Classic Cheesy Baked Ziti

Sure, you’ve made baked ziti hundreds of times — but this simple trick really takes it up a level!

Everyone has a recipe for baked ziti — you probably got yours from your mother, your sister-in-law, your grandmother or your neighbor. You may be thinking that all baked ziti recipes are more or less the same, so why fix it if ain’t broke. But sometimes the cheese in baked ziti doesn’t melt well and it ends up being kind of lumpy and unappetizing. Doing the extra little step here of melting the cheese with the milk and marinara sauce before baking takes this classic dish from good to amazing as it results in that perfect cheesy texture. It takes just five minutes and doesn’t even get an extra pot dirty (you just do it in the pot that you used to cook the pasta!).

While you can make this in a disposable pan, I like to make casseroles in an oven-to-table dish, so I can bring it straight to the table and it looks nice. This is especially true if you’re making this for Shavuos or another special occasion.

For the noodles, you don’t have to use specifically ziti noodles. Any hollow, tube-shaped noodle will do — including ziti, penne, mini penne, rigatoni, etc. If you’re confused by these Italian names, you can check out this dictionary of pasta shapes and what they look like!

Make this in advance up to the baking steps and then pop in the oven before supper.

Looking for a different dairy pasta dish? Try my pasta with pesto cream sauce or cheese stuffed shells for some other delicious options!

Classic Cheesy Baked Ziti

Sure, you have your recipe for ziti that you've been making forever…but this quick extra step will take your baked ziti up to the next level!

Print Recipe

Ingredients

• 1 1-lb. package penne or ziti noodles,* cooked and drained according to package instructions
• 1 24-oz. jar marinara sauce
• 1 cup milk
• 1½ cups (approx.) shredded cheese, plus more for sprinkling

Instructions

• Preheat oven to 350°F.
• In the same pot you used to cook the pasta, heat sauce and milk over medium flame. Using a whisk, stir slowly. Once sauce starts bubbling, add the cheese and mix until it is melted and fully incorporated.
• Add pasta and mix. Pour into a 9×13 disposable pan or oven-to-table dish.
• Top with some additional shredded cheese.
• Bake uncovered for 20-30 minutes, until cheese on top is melted and bubbly.

Notes

*You can really use any tube shaped noodle.

Recipe by Faigy Murray | https://mykitchenmystudio.com/classic-cheesy-baked-ziti/