Extra easy baked ziti recipe made entirely from scratch! Our favorite baked ziti is creamy and cheesy with a mixture of pasta, a 5 minute homemade sauce, and four cheeses.
I am super excited for you to try this easy baked ziti recipe. Thanks to our no-cook creamy tomato sauce, this is the best ziti I’ve made in a long time. The secret is blending creamy cheese into the sauce to make it extra cheesy and creamy. It’s so good!
This baked ziti will be on the table in about 30 minutes. Even though the sauce is from scratch, it’s super simple and absolutely doable on a weeknight! For more pasta recipes like this one, see our baked ziti with spinach!
Key Ingredients
- Pasta: Choose your favorite tube-shaped pasta, such as ziti, penne, or rigatoni. The sauce gets trapped inside each piece. I cook it in salted water for about half the recommended time. We partially cook the pasta so that it doesn’t overcook and become mushy when it bakes in the oven.
- Canned Tomatoes: I make my own no-cook baked ziti sauce. The base is a large can of whole tomatoes. Choose San Marzano tomatoes (I love their flavor!).
- Garlic and Basil: These are blended into the no-cook sauce. Fresh basil is amazing in this baked ziti, but I have provided a substitute for using dried basil in the recipe below.
- Four Kinds of Cheese: I like my baked ziti super cheesy, so I use four kinds of cheese. To make the sauce creamy, I use mascarpone cheese (ricotta is a good substitute), then I stir in melty mozzarella, fontina, and Pecorino Romano (or parmesan).
How to Make Baked Ziti
I love this baked ziti recipe because it is so simple to make. I’ve made it on busy nights many times. While your pasta partially cooks, you’ll make the no-cook sauce. I use my food processor, but a blender is fine. Blend the tomatoes, basil, garlic, olive oil, and mascarpone cheese. Simple!
Mix the partially cooked pasta with the sauce, add more cheese (mozzarella, fontina, and Pecorino Romano), and then add to your baking dish. Bake until bubbly (10 to 15 minutes), and dig in!
What to Serve with Baked Ziti
Baked ziti works for the weeknight, gatherings, and even during the holidays. I’m perfectly content with a bowl of this ziti and calling it a day, but to round out the meal, think about something light and fresh. I love this homemade Caesar salad, this Italian chopped salad, and this quick sautéed spinach. Another idea is to toss your favorite greens and veggies into a salad bowl and top with one of our homemade salad dressings. Two of my favorites are this balsamic vinaigrette and our honey mustard dressing.
Our Favorite Baked Ziti
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Extra easy baked ziti recipe made entirely from scratch! Our favorite baked ziti is creamy and cheesy with a mixture of pasta, a simple homemade sauce, and four cheeses.
Watch Us Make the Recipe
You Will Need
1 pound (450g) dried pasta like ziti, penne, or rigatoni
1 (28 oz) can San Marzano whole tomatoes
1 cup (18g) fresh basil leaves or 3 tablespoons dried basil
1/2 teaspoon fine sea salt, plus more to taste
1/2 teaspoon fresh ground black pepper
3 garlic cloves, minced (1 tablespoon)
1/2 cup (113g) mascarpone cheese or use whole milk ricotta (4 ounces)
2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
1 ½ cups (128g) grated mozzarella cheese (4 ½ ounces)
1 ½ cups (128g) grated Fontina cheese (4 ½ ounces)
3/4 cup (120g) finely grated Pecorino Romano cheese (2 ¼ ounces)
Directions
1Preheat the oven to 425°F (218°C). Grease a large baking dish (3-quart) with butter or oil.
2Bring a large pot of salted water to the boil, add the pasta, and cook for about half the recommended cook time on the package (5 or 6 minutes). Save 1/2 cup of the pasta water, drain the pasta, and then place it back into the pot. Undercooking the pasta makes sure that it does not overcook when baked with the sauce in the oven.
3While the pasta cooks, make the sauce. Combine canned tomatoes and their juices, basil, garlic, salt, pepper, and mascarpone cheese in a blender or food processor. Blend until the basil and garlic are chopped into tiny bits and the sauce is well mixed. Taste and adjust with additional salt as needed. Set aside.
4Toss the mozzarella, Fontina, and Pecorino Romano cheese in a medium bowl.
5Add the sauce, 1/4 cup of the reserved pasta water, and three-quarters of the shredded cheese mix to the pot with the pasta. Stir well. The mixture should look a bit thin. If it seems thick, add more of the reserved pasta water.
6Transfer the ziti mixture to the baking dish and scatter the remaining shredded cheese mix on top.
7Bake for 10 to 15 minutes until the sauce is bubbling and the cheese melts and turns golden brown. Allow the baked ziti to cool for 5 minutes before serving.
Adam and Joanne's Tips
- Storing: Leftover baked ziti can be stored in an airtight container in the fridge for 3 to 4 days or frozen for up to 3 months.
- Store-bought sauce: You will need 3 ½ to 4 cups of sauce to make this baked ziti.
- The nutrition facts provided below are estimates.
Perfect recipe! I realized at the last minute that the San Marzano tomatoes weren’t in my grocery order so I had to sub with store-bought sauce and smaller can of tomatoes with garlic and basil. Luckily your recipe includes the substitution in the tips! Ziti isn’t a dish I normally cook but my grandkids have been asking for it. Your recipe was a big hit! I think the mascarpone cheese vs. ricotta and boiling the pasta half the recommended time was key. Thanks for posting!
Surpassed expectations! How would it be with whole grain pasta?
Hi Jeff, So happy you enjoyed it! We find whole grain/whole wheat pasta a little heavier, but it will definitely work in the recipe.
They are amazing. Great receipes and easy to follow instructions. Yummy, yummy receipes.
This is a delicious dish “Italian Mac and Cheese.” I made a meat sauce using Italian sausage and added some crushed red pepper because we like spice. Baked it covered for 20 minutes for juiciness, then uncovered to make the cheese bubbly.
I made this dish for dish for dinner. Simple and so cheesy.
I plan on making this for my daughter’s grad party, this is her favorite! Any tips on making ahead and storing beforehand?
You can assemble the ziti ahead of time, and either refrigerate or freeze before you do the final baking. If you do freeze it, thaw in the refrigerator overnight before baking. You can also refrigerate/freeze baked ziti and then reheat in the oven.
Tried it for lunch today and it’s awesome!
That’s such great news! Glad you enjoyed it.
Thank you for sharing this! I cannot wait to make it for my family.
Of course! We hope that you enjoy it as much as we do.
At what point in the recipe is the ricotta added?
Ricotta is a substitute for the mascarpone cheese in this recipe. Add it to the tomatoes and blend into the sauce.
I love the extra easy extra cheesy ziti video. I plan to try it this weekend!
Wonderful! Let us know how it goes.