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Creamy baked ziti pasta topped with melted parmesan and mozzarella cheeses.
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5 from 6 votes

Easy Creamy Baked Ziti Recipe

Easy Baked Ziti is extra creamy, extra cheesy, and extra delicious. Filled with creamy meat sauce covering perfectly cooked ziti pasta and layered with parmesan and mozzarella cheese. A simple yet super tasty pasta dish everyone will love.
Author: Nikki Lee
Servings: 8 servings
Prep Time 15 minutes
Cook Time 45 minutes
Total Time 1 hour

Ingredients

  • 1 pound uncooked ziti
  • 1 to 1 ¼ pound lean ground beef
  • salt to taste
  • 48 ounces marinara sauce
  • ½ teaspoon black pepper
  • 1 teaspoon Italian seasoning
  • 1 cup heavy cream
  • 16 ounces shredded mozzarella cheese
  • ½ cup grated parmesan cheese

Instructions

  • Preheat the oven to 375°F and lightly spray a 9X11 casserole dish with cooking spray.
  • In a large saucepan, boil ziti pasta according to package instructions to al dente and drain. Then place ziti back into the pot.
  • Meanwhile, in a large skillet or pot, cook ground beef over medium-high heat crumbling with a spatula until browned and cooked through. Season with salt and pepper to taste. Drain on a paper towel-lined plate if desired.
    Add drained ground beef back to the skillet.
  • Add the marinara sauce to the ground beef along with pepper, Italian seasoning, and heavy cream. Stir until combined and warmed through.
  • Add the meat sauce to the drained pasta and stir until the pasta is well coated.
  • Pour half of the ziti and meat sauce mixture into the bottom of the prepared casserole dish. Then sprinkle with half of the parmesan and mozzarella cheeses.
  • Layer with the remaining ziti mixture and sprinkle the top with the remaining Parmesan and mozzarella cheeses.
  • Cover and bake at 375° for 25 minutes.
  • Remove the cover and bake an additional 15-20 minutes or until the baked ziti is bubbly and the cheese is golden.
  • Garnish with parsley or basil and serve.

Nutrition

Serving: 1serving | Calories: 647kcal | Carbohydrates: 54g | Protein: 40g | Fat: 30g | Saturated Fat: 17g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 2g | Monounsaturated Fat: 9g | Trans Fat: 1g | Cholesterol: 128mg | Sodium: 1329mg | Potassium: 965mg | Fiber: 5g | Sugar: 9g | Vitamin A: 1616IU | Vitamin C: 12mg | Calcium: 408mg | Iron: 4mg