• Home
    • Disclosure
    • Terms of Use and Privacy Policy
  • About Me
    • Contact Me

Mom. Wife. Busy Life.

Crafts, recipes, parenting tips and more for the everyday busy mom.

  • Recipes
    • Breakfast Recipes
    • Lunch Recipes
    • Dinner Recipes
    • Appetizers
    • Desserts
    • Smoothie Recipes
    • Beverages
    • Side Dishes
    • Snack Recipes
    • Low Carb
    • Recipe Index
  • Activities
    • Activities for Kids
    • Crafts for Kids
    • Slime Recipes
    • Sensory Bottles
    • DIY
    • Printables
  • Holidays
    • New Year’s Day
    • Valentine’s Day
    • St. Patrick’s Day
    • Easter
    • Patriotic Holidays
    • Mother’s Day
    • Halloween
    • Thanksgiving
    • Christmas
      • Advent Calendars 2020
  • Seasons
    • Spring
    • Summer
    • Fall
    • Winter
  • Kids
    • Babies
    • Toddlers
    • School Age Kids
    • Teenagers
    • Gifted Children
    • Adopted Children
    • Special Needs
  • Family
    • Homeschool
    • Potty Training
    • Marriage
    • Schedules
    • Organization
    • Parenting
    • Tips & Tricks
    • Back to School
  • Moms
  • Shop
  • For Bloggers

Easy Cheesy Baked Ziti

This post may contain affiliate links. Read my disclosure policy here.

September 28, 2020 by Mom. Wife. Busy Life. 22 Comments

This delicious Easy Cheesy Baked Ziti with Ground Beef Recipe is perfect to serve for dinner tonight! Add this easy cheesy recipe to your recipe collection. Serve with a side salad, breadsticks, and sweet tea!

Easy Cheesy Baked Ziti Recipe

Are you a busy mom looking for a quick, easy, and delicious recipe that the whole family will enjoy? This Baked Ziti Pasta recipe is what you are looking for! I love the variety of pasta recipes out there and this is one to add to the list of favorites.

10+ Ground Beef Recipes

100+ Easy Recipes for Busy Moms

Baked Ziti has become a favorite of ours over the last few years! As a mom of three and a military spouse, I look for quick and easy dinners that can easily serve our family of five that will include leftovers to enjoy the next day. I have a very hungry husband that works super hard and comes home hungry every day!

Try my other pasta recipes:

  • Baked Rigatoni
  • Meat Lasagna
  • Casarecce Pasta Primavera
  • Meatless Baked Spaghetti

When I have visitors over or if I have to make meals for families in need, this Baked Ziti is my go-to recipe! Often times, meal trains are set up for military spouses having babies. Occasionally, meal trains are set up when a military spouse needs help with meals for her family when their spouse is deployed, for example when a kid gets sick or has to be in the hospital. This recipe is perfect to serve when you sign up for a meal train!

The Easy Cheesy Baked Ziti recipe is so easy and perfect for busy moms out there if you need a dinner idea that the whole family will enjoy!

Meal Planner Printable Weekly Meal Planner Monthly Meal
Meal Planner Printable Weekly Meal Planner Monthly Meal


If you follow this recipe, you’ll be sure to have plenty to eat and most likely, a little leftover for the next night! Do you like to freeze meals? Divide this recipe in half and freeze half for another day.

I recommend serving hot, buttery rolls along with a side salad and sweet tea with this recipe! Serve Baked Ziti any time of the year.

Easy Cheesy Baked Ziti Recipe

Ingredients: 

  • 1 box of Ziti noodles
  • 2 jars of spaghetti sauce
  • 2.25 lbs. ground beef
  • 1 onion
  • 1 lb. mozzarella cheese
  • 1 tbsp. olive oil
  • 1 tsp. black pepper
  • Optional: 1 tsp. salt – note I don’t use salt because the cheese contains enough salt.
Digital Meal Planner in Rosegold Meal Planner Templates
Digital Meal Planner in Rosegold Meal Planner Templates


Directions:

Preheat oven to 400 degrees.

Brown ground beef in a large deep skillet. I use my favorite jumbo skillet when I make this recipe!

Add two jars of spaghetti sauce to the beef.

Stir the sauce and the beef mixture around until combined well.

Simmer on low heat.

Using a cutting board and knife, cut the onion into thin slices.

In a small skillet, saute the onions with olive oil until onions are caramelized.

Pour onions into the beef mixture and stir until mixed.

In a large pot, boil two quarts of water.

Add Ziti pasta noodles and boil for 10-11 minutes, stirring well so the noodles don’t stick together.

Drain the noodles using a colander.

Add desired amount of Ziti noodles to beef mixture. Note: I usually use about 2/3 to 1/2 box of the Ziti noodles. I prefer more meat sauce over noodles – add more noodles if you like to have more noodles in your recipe!

Mix the noodles into the meat sauce.

Scoop mixture into a 13 X 9 baking pan.

Sprinkle mozzarella cheese on top until covered.

Sprinkle with pepper and salt if desired for added flavor. Note: The cheese does contain salt, keep that in mind when creating your recipe!

Bake for 20-30 minutes, or until cheese is slightly browned.

Let us know how your Baked Ziti turned out! I hope your family enjoys this recipe as much as we do!

Easy Cheesy Baked Ziti

Easy Cheesy Baked Ziti

Ingredients

  • 1 box of Ziti noodles
  • 2 jars of spaghetti sauce
  • 2.25 lbs. ground beef
  • 1 onion
  • 1 lb. mozzarella cheese
  • 1 tbsp. olive oil
  • 1 tsp. black pepper
  • Optional: 1 tsp. salt

Instructions

Preheat oven to 400 degrees.

Brown ground beef in a large deep skillet.

Add two jars of spaghetti sauce to the beef.

Stir the sauce and the beef mixture around until combined well.

Simmer on low heat.

Using a cutting board and knife, cut the onion into thin slices.

In a small skillet, saute the onions with olive oil until onions are caramelized.

Pour onions into the beef mixture and stir until mixed.

In a large pot, boil two quarts of water.

Add Ziti pasta noodles and boil for 10-11 minutes, stirring well so the noodles don't stick together.

Drain the noodles using a colander.

Add desired amount of Ziti noodles to beef mixture.

Mix the noodles into the meat sauce.

Scoop mixture into a 13 X 9 baking pan.

Sprinkle mozzarella cheese on top until covered.

Sprinkle with pepper and salt if desired for added flavor.

Bake for 20-30 minutes, or until cheese is slightly browned.

© Mom. Wife. Busy Life.
Meal Planner Printable  Grocery List  Recipe Book  Kitchen
Meal Planner Printable Grocery List Recipe Book Kitchen


Weekly Meal Planner Printable with Grocery List Printable
Weekly Meal Planner Printable with Grocery List Printable


More great recipes:

  • Cheesy Baked Spaghetti
  • Bacon Macaroni and Cheese Muffins
  • Cheesy Mexican Casserole
  • Cast Iron Skillet Cornbread

Get access to ALL recipes here!

Pin to Pinterest:

Filed Under: Dinner Recipes, Recipes

Previous Post: « How to Make Pumpkin Pie Slime
Next Post: Best Thermos Funtainer Water Bottles for Boys »

Reader Interactions

Comments

  1. Dianna Thomas says

    January 21, 2014 at 1:27 am

    oh yum— and easy–to do too–I think I would throw on pepperroni in so I know those kiddos of mine would eat it up– thanks — do you mine if I pin this, oh I see your pin clip so I guess its way ok thanks again

    Reply
  2. Melissa Smith says

    January 21, 2014 at 11:36 am

    Looks delicious! I love a tasty & easy dinner. ๐Ÿ™‚

    Reply
  3. June S. says

    January 24, 2014 at 1:19 pm

    (Easy Cheesy Baked Ziti Recipe) I really like this good recipe, I did not have one for this either. Will make this real soon for my husband and I.

    Reply
  4. Jackie Smith says

    January 24, 2014 at 2:37 pm

    I am making this tonight. I love recipes that look easy and I can follow. The ingredients are easy to find in my cupboard all ready.

    Reply
  5. Shannon says

    January 25, 2014 at 7:52 am

    Looks yummy…I would use ground seitan or Boca…

    Reply
  6. Tammy says

    February 1, 2014 at 8:41 am

    I’ve always wanted to try to make this! This recipe seems easier enough to follow ๐Ÿ™‚ I will definitely try it ๐Ÿ™‚

    Reply
  7. Becky B says

    February 2, 2014 at 4:04 am

    LOOKS AMAZING~ I will definitely be trying it!

    Reply
  8. Todd Lovessweeps says

    February 3, 2014 at 9:44 pm

    MMMMM I love Ziti – looks delicious

    Reply
  9. Monica Kirkham says

    March 6, 2014 at 4:58 am

    I’m so happy to find this. We’re tired of the same old pasta dishes in my household… and we love “cheesy” dinners…. Going to try this before the week is over!!

    Reply
  10. Angela says

    March 11, 2014 at 2:53 am

    We have monthly potlucks at my work. This will be perfect to try at the next one!

    Reply
  11. stacey says

    June 3, 2014 at 10:24 pm

    Made this last night for the whole family and the LOVED it!!! Easy and delicious I am definitely adding this to my cookbook…. ๐Ÿ™‚

    Reply
    • Brittany says

      June 4, 2014 at 2:06 am

      Thank you for sharing! I”m so glad you enjoyed it!

      Reply
  12. Maria says

    November 10, 2014 at 1:00 pm

    The recipe sounded good. I was hesitant to use bottled sauce and I was right. It was terribly bland and flavorless. My advice is to make your own sauce. It’ll turn out much better.

    Reply
    • Summer says

      December 6, 2015 at 4:56 am

      (You have to add a ton of seasonings on your own if you use jarred sauce.) I like ricotta in my ziti also. This doesn’t really seem like a ziti recipe to me!

      Reply
  13. Sarah says

    August 26, 2015 at 5:48 pm

    I was wondering how you would go about freezing it should I bake first let come to room temperature and freeze? And how would you thaw and reheat this meal?

    Reply
  14. lissa crane says

    September 23, 2015 at 8:19 pm

    My kiddo’s would love that it has meat and that its cheesy! There two favorites! It looks so good! I think I will make this tonight!

    Reply
  15. Bobbie Smith says

    December 21, 2017 at 7:29 pm

    Oh my goodness! This looks absolutely delicious! And I like how easy it is to make it. I am going to give this a try! Thanks for sharing!

    Reply
  16. Sue says

    May 7, 2018 at 10:49 pm

    Easy baked pasta

    Reply
  17. Elena says

    August 17, 2018 at 2:57 pm

    How many people it feeds and can it be with out meat,onion in the ziti?

    Reply
    • Mom. Wife. Busy Life. says

      September 22, 2018 at 5:46 am

      It can feed quite a bit. I don’t always use the entire box of noodles in the recipe, so in this case, you could leave out the meat and onion and just use the noodles and sauce. It still makes a large pan of ziti!

      Reply

Trackbacks

  1. 50+ Dinner Ideas for Busy Moms says:
    January 20, 2014 at 11:24 pm

    […] Baked Ziti […]

    Reply
  2. 25 More Meals that Cost About $5 to Make says:
    April 24, 2015 at 2:55 pm

    […] Easy Cheesy Baked Ziti Recipe […]

    Reply

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published.

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.

Primary Sidebar

Keep in touch!

Never miss a post, subscribe now for all the latest recipes, crafts, tips and more straight to your inbox!

Footer

Amazon Affiliate Disclosure:

As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases.

Read More:

Never miss a post, subscribe now for all the latest!

Most Recent Posts

  • Coffee Container Bird Feeder House
  • Instant Pot Easy Cheesy Beef Enchiladas
  • Casarecce Pasta Primavera
  • St. Patrick’s Day Shamrock Slime
  • Sheet Pan Ranch Seasoned Potatoes

Copyright © 2021 ยท Sprinkle Pro Theme on Genesis Framework ยท WordPress ยท Log in

This website uses cookies to improve your experience. We'll assume you're ok with this, but you can opt-out if you wish.Accept Reject Read More
Privacy & Cookies Policy

Privacy Overview

This website uses cookies to improve your experience while you navigate through the website. Out of these, the cookies that are categorized as necessary are stored on your browser as they are essential for the working of basic functionalities of the website. We also use third-party cookies that help us analyze and understand how you use this website. These cookies will be stored in your browser only with your consent. You also have the option to opt-out of these cookies. But opting out of some of these cookies may affect your browsing experience.
Necessary
Always Enabled

Necessary cookies are absolutely essential for the website to function properly. This category only includes cookies that ensures basic functionalities and security features of the website. These cookies do not store any personal information.

Non-necessary

Any cookies that may not be particularly necessary for the website to function and is used specifically to collect user personal data via analytics, ads, other embedded contents are termed as non-necessary cookies. It is mandatory to procure user consent prior to running these cookies on your website.

SAVE & ACCEPT