Easy Weeknight Baked Ziti
This recipe for baked ziti has become one of my family’s very favorite weeknight dinners! I love it because it’s so quick and easy to make, and my family loves it because it’s so cheesy and delicious.
This easy dinner has a lot of things going for it, and I know you’re going to love it as much as we do. It’s my favorite recipe to make when I don’t have a lot of hands on time, because it requires so little prep. It does take 45 minutes to bake, so be sure to plan for that!
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Need a quick and easy way to improve your weeknight dinner game? This Easy Baked Ziti will be a family favorite in no time!
A FEW THINGS TO NOTE ABOUT THIS RECIPE:
- This ziti does all it’s cooking in the oven! There’s no meat to brown or pasta to boil before it goes in. Which means less time prepping, less mess on the stove, and fewer dishes used. That’s a win in my book!
- I’ve made this several times, and my favorite pasta to use are rigatoni noodles (so technically, it’s not exactly ziti. Shh!). My whole family, including me, loves that the noodles are so big and fun to eat. I feel like they soak up the sauce better while baking too.
- Another thing to love about this baked ziti is that it’s super budget friendly. Not a single person in my family has cared that there’s not a speck of meat to be found in this pasta (and we have some serious meat lovers in our house). I bought all the ingredients for this at Aldi and easily came in under $7.00 for the entire pan.
Easy Weeknight Baked Ziti
Yield:
8
Prep Time:
10 minutes
Cook Time:
45 minutes
Total Time:
55 minutes
This recipe for baked ziti has become one of my family’s very favorite weeknight dinners! I love it because it’s so quick and easy to make, and my family loves it because it’s so cheesy and delicious.
Ingredients
- 1 (16 ounce) package uncooked ziti or rigatoni pasta
- 1 (24 ounce) jar seasoned tomato sauce
- 3 cups water
- 16 ounces) cottage cheese
- 2 tablespoons Parmesan cheese
- 1 egg
- 1 teaspoon dried parsley flakes
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- ¼ teaspoon garlic powder
- Pinch of pepper
- 2 cups ounces shredded mozzarella cheese
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 425ºF. Lightly grease a 9×13 baking dish with nonstick cooking spray.
- In a small bowl, whisk: cottage cheese, parmesan, egg, parsley, salt, garlic powder, and pepper. Set aside.
- In a another (larger) bowl, stir together: uncooked pasta, tomato sauce, and water. Ladle half of the ziti mixture into the bottom of the prepared baking dish.
- Layer dollops of the cottage cheese mixture over the pasta. Spread as evenly as possible (it’s okay if this is sloppy, it won’t be perfect!).
- Top with remaining pasta and sauce mixture (this is all going to look very messy, but I promise it’s okay!).
- Cover with aluminum foil and bake for 40 minutes.
- Remove from oven and remove the foil. Sprinkle mozzarella over the top and bake uncovered for 5-10 more minutes (or until cheese is melted and pasta is tender).
Nutrition Information:
Yield: 8 Serving Size: 1Amount Per Serving: Calories: 368Total Fat: 15gSaturated Fat: 7gTrans Fat: 0gUnsaturated Fat: 4gCholesterol: 75mgSodium: 1116mgCarbohydrates: 24gFiber: 1gSugar: 7gProtein: 33g
Be sure to try some of my other favorite weeknight dinner recipes:
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Ashton • Keaton • Mia
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Easy Weeknight Baked Ziti
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Last Updated:
September 3, 2024
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