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Easy Baked Ziti – 6 Ingredients

Your whole family will love this 6-ingredient easy baked ziti recipe. It’s packed with satisfying flavor, and a pinch to throw together!

easy baked ziti

It’s December! Our tree is up, the pine-scented candles are burning, Michael Bublรฉ is blasting –  I’m in FULL-ON Christmas mode. Life with a toddler keeps you on your toes, but the pure joy of holidays (especially big ones like Christmas) is enough to make you forget about even the worst tantrums or the constant stream of “NO!” to leave their little mouths. I never realized how much kids would brighten the holidays – and once Eden is old enough to get into the spirit, we’ll have twice the spunk and twice the joy!

Along with joy, the holidays also bring some people a lot of stress. The parties, the presents, the activities – it’s a lot! So tis the season to get cozy with some easy and satisfying dinners.

Easy Baked Ziti ingredients

And in the midst of cookie season, it’s especially important to get some non-cookie sustenance this time of year, like this easy baked ziti recipe!

easy baked ziti pan

Easy Baked Ziti: Ingredients

Here are the basics of easy baked ziti.

  1. We cook some Italian sausage (I used a chicken variety).
  2. Cook the penne pasta and toss it with some sauce, and stir together ricotta, parmesan and milk. (The milk ensures that the mixture doesn’t get grainy during baking.)
  3. Then we layer. A touch of sauce on the bottom of the pan so nothing sticks, then 1/2 of the pasta, sausage, and cheese mixture.
  4. Repeat and it’s ready for the oven.

No matter if your taste buds lean gourmet or picky – easy baked ziti is definitely a meal that the whole family will love on a chilly night. Serve with a green salad – it’s all this dinner needs! Well, that and wine. Because toddler, remember?

Easy Baked Ziti plate with wine

Be sure to tag me when you make this easy baked ziti! @myeverydaytable or #myeverydaytable I LOVE to see your creations!

Easy Baked Ziti Recipe:

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Easy Baked Ziti recipe is packed with satisfying flavor, and a pinch to throw together! Click here for the recipe. #pasta #bakedpasta #easypasta #pastadinner

Easy Baked Ziti

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  • Author: Emily Dingmann
  • Prep Time: 15 minutes
  • Cook Time: 30 minutes
  • Total Time: 45 minutes
  • Yield: 6 servings 1x
  • Category: Dinner
  • Method: Bake
  • Cuisine: Italian

Description

Easy Baked Ziti is a cozy meal that your whole family will love AND it takes only 6 ingredients and a few minutes to prep.


Ingredients

Scale
  • 16 oz. raw chicken sausage
  • 16 oz. penne pasta
  • 32 oz. jar of marinara sauce
  • 16 oz. ricotta cheese
  • 1/2 cup parmesan cheese
  • 1/2 cup whole milk


Instructions

  1. Pre-heat oven to 400 degrees.
  2. Remove casings from chicken sausage and cook over medium-high heat for about 3-4 minutes, until browned, breaking it up with the back of a spoon as you cook it.
  3. Cook pasta as directed, but remove from heat 2 minutes before done.
  4. Reserve 1 cup cooking water, and 1/2 cup marinara sauce.
  5. Drain pasta and toss with remaining marinara sauce.
  6. Spread the reserved 1/2 cup of marinara on the bottom of a 9×13″ baking dish.
  7. Mix together ricotta cheese, parmesan cheese, and milk.
  8. Layer 1/2 of each: pasta, sausage, cheese mixture in baking dish. Repeat with remaining ingredients, ending with cheese mixture.
  9. Bake for about 30 minutes, remove from oven and let cool for 5-10 minutes.

Notes

  • I like to estimate bigger portions when it comes to nutrition facts, so you could easily get 8 servings out of this dish, but I always think it’s better to have leftovers than not enough!
  • Reserve 1 cup of pasta cooking water to use if marinara and pasta mixture is at all dry.
  • Reserve 1/2 cup marinara sauce to prepare baking dish.

(Originally published December 4, 2014)

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6 Comments

  1. I ate Thanksgiving leftovers for the LAST time last night and I am dying for foods with more flavor, so this is calling my name!

  2. There’s something to be said for easy recipes and I really love this one. Sometimes we get so focused on the complex ones that involve all the extra steps. But, with the hustle and bustle of the season, it’s nice to simply slow down and try ideas that don’t take much energy.

    1. Absolutely, I agree Vince! Most of the time I’m looking for easy recipes these days, but when I have the time to slow down and spend hours in the kitchen? Amazing!

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