This is the Best Baked Ziti Recipe and is always on the dinner rotation in our home. Ziti noodles, meat, and melted cheese baked in a cream cheese and tomato suace make this casserole a family favorite. Whenever I make the Best Baked Ziti Recipe for family and friends, everyone always goes back for seconds.
Ingredients for The Best Baked Ziti Casserole
- Pasta
- Salt
- Oil
- Ground Beef
- Garlic, minced
- Spaghetti Sauce
- Rotel Tomatoes
- Cream Cheese
- Dried Basil
- Italian Seasoning
- Sour Cream
- Shredded Mozzarella Cheese
Steps to make an Easy Baked Ziti
Baked Ziti is so easy to make and will be ready and on the table in 40 minutes. First, start by boiling a large pot of water and add 1 tsp. of salt to add a little flavor to your pasta noodles. Cook noodles until they are al-dente. Drain, rinse and toss noodles in 1 Tbsp. vegetable oil. While noodles are cooking, add ground beef and minced garlic to a medium skillet. Brown ground beef until it is cooked through and set aside.
Combine very softened cream cheese, spaghetti sauce, rotel tomatoes, dried basil, and Italian seasoning in a large bowl. Whisk together well to avoid big clumps from the cream cheese. Add al-dente pasta noodles and cooked ground beef. Stir well to coat the noodles. Pour Ziti half of the mixture into a lightly greased 9×13 casserole dish. Spoon sour cream over noodles and spread evenly. Top with 1 cup shredded mozzarella cheese, add the remaining ziti mixture and top with remaining shredded cheese.
Bake covered for 25 minutes and serve immediately with garlic bread or a green salad. Enjoy!
Best Baked Ziti Recipe
Ingredients
- 1 box ziti pasta noodles
- 1 24 oz. spaghetti sauce
- 1 can rotel diced tomatoes(don’t drain)
- 8 oz. block of cream cheese (very soft)
- 1 tsp. dried basil
- 1 tsp. Italian seasoning
- 1 lb. ground beef
- 1 tsp. garlic, minced
- 3/4 cup sour cream
- 2 cups mozzarella cheese, shredded
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 375F and lightly grease a 9×13 casserole dish.
- Bring a large pot of water to boil and add 1 tsp. salt. Add ziti noodles and cook until al-dente.
- Once noodles are cooked, add 1 Tbsp.. vegetable oil to noodles and toss to coat.
- In a medium skillet add ground beef and minced garlic. Brown ground beef until cooked through.
- In a Large bowl combine very softened cream cheese, spaghetti sauce, rotel tomatoes, dried basil, and Italian seasoning. Whisk together until combined.
- Add cooked ground beef and al-dente noodles to the large bowl and mix well,
- Add half of the ziti mixture to a greased 9×13 casserole dish.
- Spread sour cream evenly over mixture and top with half of the shredded cheese.
- Add the remaining ziti mixture and top with the remaining shredded cheese.
- Bake covered for 20-25 minutes. Serve immediatly,
Notes
Nutrition
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