Cheesy Baked Ziti

Name: Cheesy Baked Ziti
Prep time: 15 min
Cook time: 30 min
Total time: 45 min
Yield: 8 servings
Cuisine: Italian-American
Ingredients: 1 lb ziti pasta; 1 lb Italian sausage; 1 jar (24 oz) marinara sauce; 15 oz ricotta cheese; 2 cups shredded mozzarella; 1/2 cup grated Parmesan; 1 large egg; 2 tbsp fresh basil, chopped

Layers of ziti, ricotta, meat sauce, and bubbly mozzarella

By RecipesQueen Kitchen • June 10, 2026

Prep: 15 min

Cook: 30 min

Servings: 8

Difficulty: Easy

baked-zitipastacasserolecomfort-fooditaliancheesy

Pin This Recipe

Baked ziti is a crowd-pleaser — tubes of pasta layered with ricotta, a meaty tomato sauce, and mountains of bubbly mozzarella.

Undercook the pasta by 2 minutes since it finishes cooking in the oven.

Make a double batch and freeze one for a future weeknight lifesaver.

Ingredients

1 lb ziti pasta
1 lb Italian sausage
1 jar (24 oz) marinara sauce
15 oz ricotta cheese
2 cups shredded mozzarella
1/2 cup grated Parmesan
1 large egg
2 tbsp fresh basil, chopped

Instructions

1
Cook ziti 2 minutes less than package directions. Drain.
2
Brown sausage. Add marinara sauce and simmer 5 minutes.
3
Mix ricotta, egg, half the mozzarella, Parmesan, and basil.
4
Layer: half the pasta, half the sauce, all the ricotta mixture, remaining pasta and sauce.
5
Top with remaining mozzarella. Bake at 375°F for 25-30 minutes until bubbly and golden.