Freezer Make-Ahead Baked Ziti (Print version)

Hearty pasta bake with ziti, ricotta, mozzarella, and tomato sauce. Freezes beautifully for easy weeknight dinners.

# What You'll Need:

→ Pasta

01 - 1 pound ziti or penne pasta

→ Sauce

02 - 2 tablespoons olive oil
03 - 1 medium onion, finely chopped
04 - 3 garlic cloves, minced
05 - 1 pound Italian sausage or ground beef, optional
06 - 1 teaspoon dried oregano
07 - 1 teaspoon dried basil
08 - 1/2 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes, optional
09 - 1 (28-ounce) can crushed tomatoes
10 - 1 (15-ounce) can tomato sauce
11 - 1 teaspoon salt
12 - 1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
13 - 1 teaspoon sugar

→ Cheese Mixture

14 - 1 1/2 cups ricotta cheese
15 - 1 large egg
16 - 1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese
17 - 2 cups shredded mozzarella cheese, divided

# How to Make It:

01 - Preheat oven to 375°F. Select a 9x13-inch freezer-safe baking dish for optimal results.
02 - Bring a large pot of salted water to boil. Cook ziti until just al dente, approximately 2 minutes less than package directions. Drain and toss lightly with olive oil to prevent adhesion.
03 - Heat 2 tablespoons olive oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Add chopped onion and sauté until softened, about 4 minutes. Add minced garlic and cook for 1 additional minute.
04 - If using Italian sausage or ground beef, add to skillet and cook, breaking apart with spoon, until browned and cooked through. Drain excess fat if necessary.
05 - Stir in oregano, basil, red pepper flakes if desired, crushed tomatoes, tomato sauce, salt, pepper, and sugar. Simmer for 10 minutes, stirring occasionally. Remove from heat.
06 - In a mixing bowl, blend ricotta cheese, egg, Parmesan cheese, and 1 cup mozzarella until smooth and well incorporated.
07 - Spread 1 cup sauce across bottom of baking dish. Layer half the cooked pasta, followed by half the ricotta mixture, then half the remaining sauce. Repeat layers. Top with remaining 1 cup mozzarella cheese.
08 - Allow casserole to cool completely. Cover tightly with aluminum foil, label with date, and freeze up to 3 months.
09 - Preheat oven to 375°F. Bake covered for 60-75 minutes. Remove foil and bake uncovered for 20-25 minutes until bubbly and golden brown. For fresh baking, reduce covered time to 30 minutes, then uncover for 15 minutes.
10 - Allow casserole to stand for 10 minutes before portioning and serving.

# Expert Tips:

01 -
  • You can assemble it in 30 minutes, then forget about it until hunger strikes or chaos demands an easy dinner.
  • The freezer-to-table transition feels like magic, especially when you've forgotten you made it.
  • It feeds a crowd without requiring you to cook on the day people are actually coming over.
02 -
  • Undercooking the pasta is non-negotiable because it will continue cooking in the oven, and overcooked pasta in a baked dish becomes the texture equivalent of disappointment.
  • Cooling the assembled dish completely before freezing prevents condensation from turning your layers into a watery mess.
  • If baking fresh instead of frozen, reduce covered baking time to 30 minutes and uncover for 15 minutes, since everything's already hot and just needs to meld and brown.
03 -
  • Tossing hot, drained pasta with a tiny bit of olive oil prevents it from clumping together while you finish the sauce, saving you from broken pasta and frustration.
  • That teaspoon of sugar isn't sweetness sneaking in, it's the difference between sauce that tastes bright and balanced versus sauce that tastes aggressively acidic.
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