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
🗒 More Delicious Pasta Recipes
-
5 Ingredient Caprese Pasta Salad
If you need the kind of recipe that disappears at every BBQ, cookout, or pool day — this 5 Ingredient Caprese Pasta Salad is it. It’s fresh, colorful, loaded with juicy cherry tomatoes, creamy mozzarella, and tossed in that classic zesty Italian dressing flavor everyone loves. The secret? Letting it sit. This is one of those recipes…
-
Why I Switched to Caraway Cookware + An Easy One-Pan Dinner for Two
I get asked all the time what cookware I use in my kitchen, and I actually switched to Caraway cookware and have been using it ever since. When you cook as much as I do, having cookware that cooks evenly, cleans easily, and is safe to cook on really matters. One of the biggest reasons…
-
Easy Sicilian Sausage & Tomato Quiche
Easy Sicilian Sausage & Tomato Quiche is UNREAL. The very first quiche I ever learned to make was my Grandma Jo’s Artichoke Quiche, and once I mastered that, I realized something… we need to bring quiche BACK. Quiche is one of those recipes that feels a little fancy, but it’s actually one of the easiest…
🤔 Common Questions
Yes—penne, rigatoni, or shells all work.
Try cottage cheese or mascarpone.
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
- 1 lb ground beef
- 1 medium onion diced
- 3 cloves garlic minced (or 1 tbsp jarlic)
- 1 28 oz jar marinara sauce
- 1 lb ziti pasta cooked al dente
- 15 oz ricotta cheese
- 8 oz mozzarella cheese freshly shredded (reserve some for topping)
- ½ cup grated Pecorino Romano cheese
- 2 tbsp fresh parsley chopped (plus extra for garnish)
- Salt & pepper to taste
- Olive oil for sautéing
Instructions
Cook Pasta
- Boil ziti in salted water until al dente. Drain and set aside.
Brown beef
- 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.
Add sauce
- 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.
Mix ricotta & pasta
- 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.
Assemble layers
- 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.
Bake
- Cover with foil and bake at 375°F for 25 minutes. Remove foil and bake another 10–15 minutes until golden and bubbly.
Serve
- Sprinkle parsley on top before serving.
Video
