Lasagna Style Baked Ziti
You know those days. You just want to make a whole bunch of comfort food and mow down. Then promptly sit on the couch in your sweatpants and veg out really hard, while watching some Guys Grocery Games. This recipe was totally one of those types of meals! This Lasagna Style Baked Ziti is like a mash up of a creamy lasagna and a cheesy ziti! The Italian sausage was bold and juicy, the tomato sauce was hearty and delicious, and that ricotta cheese layer was the perfect spoonful of comfort! The Italian spices brought so much depth and that gooey mozzarella cheese pull? Unreal. Then there’s this surprising pesto flavor that comes through! This was delicious!
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So, what is lasagna anyways? And what makes something a ziti?
Lasagna pretty much has three “rules.” It has to have layers with ricotta + parmesan + herbs. Then, it has to have a meaty, hearty, sauce layered in there! And to finish out the “lasagna vibe,” it has to have a mozzarella top to cover those luscious layers – then it gets baked! As long as it follows those three rules, it can be called a lasagna. I thought this was pretty neat because I feel like there are a ton of avenues this could go, which seems SUPER fun to explore!
As for baked ziti, it’s not even about the pasta shape necessarily. A “baked ziti” could use ziti, penne, cavatappi, rigatoni, even a rotini noodle can work! These are all short, tube-like pastas that are about the same size! The pasta gets tossed with sauce and added in layers to the pan. Next up, it has to have that same ricotta + parmesan + herb layer again! Mozzarella gets layered in, sprinkled over the top, and everything gets baked!
So, what even is the difference between the two? The noodle? Not really. Baked ziti is defined by the method. Lasagna is defined by the structure. That’s it! Pretty wild!
Did you know?
Americans love lasagna so much, we eat an estimated 100 million servings of the stuff per year! That’s enough to fill up an Olympic swimming pool over 3 times! And according to Google, during the winter – people type the words “baked ziti” into the search bar 300% more than during any other season! Total proof that we all turn into carb loving couch potatoes at some point during the temperature drop!
What ingredients do I need to make this?
For the lasagna style baked ziti:
Italian Sausage
Cavatappi
Onion
Garlic
Crushed Tomatoes
Tomato Paste
Pesto
Shredded Mozzarella
Butter
Rosemary
Thyme
Basil
Oregano
Salt
Black Pepper
Crushed Red Pepper
Cooking Spray
For the cheese layer:
Ricotta
Egg
Parmesan
Salt
Nutmeg
Olive Oil
Hot Pasta Water
For serving:
Parsley
Parmesan
What equipment do I need?
- Large Skillet
- Spatula
- Stockpot
- Strainer
- Measuring Cups and Spoons
- 9×13 Baking Pan
- Cutting Board
- Chef Knife
- Cheese Grater
- Mixing Bowls
- Whisk
How do I make it?
To prep:
The first thing we need to do to make this pasta bake is prep our ingredients! Dice the onion. Then mince the garlic and herbs. Shred the parmesan cheese.
Next, preheat oven to 375 F, get out a large pot, and boil some salty water. Cook the cavatappi to package instructions, reserving some of that hot starchy pasta water before draining and setting the pasta aside.
While the pasta is cooking, let’s make the sauce!
To make the meat sauce:
In a large skillet on medium heat, cook Italian sausage until no longer pink, breaking it up with a spatula as it cooks. When sausage is done, drain, if necessary (mine didn’t need it), then move to a bowl covered with foil until ready to use.
In that same skillet, with the little bit of sausage grease in there, melt the butter on medium heat. Add the onion and cook for a few minutes, stirring occasionally, until translucent. Next, add the garlic, crushed red pepper, fresh rosemary, and thyme and cook until the garlic is fragrant, stirring often so the garlic and herbs don’t burn.
Dollop the tomato paste in, stir and let that cook a moment. Then stir in the crushed tomatoes, the rest of the spices, and bring everything to a simmer.
Turn heat to medium low and simmer for several minutes more, stirring occasionally. Now add the dollop of pesto, the cooked sausage, give everything a good stir and cook another minute to warm everything through.
Remove from heat and set aside until ready to use. Now let’s get started on the cheese layer!
To make the cheese layer:
Add all ingredients for the cheese layer to a large bowl including that hot pasta water we reserved.
Whisk until the mixture becomes smooth and whipped! It should literally appear airy, that’s when it’s ready! Set aside for now.
Pro Tip: Adding the hot pasta water to this cheese mixture tempers the egg so we don’t end up with scrambled eggs in the oven! It prevents clumping and promotes melting! Isn’t that cool?!
To assemble the lasagna style baked ziti:
Grease a 9×13 baking pan and get out another large bowl. Add the cooked pasta to the bowl and add some of the meat sauce to it, toss to combine.
Next, add half of the pasta to the prepared pan in an even layer. Add the cheese mixture over the pasta, using the back of a spoon to spread it into an even layer.
Add the rest of the pasta in an even layer, smoothing it out with a different spoon.
Then add the remaining meat sauce, smooth it out into an even layer, and top with mozzarella.
This thing was MASSIVE. I felt all warm and fuzzy inside just holding this pan in my hands and walking to the oven!
To bake and serve:
Bake uncovered until melty and golden! Let the lasagna style baked ziti rest for several minutes before serving!
Garnish with fresh parmesan and parsley! Enjoy!
Tips:
- Use whatever short, hollow pasta you want here! As long as it can grip the sauce well, we’re in business! Penne, rigatoni, rotini – whatever!
- Add mushrooms to this, skip the pesto, use fresh mozzarella! Put whatever creative twist you want on this!
- If you don’t have fresh herbs or all of the individual spices, just substitute with Italian seasoning, it’s the same thing! Just use your discretion to come up with a similar measurement based on what you have!
- People often ask me if nutmeg is required in my recipes that call for it. And while there isn’t much nutmeg in here, seriously just that little bit of it does SO MUCH! Do not sleep on nutmeg! Plus, you get a shaker of it, and it tends to last forever in the cabinet! So worth it!
- This dish will keep for 3-5 days if stored in an airtight container in the refrigerator. It is not freezer friendly!
- This reheats SO well! This is the perfect recipe for meal prepping!
Love cozy baked pastas? Check these out!
Lasagna Style Baked Ziti
Equipment
Ingredients
For the lasagna style baked ziti:
- 1 lb Italian Sausage mild or hot
- 12 oz Cavatappi
- 1 Yellow Onion diced
- 4 Garlic Cloves minced
- 1 – 28 oz Can Crushed Tomatoes
- 2 cups Shredded Mozzarella
- 2 tbsp Tomato Paste
- 2 tbsp Butter
- 1 tbsp Pesto
- 1 ½ tsp Dried Basil
- 1 tsp Rosemary minced
- 1 tsp Thyme minced
- 1 tsp Salt
- ½ tsp Dried Oregano
- ½ tsp Crushed Red Pepper
- ¼ tsp Black Pepper
For the cheese layer:
- 15 oz Whole Milk Ricotta
- 1 Egg
- ½ cup Parmesan freshly shredded
- 1 tbsp Olive Oil
- 1 tbsp Hot Pasta Water
- ½ tsp Salt
- ¼ tsp Nutmeg
For serving:
- Parsley minced
- Parmesan freshly shredded
Instructions
To prep:
- Get out a large pot, boil some salty water, and preheat oven to 375℉.
- Cook the cavatappi to package instructions and make sure to reserve 1 tbsp hot starchy pasta water before draining and setting the pasta aside.
- While the pasta is cooking, let's make the sauce!
To make the meat sauce:
- In a large skillet on medium heat, cook Italian sausage until no longer pink, breaking it up with a spatula as it cooks, 5-7 minutes.
- When sausage is done, drain, if necessary (mine didn't need it), then move to a bowl covered with foil until ready to use.
- In that same skillet, with the little bit of sausage grease in there, melt the butter on medium heat.
- Add the onion and cook for 2-3 minutes, stirring occasionally, until translucent.
- Next, add the garlic, crushed red pepper, fresh rosemary, and thyme and cook until the garlic is fragrant, 1 minute, stirring often so the garlic and herbs don't burn.
- Dollop the tomato paste in, stir and let that cook for a minute.
- Stir in the crushed tomatoes, the rest of the spices, and bring everything to a simmer.
- Turn heat to medium low and simmer 8-10 minutes, stirring occasionally.
- Next, add the dollop of pesto, the cooked sausage, give everything a good stir and cook another minute or so to warm everything through.
- Remove from heat and set aside until ready to use. Now let's get started on the cheese layer!
To make the cheese layer:
- Add all ingredients for the cheese layer to a large bowl including that hot pasta water we reserved.
- Whisk until the mixture becomes smooth and whipped! It should literally appear airy, that's when it's ready!
- Set aside for now.
To assemble the lasagna style baked ziti:
- Grease a 9×13 baking pan and get out another large bowl.
- Add the cooked pasta to the bowl and add 2/3 of the meat sauce to it, toss to combine.
- Next, add half of the pasta to the prepared pan in an even layer.
- Add the cheese mixture over the pasta, using the back of a spoon to spread it out into an even layer.
- Next add the rest of the pasta in an even layer, smoothing it out with a different spoon.
- Add the rest of the meat sauce, smooth it out into an even layer, then top with mozzarella.
To bake and serve:
- Bake uncovered for 25 minutes, until melty and golden!
- Let the lasagna style baked ziti rest for 5-10 minutes before serving with some more fresh parmesan and parsley! Enjoy!
Nutrition
Please be aware that nutritional values are approximate and intended as a helpful guide
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This is the PERFECT easy and delicious dinner! Thanks for the recipe!
I’m so happy to hear you enjoyed it! 🙂
Can’t wait to try this girl!
I hope you enjoy it ❤️