If you have been following Daily DIY Life the past few weeks, then you know that we are really making a conscious effort to continue to Menu Plan and get in the habit of Freezer Cooking. Each week I am getting a little better at preparing and organizing our Menu and our Freezer. This week, we are making extra Baked Ziti for the Freezer. This Baked Ziti Recipe is a family favorite and we hardly ever have any left overs.
I don’t know about you, but when I go out somewhere and they have baked ziti I expect a saucy, cheesy, baked pan of gooey goodness. There is nothing worse than getting excited about all that cheesy yumminess only to get a plate of noodles and sauce. I hate to tell ya folks…That is NOT baked ziti! It’s noodles and sauce.
Baked Ziti Recipe – PIN IT FOR LATER
For more delicious recipes and other household ideas Follow Daily DIY Life on Pinterest!Â
[Tweet “Cheesey Baked Ziti #Recipe! Perfect for a #FreezerMeal! @DailyDIYLife #food #menuplanning”]
Our Baked Ziti recipe has 3 types of cheese! loads of sauce and meat. And our secret ingredient! Don’t knock it yet….even if your not a fan of sour cream, you won’t want to leave it out in this dish. I promise!
Baked Ziti – Yummy Cheesy Goodness!
*Recipe below makes 1 9×13 inch pan or 1 disposable 10×12 inch tin pan
Ingredients:
1- 1 pound box ziti – rigate noodles (rigate pasta has ridges! It will hold on to your sauce better)
1 pound lean ground beef
3 jars of your favorite spaghetti sauce (We LOVE Francesco Rinaldi!) (or 6 cups of your own homemade)
6 slices provolone cheese
1 1/2 cups mozzarella cheese (separated)
1/2 cup Parmesan or cheddar  cheese (we like both, depends what we have on hand)
3/4 cup sour cream
Directions:
Boil pasta according to package directions. Drain and set aside.
Brown up ground beef. Drain off the fat. Mix in sauce and let simmer 5 minutes to heat through.
Assembly:
Ladle 1 large spoonful of your sauce on the bottom of the pan and spread it around. This will keep your pasta from sticking.
Pour half of your noodles into the pan
Lay 6 slices of provolone cheese on top of the noodles. Covering as much of the noodles as your can (Add more cheese if you like)
Spoon your sour cream on top of the provolone cheese. spreading over as much of the pan as you can.
Spread half of your sauce over pan
Add the remaining half of your noodles
Sprinkle 1 cup of the mozzarella cheese over your noodles.
Spread the remaining sauce over cheese.
Top your baked ziti with 1/2 cup mmozzarella and 1/2 cup parmesan (or cheddar).
To bake: Bake in a 350 degree oven for 30 – 40 minutes until cheese melts and the edges are browned.
To Freeze: Wrap tightly with plastic wrap, gently pushing on to the surface. Cover tightly with a layer of good freezer aluminum foil. See all FREEZER PREP TIPS HERE. Place flat in the freezer. Will store for 2 – 3 months if properly packaged.
- 1- 1 pound box ziti
- 1 pound lean ground beef
- 3 jars of your favorite spaghetti sauce
- 6 slices provolone cheese
- 1½ cups mozzarella cheese (separated)
- ½ cup Parmesan or cheddar cheese
- ¾ cup sour cream
- Boil pasta according to package directions. Drain and set aside.
- Brown up ground beef. Drain off the fat. Mix in sauce and let simmer 5 minutes to heat through.
- Ladle 1 large spoonful of your sauce on the bottom of the pan and spread it around. This will keep your pasta from sticking.
- Pour half of your noodles into the pan
- Lay 6 slices of provolone cheese on top of the noodles. Covering as much of the noodles as your can (Add more cheese if you like)
- Spoon your sour cream on top of the provolone cheese. spreading over as much of the pan as you can.
- Spread half of your sauce over pan
- Add the remaining half of your noodles
- Sprinkle 1 cup of the mozzarella cheese over your noodles.
- Spread the remaining sauce over cheese.
- Top your baked ziti with ½ cup mozzarella and ½ cup parmesan (or cheddar).
- Bake in a 350 degree oven for 30 – 40 minutes until cheese melts and the edges are browned.
Â
You May Also Like :
Swedish Meatballs with Sausage
Never miss a RECIPE or a PROJECT again!! Sign up for our Weekly Newsletter HERE !!
You can also LIKE US ON FACEBOOK or FOLLOW US ON TWITTER for real time updates when we add new stuff!
I love baked zita…what a great idea to make it and freeze it! Never tried it with sour cream, but will do for sure!
It’s so good you dont even really taste it. but it just adds that little extra zip. Have been doing it that way for years. Hope you give it a try!
G’day! One word? YUM! Thanks for sharing at our #SayGdayParty! Please make sure to revisit if you haven’t already and say G’day to the hosts and someone else at the party! Cheers! Joanne @ What’s On The List Pinned
Hi Joanne, Thanks for the kind comments. Will definitely be back. One of my favorite Link Ups. Have a great week!
Oh yum! I’m adding this to my meal plan rotation. Just might make it this week! 😉
Thanks so much for sharing your creativity on Show Me Saturday! We look forward to you linking up again!
Happy Halloween!
~ Ashley
Thanks for stopping by Ashley! I hope your able to give it a try. Have a great weekend.
Can it go from the freezer to the oven or should it be thawed first?
Can’t wait to try it!! Sounds delicious.
I can’t say I have taken it from freezer to oven but I don’t see why it wouldn’t be fine. Might take a little longer cook time. I usually take it out earlier in the day for that night. Would love to hear if you did it that way and how it turned out for you. Thanks for stopping by Dan!
once thawed how long do you bake it for again and on what temp?
30 minutes or so on 350 will do it. Just until the cheese is melted and bubbly around the edges.
Hi, having a big get-to-gether this weekend and making this!! To reheat, what do I do?? How long in oven and what temp?
So sorry for the late response, I have been away most of the week. If you are still planning on making this it cooks about 25 to 30 minutes if fresh/defrosted and about 2 hours from frozen. Again, so sorry for the delay. I hope you were able to give it a try this way.