Cheese Baked Ziti Recipes

FOUR-CHEESE BAKED ZITI

Steps:

• In a large nonstick skillet coated with cooking spray, cook the onion, green pepper and carrots until crisp-tender. Add garlic; cook 1 minute longer. Stir in the tomatoes, broth and pepper flakes; bring to a boil. Reduce heat; simmer, uncovered, for 15 minutes. , Cook ziti according to package directions; drain. Stir in the vegetable mixture, ricotta cheese, provolone cheese and basil. , Transfer to a 13x9-in. baking dish coated with cooking spray. Sprinkle with mozzarella and Parmesan cheeses. Bake, uncovered, at 425° for 10-15 minutes or until heated through and cheese is melted.

EXTRA CHEESY BAKED ZITI

Steps:

• Combine canned tomatoes and their juices, basil, garlic, salt, pepper and the mascarpone cheese in a blender or food processor. (A food mill will also work.) Blend until the basil and garlic are chopped into tiny bits and the sauce is well mixed. Taste and adjust with additional salt as needed. Set aside.
• Heat the oven to 425 degrees Fahrenheit (if your oven runs hot, reduce this to 400 degrees Fahrenheit.)
• Bring a large pot of salted water to the boil, add the pasta, and then cook for about half of the recommended cook time on the package (5 or 6 minutes). Save 1/2 cup of the pasta water, drain the pasta, and then place it back into the pot. Undercooking the pasta makes sure that it does not overcook when baked with the sauce in the oven.
• In a medium bowl, toss the mozzarella, Fontina and Pecorino Romano cheese together.
• Add the sauce, 1/4 cup of the reserved pasta water and three-quarters of the shredded cheese mix to the pot with pasta. Stir well. The mixture should look a bit thin, if it seems thick, add a splash more of the reserved pasta water.
• Transfer the ziti mixture to a large baking dish and top with the remaining shredded cheese mix. Bake 10 to 15 minutes or until the sauce is bubbling and the cheese is melted and golden brown on top. Allow the baked ziti to cool for 5 minutes before serving.

SUPER CHEESY BAKED ZITI

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C).
• Bring a large pot of lightly salted water to a boil. Add ziti and cook, stirring occasionally, until tender yet firm to the bite, about 11 minutes. Drain.
• Combine 4 cups mozzarella, pasta sauce, ricotta, cream cheese, 2 tablespoons Parmesan, Italian seasoning, garlic powder, and salt in a large mixing bowl. Add cooked ziti and mix well to coat. Transfer to a 9x13-inch glass baking dish. Sprinkle remaining mozzarella and Parmesan over top, along with parsley. Cover with foil.
• Bake in the preheated oven until thoroughly heated and cheese on top is melted, 20 to 30 minutes.

SIMPLE CHEESY BAKED ZITI

Steps:

• Heat the oven to 350 degrees F.
• Bring a large pot of salted water to boil and add the ziti. Cook until tender, about 8 minutes, then drain the pasta.
• Place the ziti in a large bowl.
• Mix with the ricotta and half of the mozzarella.
• Grease a 9 x 13-inch casserole dish. Use butter, it tastes better.
• Mix the oregano and the paprika into the spaghetti sauce.
• Pour half of the spaghetti sauce on the bottom of the pan.
• Add the ziti mixture and cover with the remaining sauce.
• Sprinkle with Parmesan and the remaining mozzarella.
• Bake uncovered, for 20 to 30 minutes, until the casserole bubbles on the edges.

CREAMY BAKED ZITI

Steps:

• Heat oven to 375 degrees F.
• Cook pasta in large saucepan as directed on package, omitting salt. Remove from pan; drain. Meanwhile, add marinara sauce, tomatoes and cream cheese to same pan; cook on medium heat 5 min. or until cream cheese is melted and mixture is well blended, stirring frequently. Return pasta to pan; mix well.
• Layer half the pasta mixture in 13x9-inch baking dish; cover with layers of sour cream, 1 cup mozzarella and remaining pasta mixture. Top with remaining mozzarella and Parmesan.
• Bake 20 min. or until heated through.

DELICIOUSLY CHEESY BAKED ZITI

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 350 degrees fahrenheit.
• Cook ziti according to package directions; drain; set aside.
• Mix ricotta, egg, parsley, 1-1/2 cups of the mozarella cheese, and parmesan cheese in a large bowl.
• Mix cooked sausage and pasta in with ricotta mixture.
• Mix in 3/4 jar of sauce.
• Transfer mixture into a 2 quart casserole dish.
• Top with the rest of the sauce and mozarella cheese.
• Bake for 30 to 35 minutes, or until hot and bubbly.
• To freeze: Cover dish with foil and freeze. When frozen you can pop it out of the container and put in a freezer bag if desired.
• To heat: Thaw. Preheat oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit. Cover and bake for 20 minutes. Uncover and bake for 10-15 minutes more.

--4 CHEESE BAKED ZITI--

Steps:

• Cook pasta according to package directions; drain and return to the pan.
• Stir in Alfredo sauce and sour cream. Spoon half into a lightly greased 3-qt. baking dish.
• Combine the eggs, ricotta cheese, 1/4 cup Parmesan cheese, Romano cheese and parsley; spread over pasta.
• Top with remaining pasta mixture; sprinkle with mozzarella and remaining Parmesan.
• Cover and bake at 350° for 25 minutes. Uncover; bake 5-10 minutes longer or until bubbly.
• Serve with tossed salad and buttered Italian bread.

THREE-CHEESE BAKED ZITI WITH ITALIAN SAUSAGE

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F (190 degrees C). Spray a 4-quart rectangular baking dish with nonstick spray. Combine mozzarella and Italian blend cheeses in a bowl and place in the refrigerator.
• Bring a large pot of lightly salted water to a boil. Add ziti and cook, stirring occasionally, until tender yet firm to the bite, about 11 minutes. Drain.
• At the same time, heat 3 tablespoons oil in a Dutch oven over medium-high heat. Add sausage and break up into morsels. Sprinkle baking soda onto sausage, then add onion and garlic. Cook and stir, continuing to break up any clumps as it cooks, until browned and crumbly, 5 to 7 minutes. Pour off and discard any grease.
• Add pasta sauce, olives, fennel seeds, Italian seasoning, anchovy paste, black pepper, and red pepper flakes. Add up to 3 tablespoons more oil if desired, and continue stirring until mixture comes to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer, stirring regularly, until thickened, 5 to 10 minutes. Remove from the heat and stir in ziti.
• Spread 1/2 of the sauced ziti into the prepared baking dish and sprinkle 1/2 of the shredded cheese mixture evenly on top. Spoon or ladle the rest of the ziti evenly on top without disturbing the layers underneath; it's okay to have some ziti partially exposed as they will brown handsomely and deliciously as they bake. Sprinkle remaining shredded cheese mixture on top and sprinkle Parmesan across the surface.
• Bake, uncovered, in the preheated oven until bubbly, 20 to 25 minutes. Remove from the oven and let rest for 15 minutes before serving.

BAKED ZITI II

Steps:

• Bring a large pot of lightly salted water to a boil. Add ziti and cook for 8 to 10 minutes or until al dente; drain and rinse.
• In a medium bowl, mix ziti, ricotta cheese, mozzarella cheese, egg and 1 1/2 cups spaghetti sauce.
• Preheat oven to 375 degrees F (190 degrees C).
• Lightly grease a 9x13 inch baking dish and spoon in ziti mixture. Top with remaining spaghetti sauce, followed by Parmesan cheese.
• Bake in preheated oven for 30 minutes; let stand for 15 minutes before serving.

FIVE-CHEESE ZITI AL FORNO

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 350°. Cook the pasta according to the package directions for al dente; drain., Meanwhile, in a large saucepan, combine the marinara sauce, Alfredo sauce, 1 cup mozzarella and the ricotta, provolone and Romano. Cook over medium heat until sauce begins to simmer and cheeses are melted. Stir in cooked pasta; pour mixture into a greased 13x9-in. baking dish. Top with remaining mozzarella cheese., In a small bowl, stir together Parmesan, bread crumbs, garlic and olive oil; sprinkle over the pasta., Bake, uncovered, until mixture is bubbly and topping is golden brown, 30-40 minutes. Let stand 10 minutes before serving. Garnish with fresh parsley or basil if desired.Freeze option: Cool the unbaked casserole; cover and freeze. To use, partially thaw in the refrigerator overnight. Remove from the refrigerator 30 minutes before baking. Preheat oven to 350°. Cover casserole with foil; bake 50 minutes. Uncover; bake until heated through and a thermometer inserted in center reads 165°, 15-20 minutes longer.

BAKED ZITI

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 350.
• Boil ziti, following package directions, drain and place in a large bowl.
• Mix all the ricotta cheese and half of the mozzarella with the ziti.
• Spray a 13x9 pan with Pam.
• Cover the bottom half of the pan with about half the sauce.
• Put the ziti mixture on top of sauce.
• Pour remaining sauce on top of ziti.
• Sprinkle with the parmesan cheese.
• Top with the remaining mozzarella cheese.
• Bake for 20-30 minutes until cheese is melted and it is lightly golden.

BAKED ZITI WITH CHEESE

Steps:

• Cook ziti according to package directions; drain and return to the pan. Stir in Alfredo sauce and sour cream. Spoon half into a lightly greased 3-qt. baking dish., In a small bowl, combine the eggs, ricotta cheese, 1/4 cup Parmesan cheese, Romano cheese and parsley; spread over pasta. Top with remaining pasta mixture; sprinkle with mozzarella and remaining Parmesan. , Cover and bake at 350° for 25 minutes or until a thermometer reads 160°. Uncover; bake 5-10 minutes longer or until bubbly.

CHEATER BAKED ZITI

Steps:

• Preheat an oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C).
• Fill a large pot with lightly salted water and bring to a boil. Stir in the ziti, and return to a boil. Cook the pasta uncovered, stirring occasionally, until the pasta has cooked through but is still slightly firm, about 12 minutes. Drain well.
• While the pasta is cooking, heat a large skillet over medium-high heat and stir in the sausage. Cook and stir until the sausage is crumbly, evenly browned, and no longer pink. Drain and discard any excess grease. Stir in the pasta, spaghetti sauce, and Alfredo sauce. Transfer the mixture into a large baking dish, and top with the Italian cheese blend.
• Bake in the preheated oven until the sauce is bubbly and the cheese is melted, about 15 minutes.