Baked Ziti : A Fan Fave Feed-a-Crowd Winter Dinner
Bring on the cozy, hearty meals where you can feed a crowd from one pan and have everyone go away happy. Think of this like an easier version of lasagna, loads of flavor, layers of cheese and a surprise pesto kick that makes it beat regular ole lasagna out everyday of the week! Plus, it gets more delicious when you let it rest together. So grab all of the ingredients, layer it all together, bake it today and enjoy the best leftovers ever.
I’m serious when I say this will feed a crowd. One pan feeds our family of 5 for 3+ meals! We’re all about feeding crowds and I’m continually on the hunt for dishes that are simple, quick and flavors that everyone loves. This one is one that our kids request whenever friends are coming to dinner, and that says it all.
Have fun filling your table with delicious food and time together!
Baked Ziti Ingredients :
1 lb (16oz) Ziti or Rigatoni
3 (23.5oz) jars Marinara - we love the Farmers’ Market Classic Marinara by Prego
16 oz Ricotta Cheese
1/2 cup Pesto
3 cups grated Mozzarella Cheese
1/2 cup grated Parmesan Cheese
1 tsp Italian Seasoning
Heat the Oven to 350 degrees and pull out a 9x13 inch baking dish
Fill a large pot with water and bring to a boil. Cook the pasta for 7-8 minutes. You want it to be slightly undercooked since it will be in sauce and baking for a bit in the oven. Drain and rinse the pasta with cold water.
While the pasta is cooking, mix together the Ricotta Cheese, Pesto, 1 1/2 cups Mozzarella, 1/4 cup Parmesean and Italian Seasoning.
Once your pasta is rinsed, start building the layers.
Pour one jar of sauce into the baking dish as the first layer
Pour in half of the noodles, spread them out to cover the pan
Dollop the Ricotta Cheese mixture around the entire pan and gently spread it as best you can
Now pour the next jar of sauce over the Ricotta Mixture
Add in the reamaining noodles
Cover with the remaining jar of sauce *I don’t always need the entire 3rd jar, the goal is that all of the noodles are covered
Top with the remaining Mozzerella and Parmesean
Bake for 40 minutes at 350 degrees. You want the sauce bubbling on the sides. If it’s not bubbling yet, gently lay a piece of tin foil over the pan to allow it to continue heating without toasting the top layer of cheese too much.
Let the dish rest for at least 10 minutes when you pull it out of the oven, it will help it set up a bit. The best part is cutting slices of it the next day for lunches or leftover dinner, it makes for the prettiest slices!
Need more tips and recipes to feed a crowd and fill your table? We filled our cookbook with that exact thing, full dinner menus all planned out to help you not just feed your family but invite your community in too.
