Creamy baked ziti is a simple and delicious baked pasta dish that never fails to please. Everything is made by scratch, which gives it more love and flavor. Such a creamy and delicious dish you need for your next potluck. Definitely a comfort food for that recipe binder you have!
This dish could easily be made vegetarian style by leaving the meat out. If you prefer, you can also use sausage or turkey instead of the ground beef. It just gives the sauce a slightly different flavor. If you don’t have ziti (or can’t find it for some reason), you can use penne or rigatoni! Keep in mind that penne is smaller, and rigatoni is fatter, so adjust your baking dish size accordingly.
The sauce is made as a creamy meat sauce. Be sure to drain the meat. This is an important step as leaving the fat in will cause the sauce to separate. I’ve made this mistake before. It still came out good, but the presentation was a bit…messy. Plus, reheating this dish with the beef fat will leave behind a ton of oil and will completely ruin the dish.
Feel free to add some veggies to this! You can do bell peppers, mushrooms, zucchini, or even spinach.
Can I use jarred sauce instead of making fresh?
You can! If you don’t have enough time to make a fresh sauce, store bought is fine. Brown the meat and drain it as the recipe says, then sauté the onions and garlic. Add your favorite jarred sauce, allow to simmer and add the heavy cream. The onions and garlic give the jarred sauce a more homemade taste.
Can I make this ahead of time?
Yes! This is a great dish to make ahead of time. Just follow the recipe as is, but don’t bake it yet. Instead, cover the ziti in the casserole dish and refrigerate it until ready to serve. It can be made up to 2 days ahead of baking.
When you want to serve it, let the ziti sit out while the oven preheats, then just follow the rest of the baking instructions. Cover and bake at 375°F, then bake uncovered for another 15-20 minutes.
Can this be frozen?
Yes! You can assemble the casserole and freeze it for later. Cover the casserole dish with plastic wrap and aluminum foil. Write the baking directions on the foil and freeze. To bake after freezing, thaw completely and bake as directed. I would allow the casserole dish to warm up a little bit as well. A cold dish can shatter, and that wouldn’t be good!
Want the recipe? Click print below! Let me know how it came out for you by tagging me on Instagram (@missravenskitchen) and using #missravenskitchen! Follow my Facebook page for updates as well! Let me know if I need to tweak anything.
Creamy Baked Ziti with Ground Beef
Ingredients
- 1 lb ziti
- 1 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
- 1 lb ground beef 90-10 lean
- 1 medium onion diced
- 4 garlic cloves minced
- 1 14 oz can tomato sauce
- 1 6 oz can tomato paste
- Salt and pepper to taste
- 1 tsp garlic powder
- 1 tsp fresh chopped parsley
- 1 tbsp fresh chopped basil
- Pinch of crushed red pepper flakes
- 2 tbsp grated parmesan cheese
- 8 oz heavy cream
- 8 oz fresh mozzarella sliced into 8 pieces(*1)
Instructions
- Bring a pot of water to a boil and cook the ziti according to package directions. Preheat oven to 375F. Spray a casserole dish with nonstick cooking spray.
- In a large saucepot or Dutch oven, heat the olive oil on medium-high heat, then add the ground beef once hot. Season with salt and pepper, then cook until brown, about 10 minutes. Drain the meat and set it aside.
- In that same pot, reduce the heat to medium; add the onions and cook for 4 minutes until soft and translucent. Add the garlic and cook for a minute more until aromatic. Add the ground beef back in; toss the ground beef with the onions and garlic.
- Pour in the tomato sauce and tomato paste. Stir to incorporate the tomato paste. Season with salt and pepper, garlic powder, parsley, basil, crushed red pepper flakes, and parmesan cheese. Reduce the heat to medium-low and cook, covered, for 20 minutes, stirring often to ensure it doesn’t burn. (*2)
- Turn off the heat then add the heavy cream. Stir to combine with the sauce.
- In a large bowl, combine the sauce with the pasta until completely coated. Pour it into the casserole dish, and top with the slices of cheese evenly across the top. Bake in the oven for 15 minutes, or until the cheese is melted.
- Serve with parsley and basil for garnish, and extra sauce if you have any!
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