Quick Dinner-Ziti Bake

The calendar says spring has sprung, but you wouldn't know it by the temperatures outside. This ziti bake recipe is a delicious, hearty main dish perfect for a cold spring evening, or any time of year.

It takes just a few minutes to assemble the ingredients and then forty-five minutes in the oven. You can make it ahead of time, even freeze it ready for the oven.

What's not to love?

Quick Ziti Bake for Dinner

A ziti bake is a perfect make ahead, one pan meal. The ricotta cheese in this recipe makes the ziti bake creamy and yummy.

Do you need a filling option for a family gathering or potluck dinner? This ziti bake is the answer. Add a colorful salad and some garlic bread and you'll be good to go.

You can definitely make this ziti bake casserole with your own homemade tomato sauce, but this post is meant to give you a quick and easy option. Use my Italian Meat Sauce recipe, replacing the sausages and meatballs with the ground beef for a delicious homemade option.

I love to use ziti with ridges for this recipe. The ridges on the pasta seem to hold onto the cheese and sauce for yummy goodness in every bite.

Quick Dinner Ziti Bake

Printer Friendly Recipe

Serves 8

Ziti Bake Ingredients

1 16 ounce package of ziti
1 pound ground beef
1 15-ounce container ricotta cheese
1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese
1 large egg, slightly beaten
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon ground pepper
1 24 ounce jar of prepared spaghetti sauce
8 ounces mozzarella cheese, shredded

Directions
Cook the pasta per the package directions. While the pasta is cooking, brown the ground beef in a skillet or dutch oven over medium-high heat, until well browned.

Dark, crunchy bits on your beef will enhance the flavor of the overall dish, so be sure to let your beef get brown. Season with the salt and pepper.

Brown the Beef Well for Added Flavor

Drain the pasta. Add the ricotta cheese, the egg, half of the sauce, the Parmesan cheese and half of the mozzarella cheese to the browned beef. Stir to combine.

Mix the pasta and the beef mixture together in the pan you cooked the pasta in. Stir well to coat the pasta with the sauce.

Mix the Cheeses and the Beef

Pour the mixture into a 13 x 9 inch baking pan. Spread the remaining sauce over the pasta. Top with the remaining mozzarella cheese. If you are making this dish a day or two ahead, cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate. When freezing, add foil and seal tightly.

Top with Sauce and Mozzarella Cheese

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Bake for 20-30 minutes, or until hot and bubbly. When cooking from the refrigerator you'll need to bake longer.

Serve with your favorite green vegetable for a satisfying meal.

Hot and Bubbly Ziti Bake

A Kitchen Essential (affiliate link)

Thank you for sharing this post on Facebook, Twitter, Pinterest, and Yummly!

Shared on Meal Plan Monday.

Enjoy!

Comments

The Ultimate Cinnamon Swirl Bread: A Bread Machine Recipe

Today's recipe will fill your kitchen with an incredible aroma and lots of smiles. It's homemade cinnamon swirl bread made with your bread machine Easy Cinnamon Swirl Bread in Your Bread Machine This post includes affiliate links. This recipe brings together the ease of your trusty bread machine with the deliciousness of a warm, sweet, and perfectly swirled cinnamon bread. Get ready for a slice of pure comfort!

Cinnamon Raisin Bread: A Bread Machine Recipe

Are you craving a warm, cozy treat perfect for fall mornings? Look no further than this delicious cinnamon raisin yeast bread. Baked in a bread machine , this recipe is incredibly easy to make and offers a classically delightful blend of flavors that's sure to satisfy. Easy Homemade Cinnamon Raisin Bread This post contains affiliate links. Whether you're serving it as a comforting breakfast on a chilly morning or enjoying it as a sweet afternoon snack, this cinnamon raisin yeast bread is a versatile and delicious addition to your fall recipe rotation. Its soft, fluffy texture and warm, inviting aroma make it a favorite among both young and old.

Traditional New England Whoopie Pies

Are you searching for the ultimate, classic New England whoopie pie recipe? Look no further! Whoopie pies are a beloved treat, a nostalgic dessert that evokes childhood memories and continues to delight today. My mom would make them for us every once in a while. Oh, what a treat to come home from school to a platter of chocolate whoopie pies! This recipe, inspired by traditional Maine-style whoopie pies, comes from my family recipe box. It delivers soft, chocolatey cakes with a rich, creamy cooked filling – no marshmallow fluff needed! The Best Whoopie Pies Recipe without Marshmallow Fluff This post includes affiliate links. Whoopie pies are essentially handheld cake sandwiches: soft, round, cake-like cookies embracing a luscious, creamy filling. While their origin is debated, New Englanders proudly claim them as their own. This recipe focuses on the traditional Maine-style filling, a cooked flour and milk mixture that creates a uniquely satisfying t...

Grandma's Soft and Chewy Date-Filled Cookies

One of the things I can count on as the Thanksgiving and Christmas seasons arrive each year is a feeling of nostalgia. The traditional foods we serve at our family's holiday tables can sure bring out all the feels. Now that it is officially cookie season, we should kick it off with an old-fashioned homemade date-filled cookie recipe. This is a soft, tender cookie with dates that is a special, nostalgic, family recipe. An Old-Fashioned Date Cookies Recipe This old-fashioned, date-filled cookie was my dad's favorite cookie from his childhood. My dad was born in 1932 so this recipe has been around for quite a while.

Five Keys to Growing A Healthy Ficus Tree

Have you ever wondered how a single Ficus benjamina tree could become a beloved part of your home for decades, thriving and growing alongside your family? If you haven’t yet, you might consider the addition of this living, air-purifying companion in your home that not only beautifies your space but also stands the test of time. You may know this tree as either a Ficus benjamina or a weeping fig. I have loved growing a ficus tree in my home for 36 years. It’s remarkable that I've had this tree for so long. How to Grow A Ficus Tree Inside for Decades This post includes affiliate links. I may receive compensation when you use these links. When thinking about how I managed to keep this indoor ficus tree happy, healthy, and growing strong all these years it boiled down to five key Ficus benjamina plant care tips. Follow these tips and you can have a happy, healthy ficus tree in your home for many years, too.

The Best Asian Dipping Sauce You'll Ever Taste

If you're looking for a versatile, easy-to-make Asian dipping sauce perfect for sushi and dumplings, then you've come to the right place. This recipe for the best Asian dipping sauce is perfect for any time you want a kick of delicious Asian flavor. An Asian Dipping Sauce for Sushi and Dumplings Try this if you are looking for a dipping sauce that is a little more flavorful than you typically get with your takeout order. You'll love it with dumplings, too!

The Barefoot Contessa's Filet of Beef Bourguignon

You can make the Barefoot Contessa's Filet of Beef Bourguignon recipe successfully and wow friends and family. Filet of Beef Bourguignon-A Special Dinner Don't you love Ina Garten? When I saw her demonstrate how she makes a filet of beef bourguignon recipe on her Food Network television show I thought I needed to make it. It looked simple, elegant and most of all, delicious. I had friends coming for dinner and thought this was a dish they would enjoy. I thought I'd make it, test kitchen style, and let you know how it came out. I broke the first rule of entertaining when I tried this recipe, which is don't try making something you have never made before for guests. We were having dinner with our very good friends from college the following Saturday evening. I wanted to make something easy, to be able to spend more time with them. I also wanted the meal to be elegant because they are such special friends. This dish fits the bill...

Crunchy, Spicy Gingersnap Cookies

Today I'm sharing my recipe for the cookie recipe that I think is the ultimate spice cookie, Gingersnaps. Crunchy, spicy, and yummy are all words used to describe a good gingersnap cookie and this recipe delivers! While you may love a gooey chocolate chip cookie occasionally substituting a spicy gingersnaps cookie or this molasses cookie will make your taste buds sing! Traditional Ginger Snaps Cookie Recipe ( This post contains affiliate links. I will be compensated when you make a purchase with these links.) Gingersnaps Cookies This old-fashioned gingersnap cookie is a winner. It's easy to make and will be a favorite in your recipe rotation. In the U.S., gingersnaps are usually drop cookies with lots of cracks on the surface. That's exactly how I like them. Those found in other countries may be thinner and sliced. The Lebkuchen, a traditional German cookie, and the pepparkakor, from Sweden, are often cut into festiv...

Artisan Bread in Your Bread Machine

Finally. Artisan Bread from Your Bread Machine Yes, Really. If you want to make artisan-style bread using your bread machine, the secret is simple: use the dough cycle, then bake the loaf in a preheated Dutch oven. This method gives you a crisp crust and chewy crumb without any hand kneading. If you use your bread machine regularly, you already know what it does well. It mixes, kneads, and handles the first rise beautifully. It is a dependable helper in the kitchen. What it does not do especially well is produce that deep golden, crackly crust we associate with artisan bread. The good news is you do not need to give up the ease of your bread machine to get that result. You simply need to change how the bread is baked. Today I’m showing you how to use your bread machine’s dough cycle and bake the loaf in a Dutch oven for a crusty, bakery-style result.

Easy Chicken Parmesan-A Make Ahead Freezer Dinner

Chicken Parmesan is a favorite dinner in the Just One Donna house because it is a delicious dish that can satisfy your cravings for Italian food. It's also easy to make at home with simple ingredients you probably have in your pantry. But what if you don't have time to cook on a busy weeknight? Don't worry, you can make Chicken Parmesan ahead of time and freeze it for later. I like to prepare Chicken Parmesan to have on hand in my freezer for those busy weeknights when we might be tempted to head to a restaurant instead of eating at home. How to Make Freezer Chicken Parmesan for Busy Nights This post contains affiliate links. I receive a small compensation when you shop using these links Easy Freezer Chicken Parmesan for Dinner Chicken Parmesan, also known as Chi...

Just~One~Donna

Search This Blog