Baked Ziti with Ricotta

Save this recipe!

Get this sent to your inbox, plus get new recipes from us every week!

Please enable JavaScript in your browser to complete this form.

Email *

Post Email Post

Save

I have been dealing with a sinus infection for the past couple of weeks and haven’t had much of an appetite.

When I finally felt like eating the first thing I thought about was a big bowl of pasta. One of my favorite dishes is this Baked Ziti with Ricotta.

When I think of comfort food I almost always think of Italian food.

I love so many Italian dishes but lasagna and baked ziti are my top two favorites. If you like Crock Pot Lasagna recipe you have to try this Baked Ziti Recipe. 

What I love most about adding ricotta and cottage cheese to a baked ziti dish is that it helps to create a creamy, rich flavor in the sauce. Don’t be scared by the cottage cheese, I promise it works really well in this dish. If you aren’t a fan of cottage cheese you won’t even know it is there. It is similar to making lasagna. The cottage cheese melts into the sauce as you bake the dish. 

There are a lot of ways to modify this easy baked ziti dish. For example if you want a vegetarian baked ziti dish just leave out the ground beef. You could add vegetables or mushrooms to the sauce to bulk it up. If you aren’t a fan of ground beef try ground pork, sausage or turkey. If you are trying to avoid a lot of dairy you can leave out the ricotta and just use the mozzarella cheese. 

If you like pasta recipes you should also try my Lemon Pasta, Italian Pasta Bake, Cajun Pasta with Chicken Sausage and Shrimp or this Roasted Vegetable Pasta.

Recipe Ingredients You’ll Need

• Pasta: For this recipe I used ziti pasta. You can use any medium pasta like penne or rigatoni also.
• Meat: I like to adde meat to my sauce to bulk it up and add protein. You don’t have to but if you do I suggest ground beef. You also can use ground turkey, ground chicken or ground sausage.
• Tomato Sauce: This recipe uses a jar of tomato sauce. You also can make your own using this Slow Cooker Spaghetti Sauce recipe.
• Spices: This pasta dish mixes in Italian seasoning for extra flavor.
• Cheese: There is a mixture of cheese in this baked pasta. I used a mixture similar to what is in lasagna- cottage cheese, ricotta cheese, mozzarella cheese and Parmesan cheese.

Please see the recipe card below for exact ingredient amounts and instructions. 

How to Make This Baked Ziti with Ricotta

Step 1: Cook Pasta: Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Fill a large pot with water and bring to a boil. Add 2 teaspoons of salt. Add the pasta to the water and boil until the pasta is al dente. Drain, drizzle olive oil the pasta so it doesn’t stick together and set aside in a large bowl.

Step 2: Cook Beef and Create Sauce: In a large skillet heat the 2 Tablespoons olive oil. Add the ground beef and cook until browned. Drain the fat and return the beef to the skillet. Add the garlic to the skillet along with the tomato sauce, Italian seasoning, salt and pepper and simmer for 10 minutes.

Step 3: Mix Pasta with Sauce: In the bowl with the pasta pour the sauce and mix well.

Step 4: Create Cheese Mixture: In another medium bowl mix together the ricotta cheese, cottage cheese and 1 cup of mozzarella cheese.

Step 5: Assemble Baked Pasta: In a 9×13 baking dish spread a thin layer of the sauce on the bottom. Pour the pasta with sauce in the dish. Take spoonfuls of the ricotta mixture and place throughout the pasta until it is all used up. Sprinkle the leftover mozzarella cheese and Parmesan cheese over top of the pasta.

Step 6: Bake: Bake for 20 minutes or until cheese is melted and bubbly. Garnish with the fresh parsley and basil.

Storage Tips

Store this pasta in an airtight container for up to 4 days. To reheat you can slowly heat in the oven or reheat in the microwave.

This is a great freezer meal! Cool the dish completely and then freeze for up to a month in a sealed container. Pull it out and thaw it in the refrigerator a day before you want to cook it.

Heat in the oven at 350 degrees F for about 15 to 20 minutes or until the cheese is melted and the pasta is heated through. You can add extra fresh cheese if you like. You can also heat the leftovers in the microwave for 3-4 minutes.