Pasta Dinner Recipes: 45-Minute Baked Ziti with Beef Marinara

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45 minutes, feeds 6, freezes for 3 months

The layer order is the whole recipe. Sauce on the bottom so nothing sticks, then pasta, then dollops of seasoned ricotta pushed down into the gaps rather than spread flat, then more sauce and the mozzarella last. Undercook the pasta by three full minutes — it finishes in the oven, and this is where most baked ziti goes wrong.

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Why this one works

• Pasta boiled to al dente before baking comes out of the oven mushy. Three minutes short is the number.

• Ricotta mixed with egg and Parmesan sets into creamy pockets instead of running out watery.

• It assembles ahead, bakes from the fridge, and freezes for three months unbaked.

At a glance

• Prep time: 15 min

• Cook time: 30 min

• Total time: 45 min

• Yield: 6 servings

• Protein: 42g per serving

• Calories: 698 per serving

Ingredients

Beef marinara

• 1 tbsp olive oil

• 1 lb (450g) ground beef, 85/15

• 1 yellow onion, diced

• 4 garlic cloves, minced

• 2 tbsp tomato paste

• 1 tsp dried oregano

• 1 tsp dried basil

• 1/2 tsp fennel seeds, crushed

• 1/2 tsp red pepper flakes

• 1 jar (24 oz) marinara sauce

• 1 tsp kosher salt

Ricotta layer

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• 15 oz (425g) whole milk ricotta

• 1 egg

• 1/2 cup grated Parmesan

• 1/4 cup chopped fresh basil or parsley

• 1/4 tsp salt

• Black pepper

Assembly

• 1 lb (450g) ziti or penne

• 2 1/2 cups shredded low-moisture mozzarella

• Extra Parmesan, for the top

Instructions

1. Heat the oven, start the water. Preheat to 375F / 190C. Put a large pot of well-salted water on to boil.

2. Build the meat sauce. Heat the oil in a skillet over medium-high, brown the beef for 7 minutes, then add the onion and cook 4 minutes more. Add the garlic for one minute, then the tomato paste, oregano, basil, fennel and red pepper flakes and fry for 2 minutes until the paste darkens. Stir in the marinara and salt and simmer 5 minutes.

3. Undercook the pasta. Boil the ziti for three minutes less than the package says — it should be distinctly firm and chalky in the centre. Drain, but do not rinse.

4. Mix the ricotta. Stir the ricotta, egg, Parmesan, herbs, salt and pepper together until smooth. The egg is what sets it into creamy pockets rather than letting it weep.

5. Layer in order. Spread 1 cup of sauce in a 9x13 dish. Add half the pasta, then half the remaining sauce. Drop half the ricotta in spoonfuls and push them down between the pasta rather than spreading flat. Scatter 1 cup mozzarella. Repeat with the rest of the pasta, sauce and ricotta, and finish with the remaining mozzarella and a dusting of Parmesan.

6. Bake covered, then uncovered. Cover with foil, tenting it so it does not touch the cheese, and bake 20 minutes. Remove the foil and bake 10 to 12 minutes more, until the top is bubbling and browned in patches.

7. Rest before cutting. Let it stand 10 minutes. Cut it straight away and it slumps across the plate; rested, it holds a clean square.

Notes and swaps

• Make ahead: assemble, cover and refrigerate up to 2 days. Add 10 minutes to the covered bake time from cold.

• Freezing: assemble unbaked in a foil pan and freeze 3 months. Bake from frozen, covered, at 375F for 60 minutes, then uncovered 15 more.

• Fresh mozzarella releases water and makes the top soupy. Low-moisture shredded is the right call here.

Nutrition per serving

• Calories: 698

• Protein: 42g

• Carbohydrates: 64g

• Fat: 30g

• Fiber: 5g

• Sugar: 11g

• Sodium: 1180mg

Nutrition is an estimate calculated from the ingredients listed and will vary with brands and portion sizes.

Want the rest of them?

Thirty more weeknight dinners the whole table will eat — each one with a shopping list, a cost estimate and make-ahead notes.

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