Quick and Easy Baked Ziti with Beef and Cheese
This Easy Baked Ziti is delicious and comfort food at its best. If you’re looking for an easy meal for a busy weeknight, you’ll want to make our ziti this week.
Easy Cheesy Baked Ziti Recipe
This method of preparation will be your new favorite way to make a hamburger casserole. We used one pot and one baking dish for easy cleanup. This recipe turns out a creamy and flavorful dish that takes just five minutes to prepare and 35 minutes in the oven.
Ground beef, onion and garlic, seasoning, melty cheese, and ziti come together to create amazing flavors your whole family will love. Though we love to eat all kinds of food, we also appreciate meals that are no-fuss, especially when life is busier than we’d like.
We also make these beef Wet Burritos and this One Pan Honey Garlic Chicken when life is crazy. You don’t have to order take-out just because you’re busy! You’ll love both of these dishes and be making them on the regular.
Recipe Ingredients
- 1 pound ground beef
- 1 small onion, minced
- 1 teaspoon minced garlic
- 1 teaspoon olive oil
- 1 tablespoon tomato paste
- 1 large tomato, chopped
- ½ teaspoon Italian seasoning
- 1 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce
- 3 cups beef broth
- 1 cup half and half
- 1 ¼ cups uncooked ziti noodles
- 2 cups freshly grated cheddar cheese
Scroll down to the recipe card for a printable list of ingredients and directions.
How to Make Baked Ziti with Beef and Cheese
This recipe is so easy to prepare. Even brand-new cooks can’t mess this one up!
Preheat the oven to 400 F | 200 C. Grease a 9×13 inch baking dish.
Heat oil in a large soup pot over medium heat. Add beef, onion and garlic. Cook beef for 3 minutes.
To make a tomato sauce, stir together tomato paste, chopped tomato, Italian seasoning, and Worcestershire sauce. Cook for 1 minute.
Pour beef broth and half and half in the soup pot. Bring to a simmer and add pasta.
Cook uncovered for about 13 minutes, stirring occasionally. If you like your pasta al dente, taste a piece at about 10 minutes. Decrease the heat if you see it’s cooking too fast.
Remove the pasta mixture from the heat and transfer half of the pasta to the casserole dish.
Top with half the cheese. Add the rest of the pasta and top with the rest of the cheese.
Bake in the oven for 10-15 minutes until the cheese melts. Turn oven to low broil and watch until the top is crisp and nicely golden brown.
Let the dish rest for five minutes or so. Garnish with parsley and serve right away with a side salad and rosemary garlic bread.
Tips & Variations
- Taste as you go. Once the ground beef is cooked, taste to make sure the seasoning is right. As you add the tomatoes and other ingredients, taste again. You may be inspired to create something new by adding another herb or spice.
- Try a different tube-shaped pasta to switch things up. Rigatoni and penne pasta are both really delicious baked and may hold the sauce and cheese better than ziti pasta. Macaroni is really good in this dish, too.
- Try to make the time to shred your own cheese. Store bought shredded cheese has anti-caking agents so it doesn’t stick together in the bag. This also gives the cheese a bit of a different texture and it doesn’t melt as well.
- For a healthier dish, switch out ground beef for ground turkey. Any ground meat works well, including sausage.
- Adding ricotta cheese will give this pasta recipe more creaminess and an Italian flair. If you’re going Italian, switch out the cheddar for shredded or fresh mozzarella cheese and sprinkle with fresh parmesan cheese. Top the cheese mixture with fresh basil instead of parsley.
- Add red pepper flakes if you like a little heat. You can add a small dish of pepper flakes to the table so everyone can adjust the heat to their own tastes.
How to Store A Pasta Casserole
Store baked ziti in the refrigerator in an airtight container for up to 5 days or freeze in an airtight container for up to one month. If you don’t have an airtight container, wrap the dish tightly using plastic wrap. Either way, make sure you let the ziti cool before storing it.
Best Way to Reheat Leftovers
We reheat this dish in the microwave until heated through. You can also put it in the oven, but it will probably dry out unless you add a little moisture, like broth or water.
More Easy Pasta Dishes
Butternut Squash Pasta Sauce with Fettucine
Easy Baked Ziti
Equipment
- Baking dish
Ingredients
- 1 teaspoon olive oil
- 1 pound ground beef (453 g)
- 1 small onion minced
- 1 teaspoon minced garlic
- 1 tablespoon tomato paste
- 1 large tomato chopped
- ½ teaspoon Italian seasoning
- 1 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce
- 3 cups beef broth 25.36 fl.oz | 750 ml
- 1 cup half and half 8.84 fl.oz | 250 ml
- 1 ¼ cups uncooked ziti 6.17 oz | 175 g
- 2 cups freshly grated cheddar cheese (7.93 oz | 225 g
- Parsley optional garnish
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 400 F | 200 C. Grease a 9×13 inch baking dish.
- Heat oil in a large soup pot over medium heat. Add beef, onion and garlic. Cook beef for 3 minutes.
- To make a tomato sauce, stir together tomato paste, chopped tomato, Italian seasoning, and Worcestershire sauce. Cook for 1 minute.
- Pour beef broth and half and half in the soup pot. Bring to a simmer and add pasta.
- Cook uncovered for about 13 minutes, stirring occasionally. If you like your pasta al dente, taste a piece at about 10 minutes. Decrease the heat if you see it’s cooking too fast.
- Remove the pasta mixture from the heat and transfer half of the pasta to the casserole dish.
- Top with half the cheese. Repeat. Bake in the oven for 10-15 minutes until the cheese melts. Turn oven to low broil and watch until the top is crisp and nicely golden brown.
- Let the dish rest for five minutes or so. Garnish with parsley and serve right away with a side salad and rosemary garlic bread.
