Description
A comforting and cheesy pasta bake featuring ziti pasta, a rich ricotta and mozzarella cheese blend, and a savory ground beef marinara sauce, baked to bubbly perfection and garnished with fresh parsley.
Ingredients
Scale
Pasta and Cheese Mixture
- 1 lb. pasta (ziti, penne, or rigatoni)
- 1 cup ricotta cheese
- ¼ cup Parmesan cheese, finely grated
- 1 egg, whisked
- 2 ½ cups mozzarella cheese, separated
Meat Sauce
- 1 lb. ground beef
- 1 small yellow onion, diced
- 3 cloves garlic, minced
- 1/8 teaspoon red pepper flakes
- ½ teaspoon salt
- ½ teaspoon black pepper
- 1 teaspoon onion powder
- 1 teaspoon Italian seasoning
- 2 (24 oz.) jars marinara sauce (recommended: Rao's or homemade)
Garnish
- Fresh parsley, chopped, to garnish
Instructions
- Preheat Oven: Preheat your oven to 375 degrees Fahrenheit to prepare for baking the pasta casserole.
- Prepare Cheese Mixture: In a bowl, combine ricotta cheese, Parmesan cheese, whisked egg, and 1 cup of the mozzarella cheese. Set this mixture aside.
- Cook Pasta: Begin boiling a large pot of salted water. Cook the pasta for 2 minutes less than al dente to avoid mushy texture after baking. Drain the pasta carefully and set aside.
- Cook Meat Sauce: In a large skillet over medium-high heat, cook and crumble the ground beef and diced onions until browned. Drain excess grease. Add minced garlic, red pepper flakes, salt, pepper, onion powder, and Italian seasoning. Cook for an additional minute to release flavors.
- Add Marinara Sauce: Pour in the marinara sauce and stir to combine. Heat through, then remove from heat.
- Assemble Bake: In a lightly greased 9 x 13 inch baking dish, mix the drained pasta with about ¾ of the meat sauce. Spread this evenly in the dish. Dollop the ricotta cheese mixture on top, then spread the remaining meat sauce over it.
- Bake Covered: Cover the baking dish with foil and bake at 375 degrees for 20 minutes to heat through and meld flavors.
- Add Remaining Cheese and Finish Baking: Remove the foil and sprinkle the remaining 1 ½ cups mozzarella cheese over the top. Increase oven temperature to 400 degrees and bake uncovered for 10-15 minutes until the cheese is bubbly and begins to brown.
- Garnish and Serve: Remove from oven, garnish with fresh chopped parsley, and serve warm, ideally with garlic bread topped with cheese.
Notes
- This recipe uses a generous amount of sauce, as the pasta absorbs a lot while baking. You can reduce the sauce quantity if preferred, but be cautious to avoid dryness.
- Choose tubular pasta shapes like ziti, penne, or rigatoni with ridges to help the sauce cling better for maximum flavor in every bite.
- Feel free to use a mix of ground meats such as pork, veal, sausage, or beef as per your preference.
- For best flavor and texture, use fresh mozzarella and Parmesan cheese by shredding or grating from blocks rather than pre-shredded packaged cheese.
- Make-Ahead Option: Prepare the meat sauce and pasta as directed, assemble the casserole, then cover and refrigerate up to 2 days. Add an extra 10 minutes to the covered baking time (bake covered at 375° for 30 minutes), then add cheese and bake uncovered at 400° for 10-15 minutes.
- Freezing Option: Assemble casserole and freeze. Defrost in the refrigerator for 24 hours before baking.
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1 serving (about 1/8 of recipe)
- Calories: 560 kcal
- Sugar: 8 g
- Sodium: 720 mg
- Fat: 26 g
- Saturated Fat: 12 g
- Unsaturated Fat: 12 g
- Trans Fat: 0 g
- Carbohydrates: 52 g
- Fiber: 4 g
- Protein: 34 g
- Cholesterol: 110 mg
