Flavorful Baked Ziti Freezer Meal Recipe
This Flavorful Baked Ziti Freezer Meal is a comforting and delicious dish that can be prepared ahead of time for a quick and easy meal. With layers of ziti pasta, a flavorful tomato sauce, creamy ricotta cheese, and a cheesy topping, this baked ziti is sure to be a family favorite.
- Prep Time: 20 minutes
- Cook Time: 45 minutes
- Total Time: 1 hour 5 minutes
- Yield: 8 servings 1x
- Category: Main Dish
- Method: Baking
- Cuisine: Italian
- Diet: Vegetarian
Ingredients
Scale
Ricotta Mixture:
- 1 1/2 cups ricotta cheese (whole milk, part-skim, or homemade)
- 2 tablespoons high-quality olive oil
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1/2 teaspoon black pepper
Cheese Mixture:
- 3 cups mozzarella cheese, shredded
- 1 1/2 cups parmesan cheese, grated
Pasta:
- 1 1/2 pounds dry ziti pasta
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
Sauce:
- 3 garlic cloves, finely chopped
- 1/4 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes (adjust to taste)
- Two 28-ounce cans of crushed tomatoes
- 1/4 cup fresh basil, chopped
Instructions
- Step 1: Prepare the Oven and Cheese Mixtures Adjust oven rack to the middle position and preheat to 400°F. Mix ricotta mixture ingredients in a bowl. Toss mozzarella and Parmesan in another bowl.
- Step 2: Cook the Ziti Noodles Boil water, salt it, add pasta, cook for 5-6 minutes, reserve cooking water, drain pasta.
- Step 3: Prepare the Sauce In the pot, sauté oil, garlic, red pepper flakes, add tomatoes, simmer for 15 minutes, season.
- Step 4: Combine Pasta and Sauce Add pasta and reserved water to sauce, mix well.
- Step 5: Assemble the Ziti Layer pasta, ricotta mixture, remaining pasta, cheese mixture.
- Step 6: Bake and Serve Bake at 400°F for 25-35 minutes until golden. Cool for 15-20 minutes, sprinkle basil, and serve.
Notes
- This dish can be assembled ahead of time and frozen for later use.
- Feel free to customize the cheese mixtures according to your preferences.
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1 serving
- Calories: 420
- Sugar: 8g
- Sodium: 780mg
- Fat: 18g
- Saturated Fat: 9g
- Unsaturated Fat: 7g
- Trans Fat: 0g
- Carbohydrates: 42g
- Fiber: 3g
- Protein: 22g
- Cholesterol: 45mg
Keywords: Baked Ziti, Freezer Meal, Pasta Casserole, Comfort Food
