Baked Ziti with Ground Beef and Mozzarella (Printable)
Tender pasta layered with seasoned ground beef, tomato sauce, ricotta, and melted mozzarella cheese—a comforting Italian-American favorite.
# What You’ll Need:
→ Pasta
01 - 1 pound ziti pasta
→ Meat
02 - 1 pound ground beef
→ Vegetables and Aromatics
03 - 1 medium onion, finely chopped
04 - 3 cloves garlic, minced
→ Sauce
05 - 28 ounces crushed tomatoes
06 - 14 ounces tomato sauce
07 - 2 tablespoons tomato paste
08 - 1 teaspoon dried oregano
09 - 1 teaspoon dried basil
10 - ½ teaspoon red pepper flakes, optional
11 - Salt and black pepper to taste
→ Cheese
12 - 9 ounces mozzarella cheese, shredded
13 - 4 ounces Parmesan cheese, grated
14 - 9 ounces ricotta cheese
→ Other
15 - 2 tablespoons olive oil
16 - Fresh basil for garnish, optional
# How-To Steps:
01 - Preheat oven to 375°F. Grease a 9x13 inch baking dish with oil or cooking spray.
02 - Cook ziti pasta in a large pot of salted boiling water until al dente, approximately 2 minutes less than package instructions. Drain and set aside.
03 - Heat olive oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Add chopped onion and cook until softened, approximately 3 to 4 minutes. Stir in garlic and cook for 1 minute more.
04 - Add ground beef to the skillet, breaking it up with a spoon as it cooks until browned and cooked through. Drain excess fat if necessary.
05 - Stir in crushed tomatoes, tomato sauce, tomato paste, oregano, basil, red pepper flakes if using, salt, and pepper. Simmer for 10 minutes, stirring occasionally.
06 - In a large bowl, combine cooked ziti, half of the meat sauce, ricotta cheese, and half of the mozzarella and Parmesan cheeses. Mix gently to combine.
07 - Spread half of the remaining meat sauce in the prepared baking dish. Add the ziti mixture on top. Spread the remaining sauce evenly over the pasta. Sprinkle with remaining mozzarella and Parmesan cheeses.
08 - Cover the baking dish with aluminum foil and bake for 20 minutes.
09 - Remove the foil and bake for an additional 10 to 15 minutes until the cheese is golden and bubbly.
10 - Allow the casserole to rest for 10 minutes before serving. Garnish with fresh basil if desired.
# Expert Tips:
01 -
- The layers of ricotta, mozzarella, and sauce create these perfect little pockets of flavor that burst with each bite, like finding hidden treasures.
- Even my pickiest friends ask for seconds, and the leftovers somehow taste even better the next day when all the flavors have had time to get friendly with each other.
02 -
- After burning many a cheese top, I discovered that covering with foil for the first 20 minutes prevents the cheese from scorching while allowing everything underneath to heat through properly.
- The pasta will soak up sauce as it bakes, so what might look too saucy going into the oven will be perfect coming out.
03 -
- Reserve about 1/2 cup of the starchy pasta water before draining the ziti, then add a splash to your meat sauce if it seems too thick, bringing a silky quality that helps the sauce cling to every piece of pasta.
- Instead of mixing all the ricotta in at once, try dropping small spoonfuls throughout your layers so you get those delightful pockets of creamy cheese rather than having it disappear into the sauce.