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Baked Ziti With Sausage Recipe

If you’re looking for a delicious, cheesy, easy recipe that everyone will like, our Baked Ziti With Sausage recipe is it. It’s pretty hands off, which makes it a good idea for a weeknight dinner.

For more ideas of what to make, check out all of our recipes.

A spoonful of penne noodles and ground sausage with cheese pulling from the spoon with the words "Baked Ziti With Sausage" digitally written on top.

I love baked ziti. It’s such a childhood memory for me. Any time we had a family party, there would be a tray of baked ziti. It’s so easy to make and feeds a crowd. Plus, it’s something you can assemble ahead of time and then bake when you’re ready for it.

That’s part of why I think baked ziti is a great meal to make any time I’m asked to be a part of a meal train. It’s so easy for someone to throw in the oven and reheat whenever they’re ready for it. Baked ziti freezes really well too, so the recipient can just toss it in the freezer if there’s already too much food.

If I make this for a meal train, I skip the meat. But if I make this for our dinner, I love adding sausage to baked ziti to give it some extra flavor. Adding meat doesn’t add any time to this because you’re cooking the meat at the same time that you’re boiling the pasta.

Tri-colored spiral pasta in a colander with the words "20+ Budget-Friendly Pasta Recipes" digitally written above it.

This baked ziti isn’t the only pasta dish we have on Drugstore Divas. We make pasta a lot because it’s delicious and because it’s pretty frugal. For more pasta ideas that will please the whole family, check out our list of 20+ Budget-Friendly Pasta Recipes.

Baked Ziti With Sausage Recipe

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Baked Ziti With Sausage Ingredients:

How To Make Baked Ziti With Sausage:

Preheat the oven to 350 F.

Boil a large pot of salted water and cook the pasta according to the package directions.

Side note: When I’m cooking pasta in general, I always cook it at the maximum of the range on the package. I’m not a fan of slightly crunchy, al dente pasta, so I always boil it for those extra minutes. When I cook pasta for a baked ziti or pasta bake, something where the pasta will go in the oven, I cook it to the minimum range on the package.

Drain the pasta.

Sausage cooking in a pan.

While the pasta is cooking, remove the sausage links from the casing. Break them apart into small crumbles. Brown the sausage in a large skillet over medium heat until it’s cooked through, about six minutes.

I always choose a spicy Italian sausage (which is usually a pork sausage) to give the baked ziti a little extra flavor, but you could use a mild sausage or a turkey sausage instead.

Penne pasta in a baking pan.

Pour the pasta into an 13- x 9-inch baking pan.

Penne pasta and ricotta cheese in a baking pan.

Add in the ricotta cheese and stir until it’s combined. The ricotta cheese will melt from the heat of the cooked pasta leaving a really delicious creamy ricotta that’s easy to stir around.

A bunch of shredded cheese on a blue cutting board.

Shred the mozzarella cheese.

Mozzarella cheese on top of penne pasta in a baking pan.

Add it into the pan and stir until it’s combined.

Cooked sausage and mozzarella cheese on top of penne pasta in a baking pan.

Sprinkle the cooked sausage across the top.

Sprinkle the salt across the top as well.

Sausage, cooked sausage, and mozzarella cheese on top of penne pasta in a baking pan.

Pour the pasta sauce onto the pan.

Uncooked baked ziti in a pan.

Gently stir until everything is combined and evenly distributed.

Quick note: If you can’t find the tomato, garlic, basil pasta sauce we recommend in the ingredients, you can use any marinara sauce. You’re just gonna need to add a little bit of seasoning. If you’re using a plain sauce, you’ll want to add a half teaspoon of garlic powder, onion powder, and Italian seasoning when you add the salt for the best flavor.

Cooked baked ziti in a pan.

Cover the pan with aluminum foil and bake for 45 minutes.

Now, quick note about meal trains. If I’m making a tray of baked ziti for a meal train, I assemble it in a disposable pan and then let it cool down to room temperature. I cover it with foil and write, “Bake covered at 350 F for 45 minutes” on top. I pair it with garlic bread and a side salad and drop it off.

If you think that your recipient is going to be receiving a lot of prepared meals and will need to freeze this baked ziti, add a layer of plastic wrap between the pasta and the aluminum foil to help prevent freezer burn.

A spoonful of baked ziti with sausage above a tray of baked ziti.

Baked Ziti With Sausage: Frequently Asked Questions

​Should you use ziti pasta?

Let’s address the elephant in the room. This is called baked ziti. But, I use penne pasta instead of ziti in it.

Ziti and penne are very similar in that they both have a cylindrical pasta shape. Penne has ridges in it, which hold sauce better. So, I tend to use penne any time I have a recipe with sauce. Traditionally, ziti noodles are used when there us a chunky or homemade meat sauce in the recipe because the chunks and meat can fit into the large holes of the ziti noodles.

But, at the end of the day, pasta is pasta. You can use rotini (the spiral pasta) if you don’t have any tube-shaped pasta. Almost anything you have in the pantry will work. Except spaghetti. I don’t recommend that.

Can you use ground beef?

You can use any type of ground meat (ground beef, ground turkey, ground chicken, etc.) in this baked ziti recipe, although we wrote this recipe using sausage.

Can you use bagged cheese?

Bagged cheese has a preservative that’s added so the cheese doesn’t clump together in the bag. That’s great for when it’s sitting on the shelf, but not very helpful in a recipe where you want the cheese to melt. In those types of recipes, you want to buy a block of mozzarella cheese and shred it yourself.

Also, quick note. Processed cheese is better for melting than fresh cheese, so pick up a block of mozzarella cheese, rather than fresh mozzarella for this recipe.

Can you bake this in a casserole dish?

A casserole pan would bake this really well, but it might not be large enough to hold all your ingredients.

How do you store leftover baked ziti?

Wait until the baked ziti has cooled to room temperature.

We usually replace the aluminum foil on top and put it in the fridge and store the leftovers that way because we’ll eat it for the next two days and it’ll be fine.

If you prefer, you can cut the leftover baked ziti into small pieces in an airtight container and store them in the fridge for up to four days.

How do you reheat leftover baked ziti?

​The easiest way to reheat leftovers is to put them into a bowl and microwave for about two minutes, checking the temperature after 90 seconds.

Baked ziti holds up really well in the fridge, which makes it a little hard to heat through. So, when I put it in a bowl, I usually spread it out with a fork so that it’s not in such a thick structure.

How do you make baked ziti not dry?

You want to bake the baked ziti covered. That helps lock in the moisture that would otherwise escape if there wasn’t any foil. If you skip the foil, you’re going to dry out your delicious baked ziti and the noodles will get hard and the dish won’t have that delicious cheese pull.

Sausage and vegetable skewers on a platter.

More Sausage Recipes:

Most sausage packages come with five links in a pack. You only need three for this recipe, leaving you with two. You can use those in our Sheet Pan Sausage And Peppers Recipe or our Grilled Sausage Kabobs Recipe.

For more ideas, check out all of our sausage recipes.

Yield: 8 Servings

Baked Ziti With Sausage

If you’re looking for a delicious, cheesy, easy recipe that everyone will like, our Baked Ziti With Sausage recipe is it. It’s pretty hands off, which makes it a good idea for a weeknight dinner.

Cook Time 55 minutes
Total Time 55 minutes

Ingredients

  • 1 box (16 oz.) penne pasta
  • 3 sausage links
  • 16 oz. ricotta cheese
  • 16 oz. mozzarella cheese
  • 1 teaspoon salt
  • 24 oz. jar tomato, garlic, basil pasta sauce

Instructions

  1. Preheat the oven to 350 F.
  2. Boil a large pot of salted water and cook the pasta according to the package directions. Drain the pasta.
  3. While the pasta is cooking, remove the sausage links from the casing. Break them apart into small crumbles. Brown the sausage in a large skillet over medium heat until it’s cooked through, about six minutes.
  4. Pour the pasta into an 13- x 9-inch baking pan.
  5. Add in the ricotta cheese and stir until it’s combined. The ricotta cheese will melt from the heat of the cooked pasta leaving a really delicious creamy ricotta that’s easy to stir around.
  6. Shred the mozzarella cheese. Add it into the pan and stir until it’s combined.
  7. Sprinkle the cooked sausage across the top.
  8. Sprinkle the salt across the top as well.
  9. Pour the pasta sauce onto the pan. Gently stir until everything is combined and evenly distributed.
  10. Cover the pan with aluminum foil and bake for 45 minutes.

Nutrition Information

Yield

8

Serving Size

1

Amount Per Serving Calories 410Total Fat 24gSaturated Fat 13gTrans Fat 0gUnsaturated Fat 9gCholesterol 75mgSodium 901mgCarbohydrates 24gFiber 2gSugar 4gProtein 25g

Have you tried this easy Baked Ziti with sausage recipe? Let us know how it went in the comments.

Stine Mari

Sunday 18th of February 2024

This ziti is so cheesylicious, perfect for a quick, comforting meal!

Amber

Sunday 12th of April 2015

I make this recipe often, and it's always a hit with the kids! Thanks for linking up with us this week at the Best of the Blogosphere!

Krista

Saturday 11th of April 2015

I never think to make baked ziti! Thanks for the reminder! Thanks for linking up with us at MeetUp Monday! Hope to see you again this week! --Krista http://www.thequinntessentialmommy.com/

Laurie

Tuesday 7th of April 2015

This looks like something my family would enjoy! Pinning :) Thank you for linking us with us this week at Brag About It! ~Laurie

Miz Helen

Monday 6th of April 2015

We love baked Ziti and your recipe looks awesome! Thanks so much for sharing with Full Plate Thursday and hope you have a great week. Come Back Soon! Miz Helen

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