Description
Indulge in the ultimate comfort food with this Million Dollar Baked Ziti recipe. Layers of pasta, savory meat sauce, a creamy cheese mixture, and gooey melted cheese come together in this deliciously rich and satisfying dish.
Ingredients
Scale
Pasta:
- 1 lb ziti pasta
Meat Sauce:
- 1 lb Italian sausage or ground beef
- 1 jar (24 oz) marinara sauce
- 1 can (15 oz) tomato sauce
- 3 cloves garlic, minced
- 1 medium onion, diced
- 1 teaspoon Italian seasoning
- Salt and black pepper to taste
Cheese Mixture:
- 8 oz cream cheese, softened
- 1 cup ricotta cheese
- 1/2 cup sour cream
- 2 cups shredded mozzarella cheese, divided
- 1 cup grated Parmesan cheese, divided
- 2 tablespoons fresh parsley, chopped
Instructions
- Preheat Oven: Preheat oven to 375°F (190°C).
- Cook Pasta: Cook ziti pasta until al dente, drain, and set aside.
- Prepare Meat Sauce: Brown sausage or beef, add onion, garlic, marinara sauce, tomato sauce, seasoning, salt, and pepper. Simmer.
- Mix Cheese: Combine cream cheese, ricotta, sour cream, 1 cup mozzarella, and 1/2 cup Parmesan.
- Layer: Spread meat sauce, pasta, cheese mixture, remaining pasta, meat sauce, top with mozzarella and Parmesan.
- Bake: Cover and bake for 20 mins, then uncover and bake for 10–15 mins until bubbly. Garnish with parsley.
Notes
- For extra flavor, add a pinch of red pepper flakes to the sauce.
- You can prepare this dish ahead and refrigerate it, then bake when ready to serve, adding 10–15 extra minutes to the covered baking time.
- Prep Time: 20 minutes
- Cook Time: 35 minutes
- Category: Main Course
- Method: Baking, stovetop sauté
- Cuisine: Italian-American
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1/8 casserole
- Calories: 640
- Sugar: 9 g
- Sodium: 980 mg
- Fat: 34 g
- Saturated Fat: 17 g
- Unsaturated Fat: 14 g
- Trans Fat: 0.5 g
- Carbohydrates: 53 g
- Fiber: 3 g
- Protein: 31 g
- Cholesterol: 115 mg
