Description
This Easy Baked Ziti is only five ingredients and comes together in a flash! It’s hearty, delicious and makes the perfect weeknight family dinner.
Ingredients
Scale
- 1 lb ziti pasta
- 1 lb lean ground beef
- 28 ounce can crushed tomatoes or jarred sauce
- 8 ounce mascarpone cheese or cream cheese
- 3 cups shredded mozzarella cheese
- 1 tsp garlic cloves, chopped
- 1/2 tsp salt
- 1/2 tsp pepper
- 1 tsp onion powder
- 1 tsp basil
- 1 tbsp Italian seasoning
- 1 tsp sugar
Instructions
- Step: Preheat oven to 350°F.
- Step: Bring a pot of salted water to boil and cook the ziti. Drain the pasta.
- Step: Cook the ground beef over medium to medium-high heat until no longer pink, draining grease if necessary.
- Step: Add in the tomato sauce, mascarpone (or cream cheese), sugar, and all seasonings. Mix together until well combined.
- Step: Add the cooked ziti into the sauce mixture and mix again.
- Step: Spray a 9×13 baking dish with non-stick spray.
- Step: Add half the ziti mixture to the baking dish and sprinkle over half the mozzarella cheese.
- Step: Pour over the rest of the ziti and top with the remaining mozzarella cheese.
- Step: Cover with foil and bake 20-30 minutes until the cheese is bubbly and melty. Top with fresh parsley or basil if desired.
Notes
Cook the ziti 1-2 minutes under what the box directs to keep the noodles from getting mushy. You can use ground turkey or omit the meat entirely for a vegetarian dish. You may blend in sautéed veggies like zucchini, spinach, or onions for a nutrition boost. Leftovers can be refrigerated for up to 4 days or frozen for up to 4 months.
- Prep Time: 15 minutes
- Cook Time: 30 minutes
- Category: Main Course
- Method: Baking
- Cuisine: American
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1 serving
- Calories: 558 kcal
- Sugar: 3 g
- Sodium: 600 mg
- Fat: 17 g
- Saturated Fat: 9 g
- Unsaturated Fat: 7 g
- Trans Fat: 0.3 g
- Carbohydrates: 59 g
- Fiber: 3 g
- Protein: 39 g
- Cholesterol: 91 mg