One-Pot Baked Ziti

One-Pot Baked Ziti – everything cooks in the same pot, even the pasta! Italian sausage, onion, garlic, crushed tomatoes, water, ziti pasta, ricotta, heavy cream, and mozzarella cheese – 100% from scratch pasta dish that is ready in under 30 minutes! Tastes better than any restaurant. Everyone (even the kids) LOVES this recipe!! Leftovers are equally delicious reheated. #pasta #onepot #sausage #cheese #casserole

plate of baked ziti

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No-Boil Baked Ziti with Homemade Sauce

I am so excited about this recipe. This is my new “go-to” recipe for Baked Ziti. I especially love that you don’t have to boil the pasta and this is made in one pot. My favorite cooking method!

This smelled AMAZING while it was cooking, and it tasted even better. Chicken Legs took one bite and said I could serve this in a restaurant. I had to agree. I actually thought it was better than any baked ziti I’ve had in a restaurant. It was seriously delicious! I had leftovers for lunch and it tasted just as good, if not better.

step by step photos of making baked ziti in a dutch oven

How to Make One-Pot Baked Ziti in a Dutch Oven

This pasta is SUPER easy to make. Start with browning some Italian sausage. Add dried onion and minced garlic. Cook the garlic for about 30 seconds and add tomatoes, salt, red pepper flakes, Italian seasoning, water, and uncooked ziti pasta. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat to low and cover skillet. Simmer until pasta is tender. Stir in ricotta cheese. Top the pasta with mozzarella cheese and broil until the cheese is melty.

  • I used sweet Italian sausage in this dish. You can swap it for a roll of breakfast sausage or ground beef if you prefer.
  • Make sure to use a can of good quality tomatoes. I like Red Gold Tomatoes. You can also splurge on a can of peeled whole San Marzano tomatoes and crushed them yourself. I pop the whole tomatoes in the food processor for a few seconds. YUM!
  • I used mozzarella cheese. Feel free to use any cheese you prefer – an Italian cheese blend or provolone would be delicious.
  • You can freeze the leftover pasta for a quick meal later.
dutch oven of baked ziti

What to Serve with Pasta

As I said, this pasta is FAN-FREAKING-TASIC! You just can’t beat a 100% from scratch pasta dish that is ready in under 30 minutes! This is easy enough for a weeknight, but fancy enough for company! We serve this pasta with a salad and some garlic bread. Here are a few of our favorite recipes from the blog that go great with this yummy pasta:

Creamy Italian Dressing

Creamy Italian Dressing Recipe – our favorite salad!!! Romaine, tomatoes, thinly sliced seedless cucumbers, sliced banana peppers, croutons, parmesan cheese,…

Carbone’s Garlic Bread

Carbone’s Garlic Bread – the recipe for the garlic bread from the famous NYC and Las Vegas restaurant. This is…

Italian Green Bean Salad

Italian Green Bean Salad – quick and delicious side dish! Green beans, tomatoes, garlic, olive oil, prosciutto, and mozzarella tossed…

plate of baked ziti

One-Pot Baked Ziti

Yield: 8 people
Prep Time 5 minutes
Cook Time 30 minutes
Total Time 35 minutes
One-Pot Baked Ziti – everything cooks in the same pot, even the pasta! Italian sausage, onion, garlic, crushed tomatoes, water, ziti pasta, ricotta, heavy cream, and mozzarella cheese – 100% from scratch pasta dish that is ready in under 30 minutes! Tastes better than any restaurant. Everyone (even the kids) LOVES this recipe!! Leftovers are equally delicious reheated. #pasta #onepot #sausage #cheese #casserole

Ingredients:

Instructions:

  • Brown Italian sausage in a Dutch Oven until browned. Drain fat.
  • Add onion flakes and garlic. Cook for 30-60 seconds, until fragrant. Stir in tomatoes, salt, red pepper flakes and Italian seasoning.
  • Add water and ziti pasta. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat to low and cover skillet. Simmer for 15-20 minutes, until pasta is tender.
  • Remove the pot from heat. Stir in ricotta and heavy cream. Cook on low for 5 minutes. Remove from heat. Top with mozzarella cheese. Broil until cheese is melted and bubbly.

Notes:

  • I used sweet Italian sausage in this dish. You can swap it for a roll of breakfast sausage or ground beef if you prefer.
  • Make sure to use a can of good quality tomatoes. I like Red Gold Tomatoes. You can also splurge on a can of peeled whole San Marzano tomatoes and crushed them yourself. I pop the whole tomatoes in the food processor for a few seconds. YUM!
  • I used mozzarella cheese. Feel free to use any cheese you prefer – an Italian cheese blend or provolone would be delicious.
  • You can freeze the leftover pasta for a quick meal later.

Steph

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making baked ziti in dutch oven

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Comments

  1. I've got an 11" skillet oven -worthy and with a lid. Think would work OK? add more liquid for being more spread out? Your recipes are so good.

  2. Thanks for this awesome recipe. The whole family enjoyed it, including my 8 and 9 yr olds. I think next time I will try no meat and more sauce. I had to put it in the fridge for dinner later so heating up in the microwave took about 15 minutes on the 'plate' setting and then just a little bit under the broiler. I had a bit of sticking on the bottom during the boiling and simmering stages, but it did come off during the sitting stage. I thought the cleaning would be touch because it looked stuck on, but it was super easy.

    Thanks again!

  3. Wonderful and filling! I'll try it next time minus the meat and maybe with more sauce. My two kids even enjoyed this one, they are 8 and 9. I had a bit of sticking when I was boiling and simmering, but it came off when it cooked/sat later. I had to store mine in the fridge for several hours and then heat it up in the microwave for dinner. It took about 15 min. to warm up on the plate setting and then I put it under the broiler for just a bit. The clean up was a snap!

    Thanks for the recipe!!

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