This Baked Ziti is comfort food at its very finest. Cheesy, gooey, with a tasty meat sauce, pasta, cheese and sour cream. Freezer friendly – this dish is a winner!
This is a great meal to have hanging about for when you want to help another family out with a meal (we have given out a big pan to our neighbors when they have babies, surgery or other life events), or to have as back-up in the freezer for when you need something delicious for dinner yourself.
This is a huge hit with pretty much anyone who has ever eaten this delicious recipe!
Leftovers are even better, if you have any. Reheat the next day for a yummy meal.
I use sour cream instead of ricotta cheese in my recipe, but you can use ricotta if you prefer. Cottage cheese can also be used. I like to use whatever I have at the time, with no need for a trip to the grocery store.
Baking: By allowing it to thaw in the fridge, you can cook it at the regular time and temperature (350 degrees for about 30 minutes). If you do not thaw it in advance, it will take much longer to cook. If you cook it completely frozen, it will take anywhere from 90 minutes – 2 hours to cook all the way through.
It’s as simple as 1,2,3
1) Pasta. We cook the pasta in plenty of salted water until al dente (which means “to the bite”). 2) Sauce. We make the sauce using garlic, onion, ground beef, pasta sauce and seasonings.3) Assembly. Layer it all together half of each ingredient (pasta, sauce, cheese, then repeat with the pasta, cheese and remaining sauce) and it’s good to go!
Recipe Ingredients and Possible Substitutes
The full list of ingredients and quantities is found in the printable recipe card below.
- Olive Oil. You’ll use this to sauté the onion and garlic. I like to use a light olive oil for this
- Onion. Dice it up finely, it adds flavor to the meat sauce!
- Garlic Cloves. This recipe uses a LOT of garlic. Garlic is something I don’t skimp on, and double it often!
- Ground beef. I use a reasonably low fat version of ground beef. The 97/3 blend is great, as there is plenty of flavor/fat in the other ingredients.
- Pasta Sauce. Use your favorite kind! I make my own homemade marinara sauce but if I’m out, a good quality jarred sauce is just fine
- Salt and Pepper, Italian seasoning. These are to your own personal taste. Do taste your sauce before assembling your dishes, so you know it’s seasoned well!
- Pasta. This can actually be made with any kind of pasta. I use rigatoni, ziti, penne. those kinds of shapes work best
- Provolone Cheese. I get this pre sliced from the grocery or warehouse store, it makes life easier!
- Mozzarella Cheese. Stock up!! You’ll need a lot. And, like garlic, more is always better!
- Sour Cream. Don’t be weirded out!! This makes a wonderfully creamy consistency in the middle of the pasta and is not to be missed!!
- Parmesan Cheese. Pre shredded is okay (I used it in the pics below), but fresh grated is always better!
- Dutch Oven
- 9×13 baking dish or casserole dish
Baked Ziti (Easy Freezer Meals)
FAQ
How long does frozen ziti take to cook?
How long to cook frozen pasta in oven?
How do you heat up frozen baked ziti?
Is it better to freeze ziti baked or unbaked?
How long does it take to bake frozen baked ziti?
It takes about an hour to bake frozen ziti. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit, and then bake the ziti in an oven-safe dish for about an hour. Do I need to thaw frozen baked ziti? Do I need to thaw frozen baked ziti before cooking it? That depends. If the frozen baked ziti is in a sauce, you don’t need to thaw it before cooking.
Can you freeze a baked ziti?
You can also freeze a baked ziti, and reheat it thawed or frozen. Refrigerating and then baking an assembled, unbaked ziti: Cover the assembled ziti with foil and refrigerate up to 24 hours. To bake, remove the foil and bake at 350°F until the top is lightly browned and the cheese is melted.
How do you reheat frozen baked ziti?
There are a few different ways that you can reheat frozen baked ziti. One way is to preheat your oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit and bake the ziti for about 15 minutes. Another way is to microwave the ziti for about two minutes, or until it is heated through. How long do you bake frozen pasta?
Can You bake unbaked Ziti?
Freezing and then baking an assembled, unbaked ziti: To bake frozen unbaked ziti, it’s best to thaw it in the refrigerator overnight. Take it out of the fridge 30 minutes before baking. Remove any plastic wrap. Bake, uncovered, 350°F until lightly browned and bubbly, 60 to 70 minutes.