Easy Make-Ahead Baked Ziti

If you are looking for a delicious make-ahead dish to feed a crowd, then I have the perfect recipe for you, Easy Make-Ahead Baked Ziti!

If you are looking for a delicious make-ahead dish to feed a crowd, then I have the perfect recipe for you, Easy Make-Ahead Baked Ziti! This yummy, hearty Easy Make-Ahead Baked Ziti recipe includes Ziti pasta with not one but three kinds of cheese, sausage and hamburger meat, and chunks of tomato in a tomato sauce. It also freezes well and is perfect to keep on hand for nights when you just don’t feel like cooking or when you need a nice meal to welcome a new neighbor or to take to a sick friend.

In fact, when I made this batch, I divided it up three ways, and froze two casseroles and took the other one to Atlanta for my husband’s daughter and her husband. They are new parents of a beautiful baby girl, and I wanted to take them some easy meals they could just pop in the oven. Then, because we also were headed to North Carolina I also brought one of the frozen casseroles with us so we wouldn’t have to worry about dinner after a long drive.

This recipe makes 12 servings and has a fairly long ingredient list, but it comes together quickly. The ingredients are olive oil, garlic, onion, ground beef, Italian sausage, tomato sauce, canned whole tomatoes, Italian seasoning, red pepper flakes, salt and pepper, ziti, mozzarella, ricotta, and Parmesan cheese, fresh parsley and two eggs.

To get started, preheat your oven to 375 degrees.

Heat the olive oil in a large dutch oven over medium heat. Add the garlic and onions and saute for 3-4 minutes, or until they start to soften.

Add the ground beef and sausage and cook until done. Drain off the fat and season the meat with salt and pepper.

Add the tomato sauce, tomatoes, and juice, Italian seasoning and red pepper flakes. Stir, and simmer for 30-40 minutes. After simmering, break up the tomatoes with a fork. Let cool.

In the meantime, bring a large pot of water to a boil over medium-high heat. Once the water starts boiling, add 1 1/2 tablespoons of salt to the water. Bring to a full rolling boil and add the pasta. Cook the pasta, frequently stirring for about 8 minutes or until it reaches the al dente stage, such that it is still somewhat firm and not completely cooked through and soft.

Pour the pasta into a colander and rinse under cool water to stop the cooking process. Drain and set aside to cool.

In a very large bowl, mix 2 cups of the grated mozzarella, the ricotta, Parmesan, parsley, eggs and about 1 tsp of salt and pepper.

Add the cooled pasta and toss to combine. Add about 2 cups of the tomato meat sauce and mix again.

This recipe makes 12 servings. If you are making just 1 casserole, you will have to use at least a 5-quart casserole or lasagna pan or one that is 11×15 inches. If you want to divide it up, you can use 8×8 or smaller pans. For this batch, I used 2 8×8 aluminum foil disposable pans which will hold least 3 servings each and 1 8×12 inch glass casserole dish which contains 6 servings.

For easy clean-up, spray your casserole dish lightly with non-stick cooking spray. Add half of the coated pasta to your casserole dish. Spoon half of the remaining sauce over the top, then top with half the remaining mozzarella. Repeat with another layer of the coated pasta and the remaining sauce and mozzarella.

Bake uncovered for approximately 25-30 minutes, or until bubbling. Let stand about 5 minutes before serving. Enjoy!

*If you want to freeze your casserole, cover tightly and place in the freezer. To cook, let defrost in the refrigerator overnight and bake according to the directions above. If you cook it without defrosting, add about 20 minutes to the cooking time.

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Baked Ziti

This yummy, hearty Easy Make-Ahead Baked Ziti recipe includes Ziti pasta with not one but three kinds of cheese, sausage and hamburger meat, and chunks of tomato in a tomato sauce. It also freezes well and is perfect to keep on hand for nights when you just don't feel like cooking or when you need a nice meal to welcome a new neighbor or to take to a sick friend.

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Course

Main Dish

Servings

MetricUS Imperial

Ingredients

• 2 Tbsp olive oil
• 3 cloves garlic minced
• 1 large onion diced
• 1 pound ground chuck
• 1 pound Italian sausage
• 2 cans tomato sauce 14.5 oz cans
• 1 can whole tomatoes with juice 28 oz can
• 2 teaspoons italian seasoning
• 1/2 tsp red pepper flakes
• kosher salt and black pepper
• 1 pound ziti
• 1-1/2 pounds mozzarella grated
• 1 tub whole-milk ricotta 15 oz tub
• 1/2 cup Parmesan cheese grated
• 2 Tbsp fresh parsley chopped
• 2 eggs beaten

Course Main Dish Servings MetricUS Imperial Ingredients 2 Tbsp olive oil 3 cloves garlic minced 1 large onion diced 1 pound ground chuck 1 pound Italian sausage 2 cans tomato sauce 14.5 oz cans 1 can whole tomatoes with juice 28 oz can 2 teaspoons italian seasoning 1/2 tsp red pepper flakes kosher salt and black pepper 1 pound ziti 1-1/2 pounds mozzarella grated 1 tub whole-milk ricotta 15 oz tub 1/2 cup Parmesan cheese grated 2 Tbsp fresh parsley chopped 2 eggs beaten

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Instructions

1. To get started, preheat your oven to 375 degrees.
2. Heat the olive oil in a large dutch oven over medium heat. Add the garlic and onions and saute for 3-4 minutes, or until they start to soften. Add the ground beef and sausage and cook until done. Drain off the fat and season the meat with salt and pepper. Add the tomato sauce, tomatoes and juice, Italian seasoning and red pepper flakes. Stir, and simmer for 30-40 minutes. After simmering, break up the tomatoes with a fork. Let cool.
3. In the meantime, bring a large pot of water to a boil over medium-high heat. Once the water starts boiling, add 1 1/2 tablespoons of salt to the water. Bring to a full rolling boil and add the pasta. Cook the pasta, stirring frequently for about 8 minutes or until it reaches the al dente stage, such that it is still somewhat firm and not completely cooked through and soft. Pour the pasta into a colander and rinse under cool water to stop the cooking process. Drain and set aside to cool.
4. In a very large bowl, mix together 2 cups of the grated mozzarella, the ricotta, Parmesan, parsley, eggs and about 1 tsp of salt and pepper. Add the cooled pasta and toss to combine. Add about 2 cups of the tomato meat sauce and mix again.
5. This recipe makes 12 servings. If you are making just 1 casserole, you will have to use at least a 5-quart casserole or lasagna pan or one that is 11x15 inches. If you want to divide it up, you can use 8x8 or smaller pans. For this batch, I used 2 8x8 aluminum foil disposable pans which will hold least 3 servings each and 1 8x12 inch glass casserole dish which contains 6 servings.
6. For easy clean-up, spray your casserole dish(s) lightly with non-stick cooking spray. Add half of the coated pasta to your casserole dish(s). Spoon half of the remaining sauce over the top, then top with half the remaining mozzarella. Repeat with another layer of the coated pasta and the remaining sauce and mozzarella.
7. Bake uncovered for approximately 25-30 minutes, or until bubbling. Let stand about 5 minutes before serving. Enjoy!
8. *If you want to freeze your casserole, cover tightly and place in the freezer. To cook, let defrost in the refrigerator overnight and bake according to the directions above. If you cook it without defrosting, add about 20 minutes to the cooking time.

If you like easy make-ahead casseroles, check out my recipes for King Ranch Chicken, Chicken, Sausage, and Wild Rice Casserole and Chicken Mushroom Marsala Pasta too!

Thanks for visiting! I hope you try the recipes and I hope you come back soon!