I have a very simple test for deciding whether a pasta bake is worth making again.

When I cut into it the next day, is there still enough sauce hiding between the pasta—or has the whole thing turned into one giant, dry block of noodles?

This Baked Ziti definitely passes the test.

The first thing that got me interested in this version was the amount of seasoning going into the meat sauce. This isn’t just ground beef mixed with a jar of tomato sauce and buried under cheese. The meat itself gets paprika, onion powder, black pepper, and a little cayenne or chili flakes, with optional fennel seeds if you want them.

What Is Baked Ziti?

Baked Ziti is a classic Italian-American pasta bake made with tubular pasta, tomato-based meat sauce and plenty of cheese.

Ziti itself looks very similar to penne. The main difference is that ziti traditionally has a smooth exterior, while penne has ridges.

Can’t find ziti?

That’s completely fine.

You can use penne as a substitute, along with other similarly shaped pasta such as rigatoni, spirals or macaroni.

The important thing here isn’t obsessing over one exact pasta shape.

It’s making sure whatever pasta you use has plenty of that meat sauce and cheese surrounding it.

Ingredients You’ll Need

For the Pasta and Meat Sauce

You’ll need:

• 300g / 10 oz ziti or penne pasta
• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• 3 garlic cloves, minced
• 1 small onion, finely chopped
• 500g / 1 lb ground beef or pork, or a 50/50 combination
• 700g / 24 oz tomato passata
• ½ cup water
• 1 teaspoon dried basil
• 1 teaspoon dried oregano
• 1 teaspoon sugar

For the Seasonings

You’ll need:

• 2 teaspoons fennel seeds, optional
• 1 tablespoon paprika
• ¼ teaspoon cayenne pepper OR ¾ teaspoon chili flakes
• 2 teaspoons onion powder
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1 teaspoon black pepper

For the Cheesy Layers

You’ll need:

• 1 cup ricotta, optional
• 1 cup grated mozzarella
• 1 cup freshly grated Parmesan, optional
• Finely chopped parsley or basil, optional for garnish

That’s it.

8 Steps to Make Baked Ziti

Step 1: Cook the Pasta—but Not All the Way

Bring a large pot of water to a boil and cook 300g / 10 oz ziti or penne.

But here’s the important part:

Check the recommended cooking time on the package and cook your pasta for 2 minutes less than that.

Then drain it and return it to the pot.

Why undercook it?

Because this pasta isn’t done cooking yet.

It’s about to spend another 30-plus minutes surrounded by hot sauce in the oven. Fully cooking it now would give it too much opportunity to become soft later.

We’re going for baked ziti.

Not baked pasta pudding.

While you’re getting everything ready, preheat the oven to 350°F / 180°C.

Step 2: Start the Meat Sauce

Heat 1 tablespoon olive oil in a large skillet over high heat.

Add:

1 finely chopped small onion

and

3 minced garlic cloves.

Cook for approximately 2 minutes, until the onion becomes translucent.

Already smelling good?

We’re barely started.

Step 3: Brown and Season the Meat

Add 1 lb ground beef or pork—or a 50/50 combination of both.

Break the meat apart with your spoon or spatula as it cooks.

Once it’s just cooked through, add your seasonings:

• Fennel seeds, if using
• Paprika
• Cayenne OR chili flakes
• Onion powder
• Salt
• Black pepper

Cook the seasoned meat for another 2 minutes.

This step is one of the things that separates this recipe from a basic pasta bake.

We’re not relying on the tomato sauce to do all the work.

The meat itself gets properly seasoned first.

Step 4: Make the Tomato Meat Sauce

Now add:

700g / 24 oz tomato passata

½ cup water

1 teaspoon dried basil

1 teaspoon dried oregano

and

1 teaspoon sugar.

Stir everything together and bring the sauce to a simmer.

Then reduce the heat to low and let it cook for 10 minutes.

Taste and adjust the salt and pepper if necessary.

And remember: this sauce isn’t going into one little bowl.

It’s about to season an entire baking dish full of pasta, so it needs enough flavor to carry through the whole thing.

Step 5: Mix Some Sauce With the Ziti

Remember that pot of slightly undercooked pasta?

Bring it back.

Take approximately 2 cups of your meat sauce and pour it into the pot with the ziti.

Toss until the pasta is nicely coated.

This step matters more than it might seem.

Instead of putting plain pasta into the baking dish and hoping sauce somehow finds its way everywhere, we’re coating the pasta first.

Every tube starts with sauce already on it.

That’s exactly what we want.

Step 6: Assemble the Baked Ziti

Grab a 9×13-inch / 23×33cm baking dish.

Spread the sauced ziti evenly into the dish.

Now dollop 1 cup ricotta over the pasta, if you’re using it.

Don’t worry about spreading it into a perfectly smooth layer.

Those little pockets of ricotta are part of the fun.

Pour the remaining meat sauce over everything.

Then finish with:

1 cup grated mozzarella

and

1 cup freshly grated Parmesan, if using.

At this point, you’ve basically built a very convincing argument for turning the oven on.

Step 7: Bake It Covered

Loosely cover the baking dish with foil.

Make sure the foil isn’t pressed directly against the cheese.

Bake at 350°F / 180°C for 20 minutes.

Keeping it covered during this first stage helps everything heat through without letting the cheesy top brown too quickly.

And yes, patience is required.

We’re getting to the golden cheese.

Step 8: Uncover and Get That Cheese Golden

After 20 minutes, remove the foil.

Return the dish to the oven and bake for another 10–15 minutes.

Now we’re looking for that unmistakable baked-pasta finish:

bubbling sauce + melted cheese + golden patches across the top.

Once it reaches that point, take it out.

If you’d like, sprinkle the finished Baked Ziti with finely chopped parsley or basil.

Then serve it hot.

Preferably with a very large spoon.

Nobody needs a delicate serving of baked ziti.

You Can Try This Way:

Why Use Tomato Passata?

This is one of the most important details in this particular recipe.

Instead of ordinary diced or crushed tomatoes, the recipe uses tomato passata, which is generally sold as tomato puree in the U.S.

And no—this does not mean tomato paste.

Passata is smooth pureed tomato. Because it’s thicker and smoother than typical canned crushed tomatoes, it creates a sauce that coats the pasta particularly well.

That’s important when you’re baking pasta because moisture is your friend.

Nobody wants to break through a gorgeous layer of golden mozzarella only to discover dry pasta underneath.