EASY Cheesy Baked Ziti Recipe — Be Greedy Eats

Comfort food at its finest! This Easy Cheesy Baked Ziti is an Italian American classic sure to keep your body warm and stomach full. Made with delicious Italian sausage, a rich red sauce, and two kinds of cheese, this dish will become a household favorite!

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Simple, Rich, and Full of Flavor!

No matter the time of the year, PASTA is always a good choice! Whether it’s an appetizer or a main dish, it will always fill you up. With so many options to choose from, pasta dishes are so versatile and pretty easy to make. Stuffed kinds of pasta are one of my favorite types. It’s like you’re getting 2 meals for 1!

My Easy Cheesy Baked Ziti will become one of your favorite weeknight meals! The pasta is coated in a rich red sauce filled with savory browned sausage and grated cheese! The pasta is baked until the cheese has melted to make this dish full of indulgence. One scoop just won’t be enough!

THE SAUCE IS THE KEY

Now, I love all forms of pasta! But, if the sauce isn’t ON POINT, it’s not worth eating at all! The star of this recipe is its creamy tomato sauce. It is savory and filled with fresh herbs. It also has a slight kick at the end of the red pepper flakes. Whenever making tomato sauce, I always suggest using quality and fresh ingredients. You will be able to taste the difference in the end.

Fresh Roma Tomatoes are always the best choice for tomato sauce. They are best when they are in season. If you cannot get fresh tomatoes, canned tomatoes are the next best option. I usually go for crushed or diced tomatoes. They’ll cook down faster and come in a variety of can sizes.

Easy Cheesy Baked Ziti Ingredients:

This is one of those types of meals that you’ll want to have all year long! The flavors are rich and overwhelmingly delicious. Plus, the ingredients are not hard to find at all! Trust me, your local grocery store has more than enough of each ingredient.

Remember, it’s always best to use fresh ingredients. The fresher the ingredients, the better the meal. Let’s walk through them to see how we can use them!

Ziti Noodles: You can’t have baked ziti with ziti pasta! It wouldn’t be right! Make sure to undercook your pasta since it will be cooked a second time in the oven.
Ground Italian Sausage: You want to get good quality Italian Sausages for this recipe. Either sweet or spicy will work just fine. I like to mix the two for a different flavor profile. You can get the sausage in or out of its casings easily at your local grocery store or butcher.
Onions, Peppers, & Garlic: These ingredients are staples in my pantry! They not only add flavor to dishes, but they also add texture while bulking up the overall dish.
Crushed Tomatoes: Crushed or diced tomatoes will work perfectly for this recipe. They both will cook down pretty fast. Plus, they are a great alternative to using fresh tomatoes. Diced tomatoes will work as well.
Kosher Salt & Ground Black Pepper: These are the main seasonings in the recipe. I made the seasoning pretty simple because I decided to use fresh herbs. I did not want to overpower their flavor. Have more on the side to season to taste at the end.

Granulated Sugar: I added a small amount of sugar to the sauce for some balance. The sauce is still very savory even with the addition of sugar.
Crushed Red Pepper Flakes: You only need a small pinch of red pepper flakes for a little spice in the sauce. Trust me, a pinch goes a long way.
Heavy Cream: I decided to use some cream in the sauce to cut some of the acidity from the tomatoes and make the sauce a little creamy. It adds some additional richness to the sauce as well.
Fresh Herbs: I used basil and oregano in this recipe. Fresh is always better in my opinion, but dried can be used for this recipe. The conversions are in the recipe below.
Parmigiano Reggiano Cheese: Parmigiano Reggiano or Pecorino Romano will work great in this recipe! They both will add a nice bite to the ziti. Plus, who doesn’t love cheese?!?
Mozzarella Cheese: For that extra cheesy goodness, I layered some shredded mozzarella into the ziti. If you can, try shredding it yourself with some fresh mozzarella balls. It makes a world of difference!

How to Make Easy Cheesy Baked Ziti:

Y’all don’t understand how easy this was to make! I’m always down for a simple and easy recipe! This recipe needs to be added to your weekly dinner rotation. You will want to make this recipe over and over again because of how simple it is.

The full written recipe is below, but here’s an overview:

STEP 1: Pre-Heat the Oven & Brown the Sausage. Preheat the oven to 425°F. Heat a large sauté pan or skillet over medium-high heat. Crumble the sausage making sure to break it apart with a wooden spoon. Lightly brown the meat for about 5 to 6 minutes. Transfer the sausage to a plate with a slotted spoon and drain the fat from the pan only leaving about 1 to 2 tablespoons.
STEP 2: Make the Sauce. Add the onions and peppers and cook until translucent (about 3 to 4 minutes). Add the garlic and cook, stirring constantly until soft (about 1 minute). Add the crushed tomatoes and season with kosher salt, ground black pepper, granulated sugar, and crushed red pepper flakes. Allow the sauce to simmer on medium heat for 10 - 12 minutes.
STEP 3: Cook the Pasta. While the sauce is simmering, bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Cook the ziti according to the package directions (undercook the pasta slightly since it will continue to cook in the oven). Drain the pasta and set aside.

STEP 4: Finish the Sauce. Add the heavy cream, ¼ cup of Parmigiano Reggiano cheese (or pecorino Romano), cooked sausage, chopped basil, and chopped oregano into the sauce. Mix until fully combined. Taste and season with additional kosher salt and ground black pepper if desired.

STEP 5: Assemble the Baked Ziti. Mix the sauce and the pasta together. Spoon half of the mixture into a 9 x 13-inch baking dish. Sprinkle with half of the shredded mozzarella and the remaining Parmigiano Reggiano cheese (or pecorino Romano). Spoon the remaining pasta mixture on top and sprinkle with the remaining mozzarella.
STEP 6: Bake & Serve! Transfer the dish to the oven and bake, uncovered, for 15 - 20 minutes or until the cheese is fully melted and browned. Remove from the oven and sprinkle with some additional basil. Serve and enjoy!

What to Serve with Easy Cheesy Baked Ziti:

This meal is great on its own, but there is nothing like having a few good side dishes! A simple salad will be perfect for this baked ziti. This recipe goes with so many delicious sides. But here a just a few that I would recommend:

Homemade Garlic Bread
Mixed Green Salad
Roasted Broccoli
Skillet Green Beans
Roasted Asparagus
Caprese Salad
Bruschetta

I’d love to hear your feedback about this EASY Cheesy Baked Ziti Recipe. Leave me a message in the comments section below. Remember to share and enjoy! Follow Be Greedy Eats on Pinterest and Instagram as well!

EASY Cheesy Baked Ziti

Simple, Rich, and Full of Flavor!

THE SAUCE IS THE KEY

Easy Cheesy Baked Ziti Ingredients:

How to Make Easy Cheesy Baked Ziti:

What to Serve with Easy Cheesy Baked Ziti: