This cheesy sausage baked ziti is the coziest and most comforting meal. I always forget how much I love baked ziti. It may be one of my favorite pasta dishes. It’s easy, comes together pretty quickly, and is loaded with flavor. Some people say baked ziti can be dry but this dish is definitely not. The marinara and ricotta really soak in and make it so delicious. Hope you enjoy as much as we do!
What do you need to make cheesy sausage baked ziti?
- Penne pasta- We went with penne for this baked ziti, but you can use whatever you prefer. I love getting our pasta from either Trader Joe’s or Thrive Market. But of course it doesn’t matter where yours come from, just use whatever is your go-to!
- Marinara sauce- We used Rao’s which is our go-to. Best store bought sauce hands down. You can basically find it at most grocery stores these days but we always love buying the bigger jars at Costco!
- Ricotta- The ricotta adds such a perfect creaminess and helps the pasta not to get dry.
- Italian sausage- We went with Italian sausage for this one. It’s always delicious. Some people use ground beef and that’s an option too!
- Olive oil– There is just nothing like some good quality olive oil. I use a ton of olive oil, because it’s one of my favorite things! Adds such a nice light yet rich flavor to this baked ziti.
- Garlic- Fresh garlic is 100% ideal here. There’s nothing like fresh garlic!
- Mozzarella- The shredded mozzarella just melts right in making the cheesy, dreamy, delicious goodness. You could also use fresh mozzarella if you prefer, but I think shredded works best for this.
- Fresh Basil- You can sprinkle with either fresh basil or fresh italian parsley! Fresh herbs just give a beautiful color pop and flavor pop to this cheesy sausage baked ziti! If you need to, dried herbs are fine as well!
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Alright, let’s get to making the recipe! Enjoy!
Cheesy Sausage Baked Ziti
This cheesy sausage baked ziti is the coziest and most comforting meal. I always forget how much I love baked ziti. It may be one of my favorite pasta dishes. It's easy, comes together pretty quickly, and is loaded with flavor. Some people say baked ziti can be dry but this dish is definitely not. The marinara and ricotta really soak in and make it so delicious. Hope you enjoy as much as we do!
Servings: 6
Ingredients
- 12 oz penne pasta
- 12 oz marinara
- 1 cup whole milk ricotta
- 3 sausages
- 1 tbsp olive oil
- 3 cloves fresh garlic chopped
- 1 cup shredded mozzarella
- fresh basil for serving
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 375F degrees.
- Cook your penne on the stovetop according to the package directions. Drain & set aside to cool.
- Meanwhile, in a large skillet, heat olive oil. Add in sausage links & break up until ground and cooked through. Remove and let cool.
- In a large mixing bowl, add the cooled pasta, sausage, ricotta, and marinara. Mix until everything is well combined. Pour the mixture into a 9×13 baking pan and top with shredded mozzarella.
- Cover with foil and bake for about 15-20 until warmed through and the cheese is melted. You can remove the foil for the last couple of minutes to melt the cheese more. Sprinkle with fresh basil & enjoy!
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If you wanted to make this ahead of time, would you suggest putting it all together and letting it sit in the fridge or wait to put the sauce on so the pasta doesn’t soak up the sauce?