Classic Baked Ziti
This classic baked ziti dish is a winner, winner pasta dinner! It is perfectly cheesy, perfectly saucy, and it is packed with flavor.
I’ve tried many, many baked ziti recipes after posting this one back in 2009 and I always come back to it.
It’s amazing and is definitely among my favorite baked pasta dishes of all time (which is saying a lot because I love me some pasta). Enjoy!
FAQs for Classic Baked Ziti
Just every day canned tomato sauce!
You can use shredded mozzerella as well!
Ricotta might be a bit dry, so maybe add a little extra milk or liquid if needed. If you don’t like cottage cheese, try blending it up first.
Yes- here’s a tip: prepare the recipe right up until the baking step and then cover with a double layer of aluminum foil that’s been lightly greased with cooking spray. Freeze. Thaw in the refrigerator for 1 to 2 days. To bake, increase the time by another 20 minutes or so. If baking from frozen, bake covered for 1 hour and 30 minutes, uncover and bake 30 minutes longer.
Classic Baked Ziti
Ingredients
- 1 pound 1% cottage cheese, about 2 cups
- 2 large eggs
- 2 ounces about 1 cup freshly grated parmesan cheese
- 1 pound ziti or other similar pasta, like rigatoni or penne
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 5 medium garlic cloves, finely minced (about 5 teaspoons)
- 1 (28-ounce) can tomato sauce
- 1 (14.5-ounce) can diced tomatoes
- 1 teaspoon dried oregano
- 1 tablespoon dried basil
- 1 teaspoon sugar
- Black pepper
- 2 teaspoons cornstarch
- 1 cup milk, 1% or above
- 8 ounces mozzarella cheese, cut into 1/4-inch cubes
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Lightly grease a 9X13-inch baking pan and set aside.
- In a medium bowl, whisk together the cottage cheese, eggs and 3/4 cup of the Parmesan cheese.
- Cook the pasta in a pot of salted, boiling water until it begins to soften but isn’t cooked all the way (cook it about three minutes short of the package directions) – it will finish cooking in the oven.
- While the pasta is cooking, heat oil and garlic in a large skillet over medium heat until the garlic is fragrant but not browned, about 2 minutes. Stir in the tomato sauce, diced tomatoes, sugar, basil and oregano; simmer until thickened, about 10 minutes. Take off the heat and season with salt and pepper to taste.
- Drain the pasta and leave it in the colander. Return the pot (no need to wash) to the stovetop. Whisk together the cornstarch and milk and pour it into the pot set over medium heat. Bring the milk to a simmer and cook until thickened, whisking constantly, 3 to 4 minutes.
- Remove the pot from the heat and add the cottage cheese mixture, 1 cup or so of the simmered tomato sauce, and half of the mozzarella cubes. Stir to combine. Add the cooked pasta and stir to coat well with the saucy mixture.
- Transfer the pasta to the prepared pan and spread the remaining tomato sauce evenly over pasta. Sprinkle the remaining mozzarella cubes and remaining Parmesan cheese over the top.
- Cover the baking dish with foil that has been lightly sprayed with cooking spray and bake for 30 minutes.
- Remove the foil and continue to cook until the cheese is bubbling and beginning to brown, about 30 minutes longer. Cool for 10 minutes. Serve.
Notes
Recommended Products
Recipe Source: adapted from Cook’s Illustrated
Mel- I love your recipes and am always recommending them to friends. I am making a batch of your spaghetti sauce in the crock pot as we speak and was hoping to use it to make this baked ziti recipe. Any guidance on how much of the spaghetti/meat sauce to use for this recipe (to bake in a 9×13 dish)?
I would use about 6 cups of spaghetti sauce.
I made as directed but the red sauce seemed to just sit on the top of the noodles which left the noodles underneath drier than they should have been. I think next time I would stir the sauce in before baking.
Hi Mel!
I am wondering if you have ever used your homemade alfredo instead the classic marinara sauce?
I haven’t, but I bet it would be delicious!
If you double the recipe what would be the cooking time?
What size pan are you baking a double batch in? If it’s the same depth as a 9×13 pan, the baking time will be approximately the same.
This was the best baked ziti! The fresh mozarella makes it extra good. This will be my new take in meal to bring to friends. Thanks Mel!
I’m planning on making this for a couple that suffered a loss, but think a 9X13 pan will be too much food for two people. Would you recommend splitting it into two 8X8 pans (one for us and one for them), and if so how would you change the cooking time? Would you still recommend the same freezing instructions if they decide to save it for later? Thanks. 🙂
Yes, the freezing instructions would be the same – but cooking time would probably be 15-20 minutes less.
Made this recipe for some friends and it was a hit! I made some changes as I didn’t have cottage cheese or an oven yesterday so I subbed sour cream for the cottage cheese, cooked the pasta completely and used all the other ingredients as directed to make one big pot of sauce for the pasta. It still turned out amazing! A little creamy, I might cut back a little on the sour cream if I did this again and add in a little tomato paste or something to give it more of a tomato flavor but overall the changes turned out pretty well! Thanks for such adaptable recipes Mel!
I love this recipe, but I’m a bit confused by the parmesan measurements. How is 2 ounces of parmesan close to 1 cup? Should I use 2 ounces of parmesan or a cup?
Also, I replaced all of the sauce with plain ol jarred spaghetti sauce (just didn’t have the time and was improvising…) and it was great too!!
Thank you!!
2 ounces of shredded parm is about a cup. Jarred spaghetti sauce is a great way to go when you are short on time!
I’m puzzled by the size of tomato sauce in this recipe. (I know this originated with Cooks Illustrated, so they’re the ones responsible.)
I can’t find a can of tomato sauce that’s 28 ounces. It comes in 8 ounce or 15 ounce cans in groceries here.
Can you clarify what you are using? Do you measure out 28 liquid ounces, using multiple small cans?
I see what you mean, Ellen. I use 2 15-ounce cans, so technically that’s two ounces more than the recipe, but it works out.
Thank you!
We had this for dinner tonight, and it was very good!
Hi Mel – Do you use tomato sauce or pasta sauce? I’m sure you use some of your amazing homemade stuff, but would I buy a large can of “tomato sauce” or a brand of “pasta sauce”? Thanks, as always and have a wonderful Christmas.
Hi Meghan – I just use every day canned tomato sauce. 🙂
Thank you1
Hi Mel – Do you use tomato sauce or pasta sauce. I’m sure you use some of your amazing homemade stuff, but would I buy a large can of “tomato sauce” or a brand of “pasta sauce”? Thanks, as always.
I have made this recipe several times and I love it! I was wondering if I could make it the day before, but not bake it? I am having a crowd over and I want to prepare this ziti the day before, but I wasn’t sure if it will get mushy or something.
Yes! Just undercook the ziti by a minute or two.
Soooo I was wanting to make this to use up some fresh parmesan and shredded mozzarella in the fridge, but I see this calls for cubed mozzarella. I want to try to use my shredded mozzarella rather than buy more cheese (I have about 5 kinds of cheese in the fridge). Any suggestions on how to make that work? Apologies if this is already answered, it’s a bit difficult to scan through everything on a phone…
Honestly, I’d just toss the shredded mozzarella in there and see how it goes. I think it would work great. Or make layers in the ziti and sprinkle the shredded mozz in between the first layer and then on top?
Thanks so much for your response!! I ended up including the shredded mozzarella in the cottage cheese mixture, and on the very top and it turned out GREAT! I’m not sure why I was so worried The only other thing I did differently is that I used 1/8-1/4 tsp. baking soda in place of sugar to reduce the acidity (due to my sugar-despising husband –just in savory dishes, of course!!). It was wonderful, and we had it with garlic bread and a kale/quinoa salad. He said several times during dinner, “What a delicious meal.” Which is saying a lot!! We will definitely make this again.
Thank for reporting back, Jacelyn!
You’ve changed a couple of things, but this recipe belongs to Cooks Illustrated. Even though imitation is the highest form of flattery, I still think it’s only fair that you give the chefs that created this recipe their rightful credit.
Yep, I agree – that’s why I have a link to Cook’s Illustrated below the recipe where it says “recipe source”
Love this recipe and plan to make it again tonight! I am wondering what happened to What To Serve This With? I’m sure it was there the last time I was on your site but don’t see it now. (You know, now that I think about it, you really do go above and beyond. Something as little as a side dish suggestion makes my life so much easier. Thanks for that!)
Oh, that’s strange! It should be there. I’ll do some looking to see how/why it went missing!
Oh my goodness! This dish was so good!!! It was worth the time to put together. We served it with a side of Italian sausage. Thank you once again for sharing your recipes. I may not reply often, but I visit your site almost daily! Thank you again!!
Melanie, I have to take in a crockpot meal and was wondering the best way to do that for this dish? Would I cook it as instructed but instead of putting it in the over just throw it in the crockpot on low for a couple of hours? Thanks!
I’ve never made this in a slow cooker, Melissa, so I’m not sure. Pasta can do weird things in a slow cooker. 🙂 You might be safer going with the slow cooker lasagna recipe on my site since it’s already been tested in a slow cooker.
I made this for VBS kids this summer, and it was a HIT! I had several kids say, “I don’t like that” when they saw what I was serving (probably because it wasn’t the standard chicken nuggets), but I told them that they had to at least try it. Those same kids, those 45-pounds-dripping-wet kids, came back for THIRDS. And the music teacher was so smitten that he found the recipe and made it himself at home…even after I sent leftovers with him. My daughter keeps asking for it again, so here I am looking up the recipe for the 2nd time this month, and that is what reminded me that I forgot to post a “review”. Honestly, I had very low expectations here b/c I figured it would just taste like a basic baked pasta dish, but it was phenomenal! Thanks Mel!
Love this, Melanie – thank you!
Hi Mel,
Do you think this recipe would work with ricotta instead of cottage cheese?
Thanks so much!
Yes, I think so if that’s what you have on hand or prefer.
Thank you for the wonderful recipe! My family is not a fan of cottage cheese, but to fool them, I puréed it – I don’t think they suspected a thing 😉
Hi Mel,
Your blog first caught my eye because my daughter Melinda is often called Mel by the family! Call that the most delicious bit of Serendipity! I just made the Classic Baked Ziti and it is fabulous. I know my Mel will especially love it, since she’s a vegetarian. Alas, I didn’t read all the comments after the one that suggested the tomato sauce measure of 28 oz. was too much. I used 16 oz. and it is still yummy, though, I’m wondering if it will dry out a bit when reheated. Next time I’ll know better. Can’t wait to try other recipes!
I don’t have parmesan on hand, do you think this would work ok with only mozzarella?
I think that should work just fine – the flavor might be slightly different but it should be ok.
Just fabulous! Followed the recipe exactly. Everyone loved it! File as “make again” for sure. Thank you!!
Hi Mel,
Have you ever made this with ricotta instead if cottage cheese? I would love to try it, my current baked ziti is just, meh, but my husband is in love with ricotta. I suspect it would work just fine.
Rebecca – I have never tried it. Ricotta might be a bit dry so watch for that and maybe add a little extra milk or liquid if needed.
Thanks for the email. Sauce is purée! I might be getting a bit awkward here because I just made your butter chicken which was fantastic and I used purée not paste! I guess in the long run you just dilute pastes – would that be a way to look at it. Sticks of butter and lots of other terms make it difficult – we should all have the same measures!
Loved the chicken though.
Hi Mel
Can you tell me more about 1 (28-ounce) can tomato sauce? In Australia, tomato sauce is ketchup. Do you mean passata or puree?
Julie – Tomato sauce is like a smooth, tomato puree. I hope that helps!
Hi Melanie,
I have made this dish a few times, and it was delicious! Do you have any tips on how to freeze this effectively? The recipe makes a lot, so being able to cut it in half and freeze it for later would be wonderful.
Thank you!!
Hi Sonya – there are freezable tips in the Notes section right under the recipe.
I made this last night for a group of 6 people and got rave reviews! I was expecting some left overs but we ate every bit of it. I loved being able to make this earlier in the day and then throw it in the oven an hour before everyone arrived. It was delicious and easy. Thanks! I didn’t make any changes to the recipe since I was making it for others (and for the first time) but I think the next time I make this (and I am for sure making this again) I will try adding some cooked spinach into the cottage cheese/ cream sauce like I do for lasagne.
Hi Mel- I made this with multigrain penne pasta and it was really great. I used evap. milk instead of cream, that’s what we learned in weight loss class. Evaporated milk is a good sub when a dish calls for heavy cream. saves a few calories.
Thanks to this great recipe, I just served a very successful first communion luncheon for 120 very hungry family and friends. I was tempted to do your lasagna rolls–but only for about 30 seconds and then I got to your comments about your experience making it for your own church event–so I went with the ziti (ok, ten pans of ziti) instead. I’d made it for my family and friends a few times but never on this scale. BTW, I’ve now learned to just trust your recipes; I no longer feel the need to try them before serving them to others. Thanks again!
Mel, made this tonigth for my mom and dad who were here visiting and it turned out PERFECT! I was a little worried about trying a brand new recipe with company here, but then I thought, nah, it’s Mel’s, so it’ll be fine! Now tomorrow my aunt and uncle are coming over too, so I’m thinking about trying the shredded pork bbq in the slow cooker and the perfect potato salad. Again, never made them before, but I know they will be great!
Thanks for ALWAYS having the best recipes!
Yum yum yum! This was really good and really easy! Adding this to the rotation for sure!
Very. Good but will increase sauce next time
This is DELICIOUS! Made a pan to send in kids lunches/thermoses this week, they love it.
Did not have heavy cream so used half whole milk/half Light Cream, upped the cornstarch as you said. Thanks for always including those tips in your recipes. I’d never had or made Ziti and Wow! this is just too good. Next time I will make two pans, one to eat, one to freeze. Thanks so much!!!!
I have made sooo many of your recipes, but this one is definitely a favorite. I just wanted to add in case it helps others, I don’t always have heavy cream on hand so I have actually used skim milk thickened with the extra cornstarch and it works great! Maybe not as rich, but still delicious!
Prepped for dinner and I know will be amazing. Everyone in the house loves your recipes Mel. Rarely do you ever see anyone amending your recipes. They are delish as is. Super duper happy with my cooking lately thanks to you!
Ok-now I know why Megan always said “yes”when she was invited to eat over!
Another dish that did not disappoint. Only super duper exceeded my expectations! I think I am going to do a Julie & Julia style but Angela & Mel…since I love trying your recipes!!! LOL
I love it, I love it!! So good, Mel…great homemade taste. I subbed ricotta for the cottage cheese…the texture was a little grainy due to my substitution, so I’ll try the cottage cheese next time. Thanks for another delish recipe!
My pants were actually pulled off today while making dinner :/ My girls, Evienne and Elianna, are not quite old enough to strangle each other yet, but they definitely latch onto the legs lol! This dish will be added to our weekly menu next week! Can’t wait to try it!
Mel (is that your name?),
I made this tonight (someone had pinned it on pinterest) and let me tell you…you are the REAL DEAL. This is better than the baked ziti at my local Italian restaurant. A-M-A-Z-I-N-G! Didn’t change a thing and wouldn’t now that I’ve made it. This one’s going in the rotation. Truly delish and I’m impressed at how easy and how perfect it came out.
Amazing! I made this tonight and it was delicious! Nice and creamy not dry like some recipes that call for ricotta cheese, like trying to swallow bricks. I made my own meat sauce recipe but followed everything else exactly and my fiancée loved it. Solid choice for baked ziti.
Made this Ziti last night for a college group coming over to my house and it was wonderful! I did add a little bit of ground beef to please the guy crowd–they can’t handle a meatless meal:) Everyone was getting seconds and even thirds! I love all of your recipes…keep em’ coming!
I made this for dinner last night and it was a BIG hit! Everyone scarfed in down-even the very picky 5 year old. Thanks!
Hi Melanie! I made this dish last night with the addition of ground beef into the sauce – delicious! I was wondering though, would this dish freeze well once baked? It’s only my husband and I and it made such a large amount of food I’m hoping to be able to freeze half. Thanks!!
Kristin – it would probably freeze better before baking but I definitely think freezing after baking is better than throwing it out. It might have a different texture but I think it’s definitely worth a try.
Hi Melanie, assuming its OK to prepare the night before and bake the following day? I’ve never used cottage cheese so just want to be sure….thanks! My husband said this was delish!
Lorie – yes, I think this could be prepared the night before but I would make sure to cool the sauce before mixing it with the other ingredients so the noodles don’t continue to cook and get mushy.
I’m so excited to try this dish! I love quick and easy pastas! One quick question for you though. The recipe called to only partially cook the noodles, as the rest of it will cook in the oven. I have this American Beauty Quick Cook penne pasta that only takes approx 3-4 minutes to cook. So would I only cook those for maybe a minute…or not at all? Any thoughts?
Thanks so much!
Meredith – that’s a good question. I haven’t used noodles like that but if I were you, I’d probably quickly boil them for 1-2 minutes and then drain and use in the recipe.
Made this tonight for the first time. Just wanted to say that even though I’m sure Cook’s Illustrated had a great scientific reason to use corn starch instead of flour to thicken the cream, I used flour anyway and it worked. It turned out great using 1 cup half & half and 1 1/2 tablespoons flour. Other than that, I followed the instructions exactly.
Delicious. Next time, I will bake half and freeze half. Or invite friends over for dinner. I love good freezable cheesy pasta dishes.
queenann – way to debunk Cook’s Illustrated – I’m thrilled the flour still worked out for you! Thanks for including your changes. Glad you loved this one.
Do you use fresh mozzerella in this or just the regular that you buy with the regular cheese? Thanks.
Jennifer – I’ve always used regular ol’ mozzarella but I bet fresh mozzarella would be utterly fantastic.
I made this the other day and it really is amazing. Anyone who doesn’t like cottage cheese should know that I would have guessed it was ricotta cheese if I hadn’t made it myself (and I hate cottage cheese).
alana – thanks for the vote of confidence to other non-cottage-cheese-lovers. I'm glad that you liked this!