Baked Ziti with Meatballs

This Baked Ziti with Meatballs recipe is the ultimate comfort food. Pasta, gooey melted cheese and meatballs combine to create a delicious casserole!

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Is there anything more comforting than a pasta bake? A casserole dish filled with pasta, gooey melted cheese and homemade meatballs is almost impossible to resist. This Baked Ziti with Meatballs recipe is perfect for family dinners or casuals nights with friends. It’s the ultimate cozy, comfort food dinner!

For this recipe, I used homemade meatballs. I recognize that this does increase the overall time, and you could certainly just use store-bought meatballs instead. However, I highly recommend making homemade meatballs. These meatballs are made from a blend of ground beef and ground pork along with garlic, onions and herbs. They’re juicy, tender and delicious!

One trick to save time is to make the meatballs ahead of time – they freeze well! In fact, I often quadruple this meatball recipe and then keep a freezer bag full of baked meatballs tucked away for recipes like this. We’ll drop a couple frozen meatballs into a saucepan and let ’em simmer in marinara sauce for ~30 minutes. It’s one of those easy meals that we can always whip up with little notice.

Baked Ziti with Meatballs

This Baked Ziti with Meatballs is definitely one of our favorite meals to make! In addition to the homemade meatballs, this recipe also calls for homemade sauce. Just like with the meatballs, you can absolutely use a couple jars of store-bought sauce. However, this homemade tomato sauce is very easy to make! Garlic and red pepper flakes simmer in a bit of white wine. Add in a couple large cans of crushed tomatoes and some fresh herbs, and you’re all set.

The sauce gets mixed with cooked pasta in a large bowl and then transferred into a baking dish. Add in the meatballs and cover the top with mozzarella cheese and a couple spoonfuls of ricotta – then just sit back and wait until it’s bubbly and delicious.

The taste of this Baked Ziti with Meatballs is amazing – it’s like a big Italian-American hug in a casserole dish! And the best part about this recipe? The leftovers are just as good! Ok, maybe it’s a little bit better when it first comes out of the oven, but the leftovers are still delicious…and easy. Easy, delicious leftovers. Sign me up for that on a busy weeknight.

How to Store Leftovers

Leftover Baked Ziti should be stored in an airtight container in the refrigerator. There are a couple of options for reheating. The longer (but tastier) option is to spread a bit of tomato sauce (feel free to use a jar of store-bought sauce for reheating purposes) on a plate. Then place however much baked ziti you want to reheat on top of the plate. Spoon a bit more tomato sauce on top and then bake it in a 400°F oven for ~30-35 minutes.

The easier option is to just microwave the baked ziti for several minutes until hot. Of course, this option will not work for the entire casserole dish – you’ll only want to reheat individual portions this way.

Baked Ziti also freezes incredibly well! Just wrap the casserole dish tightly in two layers of aluminum foil and freeze for up to 3 months. Alternatively, slice the cooled baked ziti into serving sizes and then wrap each in plastic wrap. Let the frozen Baked Ziti thaw overnight in the fridge before reheating.

At the end of the day, this is a delicious and easy recipe that either feeds a crowd or produces leftovers for the week. Both ways are excellent in my opinion. Go ahead and whip up a favorite comfort food recipe tonight with this Baked Ziti with Meatballs. Cheers!

Did you make this Baked Ziti with Meatballs recipe at home? Leave a comment, or snap a photo and tag me on Instagram (@Spicedblog) – I’d love to see your version!

Baked Ziti with Meatballs

This Baked Ziti with Meatballs recipe is the ultimate comfort food. Pasta, gooey melted cheese and meatballs combine to create a delicious casserole!

5 from 2 votes

Print Pin Rate

Prep Time: 35 minutes minutes

Cook Time: 50 minutes minutes

Total Time: 1 hour hour 25 minutes minutes

Servings: 8 servings

Calories: 706kcal

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Ingredients

For the Meatballs

• ⅓ cup Italian-seasoned bread crumbs
• 2 Tbsp milk
• 1 Tbsp olive oil
• ½ medium white onion finely diced
• 8 oz. ground beef
• 8 oz. ground pork
• 1 large egg lightly beaten
• 2 Tbsp minced fresh Italian parsley
• 1 tsp garlic minced
• ½ tsp salt
• ½ tsp black pepper
• ½ tsp dried oregano
• ¼ tsp red pepper flakes
• 2 Tbsp grated Parmesan cheese

For the Sauce

• 16 oz. ziti pasta
• 2 Tbsp extra virgin olive oil
• 2 tsp minced garlic
• ¼ tsp crushed red pepper flakes
• ¾ cup dry white wine
• 2 28-oz. cans crushed tomatoes
• 1½ Tbsp chopped fresh basil
• 1½ Tbsp chopped fresh parsley plus more for garnishing
• 1 tsp kosher salt
• ½ tsp granulated sugar

For the Baked Ziti

• 3 cups shredded mozzarella cheese
• ½ cup whole milk ricotta cheese
• ½ cup grated Parmesan cheese

Instructions

For the Meatballs

• Preheat oven to 400°F. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper; set aside.
• Using a medium bowl, combine the bread crumbs and milk; let soak for 5 minutes.
• Meanwhile, add the olive oil to a medium frying pan and place over medium-high heat. Once hot, add the diced onions and cook for 6-7 minutes, or until onions begin to soften.
• Transfer onions and soaked bread crumbs into a large mixing bowl. Add all of the remaining meatball ingredients (beef, pork, egg, parsley, garlic, salt, pepper, oregano, red pepper and Parmesan cheese). Mix until just combined. (Tip: Take care not to overmix or the meatball may be tough.)
• Shape mixture into 12 balls and place meatballs 1” apart on prepared baking sheet.
• Bake for 18-22 minutes, or until meatballs are no longer pink in the center.
• While meatballs are baking, cook ziti according to package instructions in a large pot of salted water. Drain pasta and toss with a bit of milk to keep pasta from sticking together; set pasta aside.

For the Sauce

• Increase oven to 425°F.
• Using a large, deep skillet, add olive oil and place over medium-high heat.
• Once hot, add garlic and red pepper flakes; sauté, stirring often, for 1 minute.
• Add wine and bring to a boil. Once boiling, continue cooking for 5 minutes, stirring occasionally.
• Add tomatoes, basil, parsley, salt and sugar; stir until well combined.
• Bring mixture back to a boil then reduce heat to medium-low. Let simmer, stirring occasionally, for 10 minutes.

For the Baked Ziti

• Using a large bowl, add sauce, cooked pasta, 1½ cups mozzarella and cooked meatballs; stir until well combined.
• Spray a 9”x13” casserole dish with nonstick cooking spray. Transfer pasta mixture into dish.
• Top with remaining 1½ cups mozzarella, ricotta and Parmesan.
• Bake for 18-20 minutes, or until cheese has completely melted and top is golden brown.
• Sprinkle additional chopped parsley on top before serving.

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