This is the Best Baked Ziti Recipe

Having to come up with something for dinner every night is always a challenge. You want to come up with something that will make your family happy without spending hours in the kitchen. You want your family to like what you make, but you want it to be something that will stick with them for a while.

Baked ziti is the definition of comfort food. The layers of ooey gooey cheese combined with pasta and tasty tomato sauce is hearty and satisfying. Plus, it has all the flavors of lasagna with only a fraction of the prep time.

Ziti Pasta

This easy recipe contains just five ingredients, so dinner comes together in a snap. Even though this dinner takes a bit of time to cook, the amount of prep time it takes is very minimal.

Baked ziti is an especially great meal in the winter because it’s so warm and comforting. But let’s face it: there’s never a bad time for pasta! You can make this meal any time of year. We often make it even in the summer because it’s guaranteed to be a hit at the dinner table.

Many of us are trying to eat healthier. For lots of us, that means reducing red meat in particular. Even if you just dedicate one meal each week to leave out the meat (like “meatless Monday”) it’s still healthier to skip the meat once in a while than not at all.

Baked Ziti Recipe

This recipe is a winner because it’s completely vegetarian. But you’ll never miss the meat because the cheese provides lots of protein and substance to keep you feeling full and satisfied. Even the burliest of men are not likely to miss the meat in a meal like this.

If you’re going to a potluck, this also makes a perfect dish to pass. It’s both easy and inexpensive to make. It’s also a great choice for a meal to take for a meal train, such as when a family has a new baby or has been sick.

One of the best parts about this recipe is that even though it’s simple, you can customize it any way you want. You can use any shape of noodles you have on hand. If you really need some meat, Italian sausage or ground beef both work well in the dish. You can doctor it up with some Italian seasoning or make it spicier by adding a little bit of crushed red pepper.

And even though this is a filling main course, you may still want to serve it with side dishes. A garden salad and some breadsticks or garlic bread make perfect accompaniments. Bon appetit!

Can I Make This Recipe With My Kids?

This is a great recipe for teaching kids how to cook. With simple steps and so few ingredients, it’s an easy introduction on how to follow a recipe. It’s a meal every cook should have in their repertoire, but certainly when you have kids in your family.

Before cooking this recipe with your kids, make sure appropriate safety precautions have been taken. Your kids should be old enough to handle cooking utensils appropriately, without a high risk for accidents or injuries. They should also be able to act appropriately in the kitchen, so as to avoid any safety concerns.

As long as your kids are old enough and have been given a stern talking-to about safety, you're good to go! Get them together and have them give you a hand with this great recipe. They'll be so eager to sit down at the table to try their creation!

Make sure to give each child their own task, when possible, so that there's little to no overlap. This will avoid sibling competition slowing down the recipe or causing mistakes. In addition, every child will feel included in their own unique way. Now, let's get into the exact instructions for this baked ziti recipe!

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The image featured at the top of this post is ©Ronmar Lacamiento / Free to use, Pexels.