Extra Cheesy Baked Ziti
This easy baked ziti is full of cheesy, meaty goodness. It makes for a great weeknight dinner but also freezes well.
Ingredients
- 4 cups prepared meat sauce try my Bolognese Sauce recipe
- 16 oz ziti or any short pasta cooked according to package instructions
- 15 oz whole milk ricotta cheese
- 24 oz shredded mozzarella divided
- 1/2 cup grated Parmesan
- 1 egg
- 3 tablespoons minced parsley divided
- 1/2 teaspoon each Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
Instructions
- Heat oven to 375 degrees.
- Prepare meat sauce and noodles.
- In a large bowl, combine the drained noodles with 3 cups of the meat sauce. Set aside to cool.
- In another bowl, mix the ricotta, 2 cups of the mozzarella, the parmesan, and egg.
- Stir in 2 Tbsps of the parsley and the salt and pepper.
- Stir the cheese mixture into the pasta. Leave big chunks of the cheese in the sauce.
- And the pasta to a large glass dish or foil pan.
- Pour on the remaining meat sauce and spread around.
- Sprinkle on the remaining cheese and parsley.
- Bake at 375, uncovered, for 20-25 minutes or until bubbling.
- Freezing instructions: cover in foil and freeze up to 4 months.
- Thaw overnight in the refrigerator and then bake at 375 degrees. Bake uncovered for 30 minutes.
- Or to cook from frozen, place the baked ziti in a 350 degree oven for 1 hour and 45 minutes. Remove the foil and bake 20-30 minutes more or until browned and bubbly.