The Best Quick and Easy Baked Ziti Recipe

Written by Indy Patschke

If you are a teen or college student, chances are that your relationship with food is complicated. You want something that tastes amazing, does not cost a fortune, and does not require hours on end in the kitchen. Enter baked ziti.

Baked ziti’s comforting combo of sauce, pasta, cheese, and meat is so satisfying and will be exactly what you want to eat after a long day. It is perfect, and you do not have to try too hard to make it.

Meal prepping is a lifesaver for students. Life can be stressful with school and exams, social calendars, future plans, etc. Baked ziti is the king of leftovers, perfect for meal prepping. I come from a family of 4, so when I make baked ziti, there are always leftovers. These leftovers last about 1-3 days, depending on how much we have eaten. This is perfect if you have roommates, especially if you are splitting the cost; it will cost you less than a single takeout order, and you will have leftovers! If you make it for yourself, you'll have a week's worth of dinners! Alternatively, you can also freeze some for future use as frozen meals. This is perfect for a college student like myself, looking to make a simple meal that can last multiple days and not break the bank. 

Baked ziti is a classic and easy recipe that is perfect for gatherings, such as Friendsgiving, and especially for meal prepping. I make this for my family all the time, and it is always a hit! It takes way less time to prepare than a lasagna, but it is extremely similar. You boil pasta, mix a few things, throw it in a dish, and bake—that’s it! Do not take these ingredients as 100% necessary; they are super customizable. You can add in as much of each ingredient as you would like or even substitute ingredients for ones that you would prefer. 

For example, I prefer to use small-curd low-fat cottage cheese, but you can use large-curd cottage cheese, substitute cottage cheese for ricotta cheese, or not even use cottage cheese. I also like to add a layer of fresh mozzarella on top, but this is not necessary. 

Overall, baked ziti is affordable, filling, low-stress, and extremely tasty. It is everything a teen or college student wants and needs. It meets you where you are, whether exhausted, broke, celebrating, or just plain starving. Baked ziti understands you! 

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Full Recipe:

Serves: 8 people

Ingredients

• 1 box of ziti (or any kind of tunnel pasta)

• 1 lb of ground sausage 

• 1 can of tomato sauce 

• Cottage cheese

• Shredded mozzarella cheese

• Parmesan cheese

• Pecorino Romano

• Deep baking dish 

• Aluminum foil

Instructions:

• Preheat oven to 350º

• Boil your ziti in a pot for 5 minutes; boiling for longer than 5-6 minutes will result in extremely soft pasta.

• While your ziti is boiling, cook 1 lb of sausage in a pan until brown (this will take about 5 minutes), then let it simmer on low heat until ready to place in the baking dish. 

• We are going to add our ingredients in layers.

• Pour about ¼ can of tomato sauce into your baking dish, scoop in about ¼ container of cottage cheese, then add some of your shredded mozzarella and other cheeses.

• On top of your layer of cheese and sauce, pour about half of your sausage and ziti on top.

• Now repeat the layering process until your baking dish is full and you are satisfied. Make sure there is a good layer of sauce and cheese on the top layer.

• Take a piece of aluminum foil big enough to cover your baking dish, spray it with cooking spray, and place it on top of your baking dish so that your ziti is fully covered and insulated.

• Place your covered baking dish in the center of your oven rack and bake for 20-25 minutes at 350 degrees. 

• When your 20-25 minute time is up, take your aluminum foil cover off your baking dish, and bake uncovered for about 5 minutes. 

• Take your dish out of the oven and get ready to eat!

*Notes:

• If you would like to stir your ingredients together in the baking dish, you can; I prefer them to be layered.

• A layer of sliced fresh mozzarella cheese on the top is always a nice touch

• Add in seasonings: basil, Italian seasoning, red pepper flakes, etc.

• In place of cottage cheese, you can use ricotta cheese.

• I prefer to use mild or sweet sausage, but you can use whichever you prefer.

• Baked ziti pairs nicely with garlic bread or dinner rolls.

Thumbnail Credit:

Indy Patschke