Description
Indulge in the ultimate comfort food with this Three Cheese Baked Ziti recipe. Layers of pasta, savory sauces, and a trio of cheeses baked to perfection, creating a gooey, flavorful dish that will have everyone coming back for seconds.
Ingredients
Scale
Pasta:
- 12 ounces ziti pasta
Sauce:
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 3 cloves garlic, minced
- 1 jar (24 ounces) marinara sauce
- 1 can (15 ounces) tomato sauce
- 1 teaspoon dried basil
- 1 teaspoon dried oregano
- ½ teaspoon red pepper flakes (optional)
Cheese Mixture:
- 1 cup ricotta cheese
- 2 cups shredded mozzarella cheese, divided
- ½ cup grated Parmesan cheese
- 1 large egg
- ½ teaspoon salt
- ¼ teaspoon black pepper
Garnish:
- Fresh basil for garnish
Instructions
- Preheat oven and cook pasta: Preheat oven to 375°F (190°C). Cook ziti until al dente, drain, and set aside.
- Prepare sauce: Sauté garlic in olive oil, add marinara sauce, tomato sauce, herbs, and simmer.
- Mix cheese: Combine ricotta, 1 cup mozzarella, Parmesan, egg, salt, and pepper.
- Layer and bake: Spread sauce in dish, layer pasta and cheese mixture, repeat, top with mozzarella, bake covered then uncovered.
- Garnish and serve: Garnish with fresh basil and serve hot.
Notes
- For extra richness, add browned Italian sausage or ground beef to the sauce.
- This dish can be assembled ahead of time and refrigerated for up to 24 hours before baking.
- Prep Time: 15 minutes
- Cook Time: 40 minutes
- Category: Main Course
- Method: Baking
- Cuisine: Italian-American
Nutrition
- Serving Size: about 1 ½ cups
- Calories: 480
- Sugar: 9 g
- Sodium: 840 mg
- Fat: 20 g
- Saturated Fat: 10 g
- Unsaturated Fat: 9 g
- Trans Fat: 0 g
- Carbohydrates: 54 g
- Fiber: 4 g
- Protein: 23 g
- Cholesterol: 65 mg
