This baked ziti recipe is rich, hearty, and loaded with cheese and beef. It has more steps than most of our recipes, but it’s absolutely worth the effort and time. Nothing is overly complicated as long as you have a bit of time to spend in the kitchen.
PREP30minutes
COOK45minutes
TOTAL1hour 15minutes
serves 8
INGREDIENTS
For the pasta and sauce:
- 1 pound ziti
- 1 pound ground beef
- 20 ounces marinara jarred or homemade
For the ricotta mixture:
- 15 ounces Ricotta cheese
- 1 large egg
- 1/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese
- 1 1/2 teaspoons Italian seasoning divided
For the bechamel:
- 2 tablespoons butter
- 2 tablespoons flour
- 1/2 cup milk
- 1/2 cup heavy cream
- 1/2 teaspoon pepper
- 1/4 teaspoon nutmeg
For assembly:
- 8 ounces mozzarella freshly shredded
INSTRUCTIONS
To make the pasta and sauce:
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Spray a 9×13 baking dish with non-stick spray.
- Bring a large pot of water to a boil and season with salt. Boil the pasta for 3 minutes less than the package directs.
- While the pasta boils, brown the ground beef in a medium skillet. Drain the fat. Stir in the marinara sauce and warm through over medium heat.
To make the ricotta mixture:
- In a medium bowl mix together the ricotta, egg, Parmesan cheese, and 1 teaspoon of Italian seasoning.
To make the bechamel:
- In a small pot melt the butter and whisk in the flour. Cook until hot and bubbly. Whisk in the milk and cream and cook 5 minutes or until the sauce has thickened to a gravy consistency. Stir in the pepper and nutmeg.
To assemble and bake:
- Spread 1/4 cup of the meat sauce in the bottom of a 9×13 baking dish.
- Pour in half of the ziti and spread it out. Pour on half of the meat sauce and spread it over the ziti. Spread half of the bechamel over the meat sauce.
- Drop dollops of the ricotta mixture over the meat sauce and then sprinkle with half of the mozzarella.
- Repeat the layers of ziti and meat sauce. Pour the remaining bechamel evenly over the top. Place the remaining cheese on top and sprinkle with the 1/2 teaspoon of Italian seasoning.
- Bake covered for 30 minutes.
- Remove the cover and bake for another 10-15 minutes or until the cheese is melted and bubbly.
- Let set for 10 minutes before serving.
TIPS & NOTES:
Use any variety of short cut pasta that you prefer. Penne and rigatoni both work well here.
You can use our spaghetti sauce recipe in place of the jar of sauce here.
The bechamel sauce sounds a bit fancy, but it’s just as simple as making a gravy! Don’t be intimidated by this step!
To save time, you can swap the béchamel sauce for a jar of Alfredo sauce.
Nutrition Information:
Calories: 666kcal (33%)| Carbohydrates: 52g (17%)| Protein: 33g (66%)| Fat: 36g (55%)| Saturated Fat: 19g (119%)| Trans Fat: 1g| Cholesterol: 145mg (48%)| Sodium: 729mg (32%)| Potassium: 645mg (18%)| Fiber: 3g (13%)| Sugar: 6g (7%)| Vitamin A: 1134IU (23%)| Vitamin C: 5mg (6%)| Calcium: 357mg (36%)| Iron: 3mg (17%)
