Easy Baked Ziti

Baked pasta? Yes! Baked Ziti with meat sauce is the best, most delicious, and most comforting meal for any day of the week. If your family likes pasta dishes, easy-baked ziti with ground beef will delight them.

When it comes to baked ziti, all recipes are good, but this one is my favorite. I can think of a lot of words to describe it.

These are just a few: meaty, bubbly, saucy, cheesy, satisfying, and delicious! It is not only a meat pasta recipe. This baked ziti with sour cream is also creamy.

It’s made with layers of meat sauce, provolone cheese, sour cream, mozzarella cheese, and cooked ziti. It’s almost like an easy lasagna but without all the hassle. You will love it! 

If you loved this recipe, take a look at these other baked pasta dishes:

• Spinach and Ricotta Pasta Bake Recipe
• The Best Stuffed Pasta Shells
• Chicken Bacon Ranch Pasta
• White Cheese Chicken Lasagna Recipe
• Best Boneless Chicken Casserole

How To Make Baked Ziti?

This is a layered dish. The first thing to do is make the meat sauce and cook the pasta. Then assemble and bake.

In a large skillet or Dutch oven over medium-high heat, cook the meat with the onion and garlic until the meat is brown and no pink is left.

Pour in the spaghetti sauce, add the Italian seasoning spices, salt, and pepper to taste, and simmer for about 15 mins. At this time, preheat the oven to 350 F.

While the meat sauce is simmering, cook the pasta according to package instructions and drain.

It’s now time to assemble the dish. Have all your ingredients on hand and spray the bottom and sides of a 9 x 13-inch baking dish with cooking spray.

The layers are as follows:

1. Put ½ of the cooked pasta on the bottom of the dish
2. Place the 8 slices of Provolone over the pasta to cover it evenly
3. Spoon the sour cream evenly over the cheese slices
4. Pour ½ the meat mixture over the sour cream
5. Add the remaining half of the pasta over the meat sauce
6. Sprinkle the mozzarella over the pasta
7. Top with the remaining meat sauce and Parmesan cheese

Bake, uncovered, for 30-35 mins or until bubbly.

How To Store, Freeze, and Reheat Baked Ziti?

If you have any leftovers or want to make this dish ahead of time, you can store it in the fridge or freezer. Let it cool completely and store in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 4 days, or freeze it for up to 4 months. Remember to label it with the date if you are freezing it.

To reheat refrigerated baked ziti, place it in the microwave for 2 mins until hot. You may need to add more time depending on the amount to be heated.

You can also reheat it in a preheated 350 F oven for about 15 minutes. Just be sure to cover it with foil first.

If you are reheating frozen baked ziti, thaw it in the fridge overnight and place it in a preheated 350 F oven for 20 minutes or until hot. I recommend you cover it with foil as well.