Week Night Ziti

This baked ziti is an easy weeknight fix, or you can put it together the night before and slide it in the oven right before dinner. Serve it with a nice homemade garlic bread for a quick Italian dinner everyone will love.

It is a great way to stretch a pound of ground beef into a full pan that feeds the whole family, and the layering trick below keeps the meat and pasta in distinct ribbons instead of one mushy mix. If you already keep a batch of homemade spaghetti sauce in the freezer, this is the night to pull it out.

Week Night Ziti

Ingredients

• 1 lb Diamond R ground beef
• 2 tablespoons good olive oil
• 8 oz package of ricotta cheese
• 12 oz shredded mozzarella cheese
• 1/4 cup shredded parmesan cheese
• 2 cups ziti or shell pasta
• 3/4 jar of good spaghetti sauce (or pull your homemade out of the freezer)
• 1 teaspoon onion powder
• 1.5 tablespoons Italian seasoning
• 2 garlic cloves, minced
• 1 egg
• Salt and pepper to taste
• Red pepper flakes, if you like some Italian heat
• Fresh parsley, chopped, for garnish

Directions

1. Start your pasta water boiling. Add 2 teaspoons of salt and a dash of olive oil. Cook the pasta until al dente (about three-quarters cooked). Drain and run cold water over it to stop the cooking. Toss in a little olive oil to keep it from sticking and set aside.
2. In some olive oil, brown the chopped garlic, being careful not to burn it. Add the ground beef along with the onion powder, salt, and pepper to taste. Diamond R beef should not need draining, but if you prefer you can drain it. Add the spaghetti sauce to the meat and heat through.
3. In a bowl, combine the pasta, beaten egg, ricotta, three-quarters of the mozzarella, and half the parmesan. Add the Italian seasoning and red pepper flakes and mix well.
4. In a greased casserole dish, add one quarter of the meat mixture, then top with half the pasta mixture. You are layering the meat and pasta, not mixing them together. Add half of the remaining meat mixture, layer the rest of the pasta mixture, then finish with the remaining meat mixture. Top with a handful of mozzarella and a sprinkle of parmesan and Italian seasoning. Bake at 350 degrees for 15 minutes, or until the cheese bubbles. Remove from the oven and top with chopped parsley before serving.

Tips for the Best Baked Ziti

• Cook the pasta only to about three-quarters done. It finishes cooking in the oven and stays firm instead of turning soft.
• Layer, do not stir. Keeping the meat and pasta in layers gives you that classic baked ziti texture.
• Diamond R ground beef is lean enough that you usually will not need to drain it, but drain it if you prefer.
• Make it ahead: assemble the whole dish the night before, cover it, and refrigerate. Add a few extra minutes in the oven since it is going in cold.

Looking for more weeknight dinners that start with a pound of ground beef? Try our easy beef chili or browse our roundup of ground beef weeknight recipes.

The star of this dish is good beef. Our Ground Beef Box is single-source and pasture-raised, so every pan of ziti starts with beef you can trust.

If you have any questions or pics be sure to share. I would love to see them!

Frequently Asked Questions

Can I make baked ziti ahead of time?

Yes. Assemble the whole dish, cover it, and keep it in the fridge overnight. When you are ready, bake it straight from cold and add a few extra minutes so the center heats through and the cheese bubbles on top.

What kind of pasta works best for baked ziti?

Ziti is traditional, but shell pasta works just as well and catches the sauce nicely. Cook it only to about three-quarters done so it holds its shape through baking instead of turning soft in the oven.

Do I need to drain the ground beef?

Diamond R ground beef is lean enough that you usually do not need to drain it. If you prefer a leaner dish or you are using a fattier blend, go ahead and drain after browning. It will not hurt the recipe either way.

Can I freeze baked ziti?

Yes. Assemble it in a freezer-safe dish, cover it well, and freeze it before baking. Thaw it in the fridge overnight, then bake as directed. You may need a few extra minutes in the oven if it is still cold in the center.