The Best Baked Ziti Pasta

 

This easy budget Bake Ziti Pasta is a staple in our weeknight dinner rotation because of how quickly it can be prepped!

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Why should you make this recipe:

• Requires less than 5 ingredients
• Easy to make on a busy weeknight
• Can be prepped or baked ahead of time and tastes great reheated!!
• Uses pre-shredded cheese for simplicity and time-savings (OMG!!)
• Choose your favorite store-bought pasta sauce
• It really is the Best Baked Ziti for a filling family feast

Ideas for customizing this recipe:

• Add red pepper flakes for some spice
• Change up your cheese blend or add in some freshly grated Parmigiano Reggiano!
• Use a different pasta; rotini, penne, or even bowties are great in this recipe
• Make this with a rose or alfredo sauce base
• Mix in thinly sliced cooked Italian Sausage
• Add in some Oven Roasted Garlic

What should you serve with your Bake Ziti Pasta:

• Garlic Bread of course! (mmm, more carbs please)
• Meatballs or Grilled Italian hot or mild sausage
• Grilled chicken
• A simple salad with Italian dressing

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How to make the Best Baked Ziti Pasta

Pre-Cook Prep:

• Pre-heat your oven to 350 or 325 convect
• Cook your pasta
  • use salted, not oiled water
  • wait until your water actually comes up to a boil (put a lid on your pot and use hot tap water to speed things up)
  • cook your pasta until al dente, one minute or so LESS than package directions, your pasta will finish cooking in the oven and soak up more sauce
• Mix your cheese and sauce
  • in a large mixing thoroughly mix together your shredded cheese, parmesan, red pepper flakes and sauce
  • once your pasta is drained, this is where you will combine everything
• Prep a Baking dish
  • a glass 8×8 works great for this dish but a 9×13 will work too (a larger dish/pan will cook MUCH faster, so stay vigilant
  • use cooking spray for easy cleanup
  • have a sheet of aluminum foil cut to size

How to Make the Best Bake Ziti:

• Pre-heat your oven to 375 or 350 if using convection
• Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil
  • using a lid will speed this process up
• Once boiling, add in your pasta of choice and cook to one minute LESS than package instructions
  • stir often and adjust heat to prevent boiling over
• While your pasta is cooking, mix 3/4 of your shredded cheese, parmesan cheese, marinara sauce, and red pepper flakes in a large mixing bowl

• Once your pasta is finished cooking, drain and dump into your sauce and cheese bowl. 
• Mix well and scoop into a prepared 8×8″ baking dish
• Top with the remaining shredded cheese and sprinkle with a little extra parmesan
• Cover with aluminum foil 
• Bake for 30 minutes
• Remove aluminum foil bake an additional 5 or 10 minutes or until cheese is bubbly