Easy Baked Ziti with Sausage

This easy Baked Ziti recipe includes sausage and tons of cheese! It’s perfect for feeding a crowd and can easily be prepared ahead of time.

Prep Time 30

Cook Time 1 15

Total Time 1 45

Servings 6 servings

Calories 604 kcal

1 pound ziti pasta classic shape to hold sauce nice
1 pound sweet Italian sausage brown it good for flavor and texture
3 cups spaghetti sauce favorite brand or homemade
1 cup grated Romano cheese split this up, use some in the mix and some on top
8 ounces diced mozzarella cheese chunks get all melty and stringy
4 ounces shredded mozzarella cheese sprinkle this on the top for a golden finish
Salt for pasta water seasoning
Olive oil or spray to grease the baking dish

First, you preheat your oven to 375 degrees Fahrenheit. This gets things ready for the final bake where you get the golden cheesy top.
Next, you cook that ziti pasta in boiling salted water until just al dente. You wanna drain it good and set aside while you cook the sausage.
Heat your skillet over medium, brown the sweet Italian sausage breaking it up with your spoon real good. Don’t forget to drain off any extra grease so your dish isn’t too oily.
Stir in the spaghetti sauce with the sausage and simmer this for about 5 minutes. This lets the flavors get all mingled and saucy.
In a big bowl, toss together your cooked pasta, the sausage and sauce mix, ¾ cup grated Romano, and the diced mozzarella. Stir it so it all gets well combined.
Transfer that mixture into a greased 9x13-inch dish. Top it with the rest of Romano cheese and shredded mozzarella. Bake for 25 to 30 minutes until bubbly and golden. Then, grab a plate and dig in while it’s hot and melty.

Serve hot and melty. If you have leftovers, they can be refrigerated for up to 4 days and frozen for up to 3 months.