Baked Ziti Recipe

This post has been sponsored by Prego®. All thoughts and opinions are my own. This Baked Ziti Recipe is known as Grandma’s Baked Ziti among our friends. It’s an old recipe from Joann’s grandma and it’s worth a share here! So I’ve shared it today with a video, and you’ll see how easy and delicious it is!

So excited to share another family recipe—this time my friend’s Grandma’s Baked Ziti. Italian comfort food at its best! Who can resist baked pasta with a delicious Prego®+ Hidden with Super Veggies sauce, a creamy melty cheese, a secret creamy ingredient, and fresh basil? You can find all of these ingredients at Kroger!

BAKED ZITI

Let’s talk for a minute about this classic comfort food recipe that tastes like a free-form lasagna. It has layers of ziti pasta, three types of cheeses, creamy sour cream, sausage or beef crumbles, lots of herbs and Prego®+ Hidden with Super Veggies sauce.

Have you spotted these new Prego®+ Hidden with Super Veggies at your Kroger stores? (https://www.kroger.com/b/campbells). The sauce is so delicious and takes your baked ziti to another level.

The hidden veggies in the sauce are a smooth, hidden blend of 6 super-veggies (sweet potato, carrot, cauliflower, butternut squash, spinach, roasted red pepper). You won’t ever taste the veggies, instead you’ll taste the same Prego® sauce you love—only with sweet notes from the veggies!

Cheese is another component of baked ziti. For ultra creamy cheesy casserole, there’s sliced havarti (or provolone), mozzarella cheese and parmesan cheese.

Sour cream is not so common, but it’s how this grandma baked her ziti. It makes for a luscious creamy texture and feel to the pasta.

All the herbs — you have basil and thyme. She probably added them for flavor, but also, they add lots of freshness to the dish.

Now let’s talk about today’s recipe with video in detail, and get to answer some common questions about baked ziti.

BAKED ZITI RECIPE

How to Make baked Ziti Video

You’ll start by mixing the beef mixture with the Prego®+ Hidden with Super Veggies sauce.

At the same time, have your pasta cooking (undercooking pasta is key to avoid a mushy baked ziti).

Assemble and layer in the following order:

Half of the pasta, sliced cheese, sour cream, half the sauce, remaining pasta, mozzarella cheese, remaining Prego®+ Hidden with Super Veggies sauce, parmesan, herbs and bake.

Do you cover ziti when baking?

Yes, for the first 20 minutes until it starts to bubble and then uncover and cook for 10 minutes longer.

Is Baked Ziti the same as lasagna?

It’s very similar in flavors and layering, except the lasagna has its own pasta sheets while the ziti is made using ziti pasta. So this is like a free-form lasagna where it’s not served in chunks, but rather served loose.

Should I undercook pasta for baked ziti?

YES!! This is key to avoid mushy pasta casserole! I cook my pasta for 4 minutes only, even though on the box it says 8 minutes for al dente.

How do you keep baked ziti moist?

Sauce, sauce and more sauce! Be generous with your Prego®+ Hidden with Super Veggies pasta sauce! I’ve used two jars for this casserole of 6 servings. You can easily divide this recipe into two small casseroles and freeze them for later, or even make this recipe into individual ramekins.

How do you freeze baked ziti?

To freeze this baked ziti recipe, you have two options. First is to freeze the fully assembled dish prior to baking. Wrap it in foil and freeze it until ready to bake. On baking day, you can defrost the dish (either the day before in the fridge, or same day on the counter) or bake frozen. Adjust the baking time if you’re baking it frozen by adding 20-25 minutes.

The other option is to fully cook the baked ziti and then wait until it cools down. At that point, wrap it similarly with foil and freeze it for later. On the day you’re serving it, either defrost the dish (fridge overnight or countertop for a few hours) or warm it up frozen. You’ll need 5-8 minutes of oven time to warm up the ziti.

How long can you keep baked ziti in the fridge?

Leftovers can last for 3-5 days in the fridge. Otherwise, it’s best to freeze.

Baked Ziti with Ricotta?

So classically, baked ziti has a good load of cheeses, including all the cheeses I mentioned above: sliced provolone or havarti, parmesan and mozzarella. Another one is ricotta. This baked ziti recipe, however, uses sour cream instead of ricotta cheese—which is smoother and creamier, and blends better in the oven with the red sauce.

HOW TO MAKE BAKED ZITI

Here are the step-by-step photos:

Brown the beef and onions together.

Add the Prego®+ Hidden with Super Veggies sauce!

Cook for 15 minutes

Assemble the casserole.

Half of the cooked pasta at the bottom.

Sliced cheese and sour cream.

Half of the Prego®+ Hidden with Super Veggies beef mixture.

Remaining pasta on top and mozzarella cheese.

Remaining Prego®+ Hidden with Super Veggies pasta sauce.

Parmesan, herbs and bake.

Serve and ENJOY!

TIPS FOR EASY BAKED ZITI

• Use a quality-tasting pasta sauce like Prego®+ Hidden with Super Veggies for quality-tasting baked ziti. Remember when it comes to pasta dishes, it’s all about the sauce!
• Undercook your pasta tremendously to avoid mushy baked ziti casserole.
• You can skip the beef and make this a vegetarian dish by substituting sliced mushrooms.
• Using sour cream instead of ricotta in this baked ziti recipe helps the sauce blend better.
• Use your favorite combination of cheeses, but try to make them three different types.
• For a saucy baked ziti, don’t skimp on the sauce! Add enough to keep your casserole saucy.
• If you want a pink-sauce baked ziti, you can add 1 cup of heavy cream to the Prego®+ Hidden with Super Veggies sauce mixture.
• Freeze the assembled casserole before baking, to save for busy days. Simply bake from frozen (adding 20-25 minutes more) or defrost the casserole and bake it thawed for an extra 10 minutes.
• You can also freeze the fully baked casserole and reheat in the oven (frozen or thawed), adjusting the time to vary between 10-20 minutes.

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5 from 7 votes

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Baked Ziti Recipe

This Baked Ziti Recipe is known as Grandma’s Baked Ziti among our friends. It’s an old recipe from Joann’s grandma and it’s worth a share here! So I’ve shared it today with a video, and you’ll see how easy and delicious it is!

Course Comfort Meals, Main Course, Main Dish

Cuisine American, Italian

Keyword Baked Ziti, Baked Ziti recipe, How to Make Baked Ziti

Prep Time 10 minutes

Cook Time 30 minutes

Servings 6 servings

Calories 747 kcal

Author Mahy

Ingredients

Sauce

• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• 1 red onion minced
• 1 pound ground beef or sausage or 1 1/2 cups sliced mushrooms for vegetarian option
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1 teaspoon black pepper
• 1 teaspoon dried oregano
• 2 jars Prego®+ Hidden with Super Veggies pasta sauce

Assemble and Layer

• 1 pound ziti pasta cooked at 4-5 minutes only
• 3-4 slices provolone or havarti cheese
• 2 cups sour cream
• 1 1/2 cups mozzarella cheese shredded
• 1/2 cup parmesan cheese grated
• 1/4 cup basil leaves chopped
• 2 tablespoons fresh thyme leaves

Instructions

1. In a large skillet or cast iron pan, preheat the olive oil and add the onion and beef.
2. Season the mixture with all the seasonings and cook until the beef starts to crumble and cook through.
3. Add the Prego®+ Hidden with Super Veggies pasta sauce and cook for 15-20 minutes longer over medium low heat.
4. Assemble the baked ziti. Start by preheating the oven to 375º F.
5. Layer a 9-by-13-inch baking dish with half the cooked pasta.
6. Top the pasta with the sliced cheeses and spread the sour cream over it.
7. Add half the pasta sauce and spread it evenly over the sour cream.
8. Now top that with the remaining pasta.
9. Then add the mozzarella cheese.
10. And finally add the remaining Prego®+ Hidden with Super Veggies sauce over the cheese.
11. Finish off the casserole with parmesan cheese and half the herbs.
12. Cover with foil and bake for 20 minutes, then uncover and bake for an extra 10 minutes until the baked ziti is bubbly.
13. Remove the dish from the oven and serve with extra parmesan cheese and fresh herbs.
14. ENJOY

Recipe Video

Recipe Notes

TIPS FOR EASY BAKED ZITI

1. Use a quality-tasting pasta sauce like Prego®+ Hidden with Super Veggies for quality-tasting baked ziti. Remember when it comes to pasta dishes, it’s all about the sauce!
2. Undercook your pasta tremendously to avoid mushy baked ziti casserole.
3. You can skip the beef and make this a vegetarian dish by substituting sliced mushrooms.
4. Using sour cream instead of ricotta in this baked ziti recipe helps the sauce blend better.
5. Use your favorite combination of cheeses, but try to make them three different types.
6. For a saucy baked ziti, don’t skimp on the sauce! Add enough to keep your casserole saucy.
7. If you want a pink-sauce baked ziti, you can add 1 cup of heavy cream to the Prego®+ Hidden with Super Veggies sauce mixture.
8. Freeze the assembled casserole before baking, to save for busy days. Simply bake from frozen (adding 20-25 minutes more) or defrost the casserole and bake it thawed for an extra 10 minutes.
9. You can also freeze the fully baked casserole and reheat in the oven (frozen or thawed), adjusting the time to vary between 10-20 minutes.

Nutrition Facts

Baked Ziti Recipe

Amount Per Serving

Calories 747 Calories from Fat 333

% Daily Value*

Fat 37g57%

Saturated Fat 19g119%

Cholesterol 125mg42%

Sodium 699mg30%

Potassium 605mg17%

Carbohydrates 63g21%

Fiber 3g13%

Sugar 5g6%

Protein 39g78%

Vitamin A 986IU20%

Vitamin C 6mg7%

Calcium 436mg44%

Iron 4mg22%

* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2000 calorie diet.

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