🇮🇹 No-Boil Recipe
Easy Baked Ziti
Five ingredients. Zero boiling. All the cheesy, saucy comfort you crave — straight from oven to table.
Prep
10 min
Bake
60 min
Serves
8
Difficulty
Easy!
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What You'll Need
2 (24-oz) jars marinara sauce
1 lb dried ziti pasta
1 lb fresh mozzarella, cubed ½"
2 oz Parmesan, finely grated (~1 cup)
1 container whole-milk ricotta cheese
Olive oil or cooking spray
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Let's Make It
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1Preheat & prep. Arrange a rack in the middle of the oven and heat to 400°F. Coat a 9×13-inch broiler-safe baking dish with olive oil or cooking spray.
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2Prep the cheeses. Drain and cut the fresh mozzarella into ½-inch cubes. Finely grate the Parmesan (about 1 cup).
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3Combine. Pour both jars of marinara sauce into the baking dish. Add the dried ziti, cubed mozzarella, and half the Parmesan. Toss everything together until the pasta is evenly coated in sauce.
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4Add ricotta. Dollop the ricotta evenly over the mixture and gently stir, keeping a few large pockets of ricotta here and there for creamy surprises. Spread into an even layer and sprinkle remaining Parmesan on top.
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5Cover & bake. Cover the dish tightly with aluminum foil. Bake until pasta is almost tender, about 40 minutes.
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6Uncover & finish. Remove the foil and continue baking until the pasta is fully tender and the top begins to brown, about 20 more minutes.
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7Broil for the finish. Switch to broil and cook for 2–3 minutes until the top is beautifully golden and bubbly. Let cool 10 minutes, then serve!
Why no boiling? Covering the dish tightly with foil lets the pasta steam-cook right in the marinara — the sauce does all the work! The secret is using enough sauce so nothing dries out. Two full jars is the magic number.
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Storage & Leftovers
Fridge: Store leftovers in an airtight container up to 5 days. Reheat in the oven at 325°F or in the microwave.
Freezer: Cool completely, wrap tightly in foil, and freeze up to 2 months. Bake from frozen — covered for 1 hour, then uncovered 15 more minutes.
Freezer: Cool completely, wrap tightly in foil, and freeze up to 2 months. Bake from frozen — covered for 1 hour, then uncovered 15 more minutes.
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Perfect Pairings
🥖 Garlic Bread 🥗 Caesar Salad 🥦 Sautéed Spinach 🍷 Chianti 🥬 Simple Green Salad