Easy Beefy Baked Ziti
When life gets busy but you still want a comforting dinner, nothing beats this Easy Beefy Baked Ziti. It’s a hearty, family-friendly baked ziti recipe made with ground beef, ricotta, mozzarella, Pecorino Romano, and a big jar of marinara. I made this before leaving for a trip so my kids would have a cozy, homemade meal ready to go for the weekend—and it’s perfect for weeknights, potlucks, or freezing ahead. For convenience, I used a jar of marinara sauce, but if you want to go the extra mile, you can also use → My Homemade Meat Sauce. If you prefer a lighter version, check out → My Baked Ziti Without Beef. For more recipes like this one you can just click here to see the list!
👝 How to Store Leftovers
You can either store it in the freezer before baking it and bake it within a month. Or you can store in an airtight container after eating it for 3-5 days.
🎥 Items Featured in the Video
🤔 Common Questions
Yes—penne, rigatoni, or shells all work.
Try cottage cheese or mascarpone.
Hungry for more? Get my recipes first.
The dinners my family asks for on repeat, sent to you first.
Unsubscribe anytime, no hard feelings.
Tips & Tricks
- Undercook pasta slightly—it finishes in the oven.
- Freshly shredded mozzarella melts best.
- Add red pepper flakes if you like a little heat.
- Double the recipe and freeze one pan for later.
Easy Beefy Baked Ziti
Ingredients
Method
- Boil ziti in salted water until al dente. Drain and set aside.
- In a skillet, heat olive oil. Add onion and sauté until soft. Stir in garlic for 1 minute. Add beef, season with salt & pepper, and cook until browned. Drain fat.
- Stir in jar of marinara. Fill up the jar with 1/4 cup of water. Put the top back on and shake. Simmer 5 minutes.
- In a large bowl, combine ricotta, half the mozzarella, half the Pecorino, parsley, and the cooked ziti. Stir in 1 ladle (about ½ cup) of the meat sauce to bring it together.
- Spread a thin layer of meat sauce in a greased 9×13” pan.
- Add half the ricotta-ziti mixture.
- Top with half the remaining meat sauce.
- Repeat layers with the rest of the ricotta-ziti mixture and meat sauce.
- Finish with remaining mozzarella and Pecorino on top.
- Cover with foil and bake at 375°F for 25 minutes. Remove foil and bake another 10–15 minutes until golden and bubbly.
- Sprinkle parsley on top before serving.
Want to make this later?
We'll email this recipe straight to you, so it's waiting when you need it.
Video
