Baked Ziti with Sausage
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This easy, 35-minute Baked Ziti with Ricotta and Sausage pasta dish packs a ton of flavor into every bite.
If you love simple, tasty pasta dishes like this oven baked ziti, then you should definitely also try this Baked Penne Pasta, this Easy Creamy Macaroni and Cheese, or this Ravioli Alfredo Bake with Spinach and Bacon.
Why This Recipe Works
Satisfying — The next time you’re in the mood for pasta and you happen to also have ricotta and sausage on hand, you’ll want to make this ziti with ricotta and sausage for sure. The ziti mixes with the creamy ricotta and the salty sausage and just makes for a perfect warm and creamy, hearty dish you’ll want to make again and again and again.
So simple — You probably have all or most of the ingredients already and if you don’t, a quick trip to any grocery store can fix that. Just cook the pasta, and layer all the ingredients together till you have a lovely, bakeable pasta dish that is this baked sausage pasta.
Easy to make substitutions — Okay so I said you may have what you need, but if you have something close then that will work too. For example, you don’t need to have ziti. This will work with penne, elbow macaroni…pretty much any pasta you have on hand. If you don’t have Italian sausage, you can try another kind of sausage and instead of ricotta, you can use whole milk cottage cheese. Easy!
Great for meal prep — If you are busy like we are then it’s always great to cook a bunch on Sundays and eat it throughout the week. I sometimes even double this recipe and then split it up into individual glass dishes for us to eat for on-the-go lunches or dinners all week long.
Ingredients
- Ziti pasta — I like ziti pasta because the tubes hold lots of marinara and ricotta and cheese and are so full of flavor with every bite. But of course you can use any kind of pasta you like.
- Cooked Italian sausage — Be sure you cook or purchase cooked Italian sausage to put in this baked sausage pasta because if you put in raw it won’t cook correctly. And you don’t want raw sausage in your dinner. Any brand of cooked Italian sausage is good.
- Marinara sauce — I like a nice basil marinara but you can truly use any kind you like, this recipe for baked ziti is also good with four cheese and meat sauce as well.
- Whole milk ricotta cheese — Whole milk allows for a thicker, creamier baked ziti dish. You can use a popular brand or a store brand, they are all the same.
- Shredded mozzarella cheese — Either packaged mozzarella or freshly grated works great in this dish. I have also used buffalo mozzarella for a creamier, more melted cheese flavor and texture.
Here’s How You Make It
- First, get all the ingredients out, then cook the ziti according to package directions, drain it, and set it aside. Preheat the oven to 400 degrees.
- Next, cook the Italian sausage, let it cool, then slice it into rounds.
- After the pasta and sausage is cooked, mix together the cooked pasta, sausage, and almost all the marinara in a bowl and pour half of it into a greased baking dish, then added a layer of ricotta and mozzarella, then add another layer of the pasta/sausage mixture, and a finally top with a layer of cheese and pop that baby into the oven to cook.
- When the oven baked ziti is done cooking, sprinkle the herbs on top and dive right in!
FAQs
I used a store-bought blend of pork and beef Italian sausage for this baked sausage pasta, but you can use whatever kind you enjoy. I know some specialty grocery stores make a delightful array of chicken and/or turkey sausages with various flavorings, and luckily sweet Italian is pretty common. You could use a spicy Italian sausage too if you like a little heat in your pasta dishes. You could even use pepperoni in a pinch!
If you want to make a vegetarian baked ziti dish, I would substitute the meat sausage with a vegetarian or vegan option. You can also eliminate the sausage all together or substitute chickpeas or another white bean instead of the meat.
If you want to make an all-vegetable baked ziti, consider cutting up some vegetables that cook up fast, like zucchini, summer squash, mushrooms, and bell peppers. Mix the veggies with the pasta in place of (or in addition to) the sausage.
Mmmmm sides are nearly as good as mains. It’s sometimes hard to choose. I say, why choose — have both!
I almost always serve this ziti with ricotta and sausage with side salads (such as my Mediterranean Salad with Greek Salad Dressing.) It’s a nice complement to the pasta, something light and nutritious, easy to digest, and also cool when the dish is hot.
Another option is to cook up a side of roasted or grilled veggies to go along with the pasta bake. I most often make broccoli (like my Roasted Lemon Garlic Broccoli and Cauliflower), Brussels Sprouts, asparagus (like my Air Fryer Asparagus), or Crispy Parmesan Green Beans.
Grilled Garlic Bread is always a hit with pasta in my house. In fact, I have to hide it until my kids have at least eaten half of their meal before I bring it out because, let’s face it, who doesn’t want to eat all the garlic bread immediately?
Ricotta cheese is a delightfully creamy cheese that goes great with nearly any pasta and is the cheese most often found that helps to hold your lasagnes together.
Originally from Italy (because all the good things come from Italy), it was made to use up all the excess whey. Waste not, want not, I say. American ricotta tends to be wetter, as producers like to add milk to the whey, for what reason, I am not sure, but that’s what we got used to over here in the states, and that’s what we can most commonly find.
Experiment with ricotta in your baked sausage pasta dishes, or smeared like cream cheese on toast. I’ve also seen recipes where people use ricotta in their cheesecakes — yum!
Expert Tips & Tricks
- Flavor tip: for even more cheesy goodness, add 1/2 cup shredded parmesan cheese along with the mozzarella.
- Flavor tip:I like to use spicy Italian sausage in this recipe!
- Veg it up: add 1 cup packed baby spinach leaves along with the cheese for a delicious, nutritious boost!
More Recipes to Try
- Four Cheese Baked Ziti – comfort food done right!
- Creamy Tomato Sausage Penne – weeknight comfort at its best.
- Pasta with Creamy Roasted Red Pepper Sauce – simple, bold, and seriously delicious.
When you make this recipe, snap a photo and tag me on social – I love connecting with you and seeing what you’re up to in the kitchen!
Baked Ziti with Sausage
Ingredients
- 1 pound ziti pasta, cooked al dente according to package instructions, drained
- 4 links (about 1 pound) cooked Italian sausage, sliced ½-inch thick
- 1 32-ounce jar marinara sauce
- 1 15-ounce container whole milk ricotta cheese
- 8 ounces shredded mozzarella cheese
- ¼ cup each fresh basil and parsley leaves, chopped
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 400 degrees and grease a 9×13 inch pan.
- In a large bowl, stir together the cooked ziti, sausage, and all but 1 cup of marinara sauce. Spread half of the ziti mixture in the bottom of your prepared pan.
- Spoon half of the ricotta and mozzarella evenly over the top. Top with the rest of the ziti mixture, then remaining ricotta, mozzarella, and reserved marinara sauce.
- Bake 20-25 minutes, until the sauce is bubbling and cheese is melted. Sprinkle the basil and parsley over the ziti and serve warm.
Notes
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
Delicious recipe, especially with the sausage rather than ground beef. Very easy to make, leftovers (when there are any) are so good, too.
I definitely tweaked this as well but overall a really good recipe!
Good, but baking time is off, needed extra 15. I mixed the mozzarella, ricotta, herbs and added 1/4 cup pecorino Romano and 3 T whipping cream. I am the OG, but this is a good base recipe 😉
This was the easiest Ziti recipe I’ve ever found. I only made half the recipe, but it came out perfectly. I had a couple of Tbsp of cream cheese to use up so I added that and a splash of half and half to the warm pasta. Then I added some browned Italian sausage, onions and garlic, but other than those tweaks I made it as written. It will become a regular rotation at our house. Great recipe. Super easy!
Ive tried a lot of Ziti recipes and this one is by far the best i have tried.
So thrilled to hear you enjoy this recipe so much!
Can I make ahead the Baked Ziti with rigo and sausag sauaSage also Chicken cut up TOO PASTA bake With rigotta cheese and MozzArella
Yes you can make ahead and even freeze it. sometimes I make a batch just to use up spare ricotta and mozzarella, then I add the freshly cooked sausage when defrosted and sprinkle with parmesan cheese and bake for about 25 mins.