Authentic Baked Ziti with Meat Sauce

Baked ziti is a typical recipe of the Neapolitan tradition and of Southern Italy in general. It's a rich and tasty casserole made with ziti pasta, usually paired with meat sauces. What are ziti? They are a smooth durum wheat pasta format shaped like a "tube" about 25 cm long (~10 inch). They are similar to bucatini, but larger.

In my recipe, they are boiled in water, drained very al dente and arranged in layers in a baking dish with a sauce of tomato passata, pork sausage and beef. Everything is enriched with slices of smoked provolone cheese.

The result is a casserole of stringy ziti, a real feast for the eyes and the palate. A few tasty ingredients for a satisfying dish, perfect for a meal with family or friends.

Like all baked pasta recipes, baked ziti is a traditional dish that Italian families prepare for Sunday dinner with the family or on special occasions. Just like lasagna and baked cannelloni.

Learn how to make baked ziti with my step-by-step instructions and tips.

Jump to:

• Ingredients
• Instructions
• Storage
• Variations
• Curiosities
• Recipe Card

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Ingredients

Prep Time: 30 Min | Cook Time: 1 Hour | Servings: 4

Doses for a square baking dish 20x20 cm (8x8 inch) 

• 250 g (9 oz) of ziti pasta
• 200 g (7 oz) of pork sausage
• 150 g  (~5 oz) of ground beef
• 150 g (~5 oz) of smoked provolone cheese
• 400 g (1 ¾ cup) of tomato Passata by Mutti or make it at home with our Tomato Passata recipe
• 1 small onion
• 3 tablespoons of Extra Virgin Olive Oil
• 2 tablespoons grated Parmigiano Reggiano
• 20 g (~⅕ stick) of unsalted butter

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Instructions

The Meat Sauce

Step 1) - Chop the onion and sauté in olive oil over medium heat until soft. Meanwhile, remove the skin from the sausage and mix half of it (about 100 g-3.5 oz) with the ground beef. Set the remaining sausage aside. When the onion is well done, add the meat and sausage and mix well to brown.

Step 2) - Increase the heat slightly and add the tomato passata. Season lightly with salt, cover and simmer over moderate heat for about 30 minutes, stirring occasionally.

Cook the Ziti

Step 3) - While the meat sauce is cooking, bring a large pot of water to a boil in which you will cook the ziti. Cook the ziti in boiling, lightly salted water.

PLEASE NOTE: You can leave them whole and cut them later when you are making the layers. Or you can break them in half to make them soak more easily.

Step 4) - Drain the ziti al dente and set aside. Consider a few minutes less than the time indicated on the package. In fact, this way the ziti will not be too mushy after a second cooking in the oven.

Cut the smoked scamorza into slices or cubes, as you prefer, and set aside.

The Layers

Step 5) - Grease the bottom of the baking dish with a little oil and arrange the first layer of ziti as evenly as possible. Arrange the ziti next to each other. If, like me, you have a baking dish that is slightly smaller than the length of the ziti, cut them off and use the scraps to fill in the gaps.

Step 6) - Top the layer of ziti with the meat sauce and slices of smoked provolone.

Step 7) - Add a few pieces of the raw sausage you set aside. Then top with the ziti. Repeat this process for three layers or until you run out of ingredients.

PLEASE NOTE: If you are using a lower, wider baking pan, make two layers; if you are using a tall baking pan, make up to four layers.

Baking

Step 8) - Finish with a layer of meat sauce, topped with plenty of grated Parmigiano cheese and a few knobs of butter.

Bake in a preheated oven at 200°C (390°F) for about 20 minutes. For the last two minutes of baking, turn on the grill and let the pasta gratinate. A crisp and appetizing crust will form on the surface, while the ziti will be soft and stringy inside.

After removing the ziti from the oven, let them rest for about 10 minutes before serving. This will stabilize the baked pasta, allowing the different flavors to harmonize and the ingredients to compact better, making it easier to serve.

YOU MUST ALSO TRY:

• Neapolitan Lasagna Recipe
• Pasta alla Genovese (AUTHENTIC NEAPOLITAN RECIPE)
• Baked Tortellini Casserole (Tomato & Mozzarella)
• Baked Pasta Roses Recipe
• Pasta al Forno Recipe

Storage

You can store baked ziti in the refrigerator, covered with plastic wrap, for 2-3 days. In fact, like all baked pasta, it tastes even better the day after. This is because the ingredients become more compact and taste better.

When ready to eat, heat them in the oven for a few minutes.

You can also bake the ziti, then freeze and use as needed.

Variations

As mentioned above, ziti are traditionally served with rich meat-based sauces.

In Naples, baked ziti is often made with the same sauce as Lasagna Napoletana. That is, a sauce of pork, tomato passata and ricotta cheese, with the addition of small fried meatballs and hard-boiled egg - a truly rich and hearty dish! Many also add diced pancetta to the tomato sauce.

The recipe I showed you is a little less elaborate and a little simpler, while remaining true to the tradition.

Of course, there are many variations you can make to the recipe, depending on your tastes and the ingredients you have on hand.

• HOT VERSION: If you like it spicy, you can substitute a hot sausage for the classic sausage, or add hot chili peppers to the tomato passata.
• CHEESE: If you don't like smoky flavors, substitute smoked provolone for another meltig cheese, even mozzarella if you like it.
• BECHAMEL: For a creamier result, you can add a little bit of Bechamel to each layer, just like in the classic lasagna recipe.
• NO MEAT: Finally, nothing prevents you from making baked ziti without meat. For example, they are great with layers of tomato, mozzarella and basil. Ideal for a light summer meal. Or you can vary it with different types of vegetables that you prefer grilled, fried or diced stewed. However, you must always have a creamy component, such as a cream cheese or sauce (béchamel or tomato sauce or ricotta or mascarpone) to add to each layer to blend all the ingredients well.

Curiosities

Ziti (or Zite) is a type of pasta with an elongated shape and a hollow center that originated in Naples and is made with durum wheat semolina.

Similar to bucatini because of their smooth, tubular surface, ziti can vary in size because Neapolitan tradition in some recipes requires them to be strictly broken by hand before cooking.

Ziti are mainly used in baked dishes, but not only. The most famous preparations of ziti are all'amatriciana, all'arrabbiata, with the Neapolitan ragu, but especially with the Genovese sauce, made with onions and meat.

ORIGIN OF THE NAME: According to Neapolitan tradition, this pasta was prepared on the occasion of engagements. In fact, newlyweds are called "ziti" in the Neapolitan dialect. It's also said that the "zita", or bride, would usually cook this pasta for her husband on their wedding day.

Even today, in Naples, ziti often appears on the menus of wedding banquets.

Recipe Card