day’s super easy dinner.
Perfect, Fred! You’re right — it’s a great meal to assemble in advance, and then just add the pasta at the last minute. 🙂
Can you add 1 lb cooked ground pork/sausage to this recipe. If so where in recipe?
Hi, Betty Anne! Yes! I think that would be a great addition. I would spread the cooked meat in an even layer on top of the cottage cheese mixture (just before adding that second layer of remaining pasta and sauce mixture). Enjoy!
Can I mix this and then bake it tomorrow night? I am taking to a family for dinner and want to mix it tonight but didn’t know if I should bake it tonight and then they would reheat it, or if I can still make it up and then they bake tomorrow night.
Hi, Julie! With these dump-and-bake recipes that use dry pasta, I generally do not recommend mixing the raw ingredients ahead of time. I think it’s OKAY and it can work, but it just might not yield the best texture for the pasta since it will likely absorb some liquid as it sits. Again, not a disaster, just not idea. 🙂 Please let me know if you do give it a try — I’m always curious to hear if the prep-ahead method works! 🙂
I LOVE baked pasta and I can’t wait to try this especially since I don’t have to boil the pasta first!
It’s the easiest way to cook! 🙂 Thanks, Emily!
I made your recipe with brown rice pasta and it came out great !
Awesome! Thanks for letting me know! 🙂
I’ve been simmering the sauce in the crockpot for several hours.
Should I cool that down before dumping into the uncooked pasta?
Thanks! Sounds really good!
Perfect for a cool fall evening ????
Hi, Cheryl! That’s fancy — homemade sauce! 🙂
I wouldn’t worry about cooling down the sauce too much first. Since it’s already hot, you might just need to decrease the baking time by a few minutes. Keep an eye on your pasta towards the end and just pull it out of the oven when it’s tender. Enjoy!
Hi there! Looks delicious. Is there a way to make this dairy free? Any substitutes you know of?
Hi, Hilary! Since the primary ingredient (cheese) is not dairy-free, I’m not sure that this is a good candidate for a dairy-free version. You can certainly try using dairy-free cheeses, but I’ve honestly never thought they tasted very good or melted very well. 🙂
Hi Blair!
This looks great. I should give my son some protein so was wondering if you ever add Italian sausage links in with the sauce to cook with everything?
Also, ever cooked a dump dish lower and slower?
Thanks…cannot wait to make!
Hi, Cynthia! I haven’t tried adding the Italian sausage. If I was going to use sausage, I would brown it in a skillet first, and then add it to the baked ziti. Otherwise you won’t be able to drain the oil drippings from the meat as it cooks, which could leave your Ziti greasy.
I haven’t tested this recipe in a slow cooker, so I can’t give you a specific cooking time. It would probably work just fine, so long as you can keep an eye on it to make sure that the pasta doesn’t get overcooked and mushy.
Thanks for the tips! I couldn’t wait to make it since I had the ingredients and was super busy. I added a bit more cheese as this was no meat and used ricotta, which I had. It was fantastic!! It is gone…whole casserole dish worth! This Dump & Bake recipe is a genuine keeper!. ???? Can’t wait to read more of your recipes.
Thank you!
Awesome! So glad that you enjoyed it, Cynthia! Let me know if you try it with the sausage! 🙂
Very delicious and so easy to make. A little trick I like to do in recipes like this that call for both pasta sauce and some water (so you can cook the noodles), I like to add the water to the pasta sauce jar, put the lid on and shake it to get ALL of that pasta sauce. Then add it to the recipe. This dish comes together quickly and easily. The oven does all the work and I love it! These recipes are perfect when you’re just too tired to cook dinner and a heck of a lot better than turning to fast food. Better for you, and tastes better. I served it with a simple green salad to round out the meal. So yummy! Thank you again Blair, for yet another wonderful meal! PS. For whatever reason, it won’t let me click on the stars for rating, but know that I give it a million stars!
Thanks so much, Christine! I love the tip to shake the sauce and water together in the jar!
I was interested in making 1/2 the baked ziti recipe, but how do you do 1/2 of an egg? Will a whole egg be too much for half the recipe?
Hey, Carly! I’ve done the exact same thing. Just cut all of the ingredients in half but use 1 whole egg. It works great! 🙂
Can I make this without the egg?
Hi, Jessica! The egg helps the cottage cheese (or ricotta if you use that instead) set up so that it’s not runny in the casserole. You can definitely make the dish without the egg, but it will have a different texture.
Thank you!
Hi throwing this together for my family while I am at work this evening, I don’t trust them to uncover and stir. How do I alter this if I cook the noodles first?
Hey, April! I would try just omitting the water called for in the recipe. If you’re using pre-cooked pasta, it will not absorb the water like the dry pasta does. Hope that helps!
Substituted cottage cheese for pesto alfredo sauce. It took about 15 minutes more to thicken and cook completely, but it turned out AMAZING! This is my ne go to pasta recipe!! Love love love
Thanks, Melanie! Great tip!
This was amazing! Love the little chunks of cheese that the cottage cheese gives. I needed about 15 minutes longer for my ziti to bake, but I had the time, so it was no biggy
I didn’t have ziti so I tried with penne. Yummy, but my noodles were a bit overdone so next time I will shorten baking time if I use the same noodles. For reference, my penne recommended 6-8 min of booking, I believe. Yummy and I liked how I could clean up and make a salad while it baked.
Thanks, Hailey!
Thanks so much for an awesome and easy recipe! My entire family loved it! I assembled it and refrigerated it so it would be ready to be baked for the next night’s dinner and hadn’t read the comments about you advising against that until afterwards and it was still amazing! I think it may have been a little bit “soupier” that yours appear in your photos, but everyone raved about it! I didn’t have Parmesan, so I subbed grated cheddar and I used gluten free rice pasta, so that may have caused it to be a little “soupier” too. I wanted to let you know that this is definitely a keeper and to let you and your readers know that it still worked to prepare it ahead of time. Thanks again! 🙂
That’s wonderful, Andrea! Thank you so much for letting me know. I appreciate it!!