Description
A straightforward recipe for baked ziti featuring ground beef and a tomato sauce.
Ingredients
Scale
- 1 pound ziti pasta
- 1 pound ground beef
- 1 (24 ounce) jar of tomato sauce
- 1 (15 ounce) container of ricotta cheese
- 2 cups shredded mozzarella cheese, divided
- 1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese
- 1 large egg
- 1 teaspoon dried oregano
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1/4 teaspoon black pepper
Instructions
- Preheat your oven to 375 degrees Fahrenheit (190 degrees Celsius). Lightly grease a 9×13 inch baking dish.
- Cook the ziti pasta according to package directions until al dente. Drain the pasta well.
- While the pasta cooks, brown the ground beef in a large skillet over medium heat. Drain off any excess fat.
- Stir the tomato sauce into the cooked ground beef. Simmer for 5 minutes.
- In a medium bowl, combine the ricotta cheese, 1 cup of the mozzarella cheese, Parmesan cheese, egg, oregano, salt, and pepper. Mix until just combined.
- In the prepared baking dish, spread a thin layer of the meat sauce on the bottom.
- In a large bowl, toss the drained pasta with the remaining meat sauce until coated.
- Spread half of the sauced pasta into the baking dish. Spoon the ricotta mixture evenly over the pasta layer. Top with the remaining sauced pasta.
- Sprinkle the remaining 1 cup of mozzarella cheese over the top layer of pasta.
- Bake for 25 to 30 minutes, or until the cheese is melted and bubbly and the edges are lightly browned.
- Let the dish rest for 10 minutes before serving.
Notes
- You can substitute ground turkey or Italian sausage for the ground beef.
- For a richer flavor, use a high-quality tomato sauce.
- If the top browns too quickly, loosely cover the dish with aluminum foil for the last 10 minutes of baking.
- Prep Time: 15 min
- Cook Time: 30 min
- Category: Dinner
- Method: Baking
- Cuisine: Italian-American
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1 serving
- Calories: 550
- Sugar: 10
- Sodium: 750
- Fat: 25
- Saturated Fat: 12
- Unsaturated Fat: 13
- Trans Fat: 0.5
- Carbohydrates: 55
- Fiber: 4
- Protein: 35
- Cholesterol: 90
Keywords: baked ziti, ground beef, pasta bake, ricotta cheese, mozzarella, Italian dinner