Baked Ziti Ground Beef

There's something about the smell of ground beef hitting hot oil that signals comfort is coming. My neighbor Maria taught me her version of baked ziti on a random Tuesday when I'd complained about needing to feed a crowd, and within an hour my kitchen smelled like her kitchen—all garlic, tomato, and melting cheese. That casserole was gone before dessert, and I've been making it ever since, always thinking of her standing at my stove with a wooden spoon, nodding approval.

I remember making this for my daughter's school potluck and how the other parents kept asking for the recipe, which felt ridiculous because it's so simple. The funny part was watching it disappear while I was still setting out the serving spoon—apparently I'd stumbled onto something that speaks to everyone. That's when I realized it's not the complexity, it's the generosity of a full baking dish that makes people happy.

Ingredients

• Ziti or penne pasta, 1 pound: The tubes catch sauce in every bite; don't skip the al dente part or you'll end up with mush after baking.
• Ground beef, 1 pound (85% lean): The 85% lean keeps things from turning into a grease slick, but don't get obsessed with exact percentages—reasonable ground beef works fine.
• Marinara sauce, 3 cups: Use whatever you trust; homemade is wonderful, but a good jarred sauce lets you focus on the assembly.
• Garlic, 2 cloves minced: Fresh matters here because it blooms in the hot oil and fills your kitchen with promise.
• Medium onion, finely chopped: It disappears into the sauce and adds sweetness that balances the tomato's tang.
• Olive oil, 2 tablespoons: Just enough to start the onion and beef without drowning them.
• Ricotta cheese, 1 1/2 cups: This is the creamy surprise layer that makes it feel luxurious; don't substitute cream cheese.
• Shredded mozzarella, 2 cups: The main event on top—get whole milk mozzarella if you can, it melts better.
• Grated Parmesan, 1/2 cup: The salty counterpoint that keeps everything from being one-note.
• Dried Italian herbs, 1 teaspoon: Basil or oregano both work; a blend is ideal because of the layered flavor.
• Salt and black pepper: Taste as you go—the marinara sauce is already seasoned, so go easy.
• Crushed red pepper flakes, 1/4 teaspoon (optional): A small pinch wakes everything up if your sauce is mild.

Instructions

Get your oven ready and set up:

Preheat to 375°F and grease your 9x13-inch baking dish with butter or oil so nothing sticks when it comes time to serve. Having everything prepped before you start cooking means you're not scrambling later.

Cook the pasta until it's just barely tender:

Bring salted water to a rolling boil, add the ziti, and fish out a piece a minute or two before the package says it's done—it'll keep cooking in the oven and you want it tender, not falling apart. Drain it well and set aside.

Build the beef sauce foundation:

Heat olive oil in a large skillet over medium heat, add the chopped onion, and let it soften until it looks translucent and smells sweet, about 3 minutes. Add the minced garlic and let it cook for exactly one more minute—any longer and it turns bitter.

Brown the ground beef until it's fully cooked:

Crumble the beef into the skillet, breaking it up with your spoon as it cooks so you get small pieces rather than clumps, about 6 to 8 minutes total. Spoon off any excess fat that pools on top—you want flavor, not grease.

Bring everything together in the sauce:

Pour in the marinara sauce, sprinkle in the Italian herbs, salt, pepper, and a pinch of red pepper flakes if you like heat, then let it all simmer gently for 5 minutes so the flavors get to know each other.

Mix the cheese and pasta together:

In a big bowl, combine the cooked pasta with half of the meat sauce, all the ricotta, and 1 cup of the mozzarella, folding it together gently so you don't crush the pasta or make the ricotta lumpy.

Layer everything into the baking dish:

Spread half the pasta mixture on the bottom, top with half the remaining sauce and half the Parmesan, then add the rest of the pasta, the remaining sauce, and finish with the last of the mozzarella and Parmesan—each layer gets its moment.

Bake covered, then uncovered until the cheese is golden:

Cover the dish tightly with foil and bake for 25 minutes so the heat penetrates evenly. Remove the foil and bake another 10 to 15 minutes until the cheese on top is bubbly and just starting to brown at the edges.

Let it rest before serving:

Pull it from the oven and let it sit for 10 minutes—this gives the cheese a chance to set slightly so you can actually get a clean scoop instead of everything sliding onto the plate.

Save

The moment I realized this dish was special wasn't the first time I made it—it was the third time, when my husband asked if I could make it for his coworker whose dad had just passed away. That baking dish became something beyond food, a quiet gesture when words felt small, and I understood then why people keep coming back to simple, generous things.

Why This Works as a Family Dinner

Everything happens in stages, which means you're never standing at the stove panicking, and everyone gets fed at the same time instead of you eating cold food after serving others. It also scales beautifully—make two dishes if you're feeding eight, or half a recipe if it's just three of you. The leftover texture actually improves because the pasta absorbs more sauce flavor overnight, which almost never happens with pasta dishes.

Variations That Actually Work

I've made this with ground turkey when beef felt heavy, and it works just as well if you don't skim on the seasoning. For a vegetarian version, sauté mushrooms, zucchini, or spinach until they release their water, then proceed as written—you lose nothing in translation. One winter I added a handful of fresh spinach right into the pasta mixture and everyone assumed it was intentional haute cuisine instead of a last-minute vegetable rescue.

What to Serve Alongside

A sharp green salad with lemon vinaigrette cuts through the richness perfectly and feels like a real meal instead of just cheese and carbs. Garlic bread is the expected sidekick, but honestly a simple baguette with good olive oil does just as much work for half the effort. If you're feeling ambitious, a chilled white wine like Pinot Grigio or a medium-bodied red like Chianti pairs beautifully because the acidity wakes up your palate between bites.

• Never skip the 10-minute rest after baking—it's the difference between a casserole and a sloppy mess on the plate.
• Make this on a night when you're not rushing because the prep is quick but deserves a calm kitchen.
• Leftovers reheat beautifully in a 350°F oven covered with foil for about 15 minutes, and taste even better the next day.

Save

This recipe became my default comfort food because it asks so little and gives so much back. It's the kind of dish that turns an ordinary weeknight into something warm and gathered.

Recipe FAQs

→ Can I use different pasta types?

Yes, penne or rigatoni work well as substitutes for ziti, holding sauce and cheese nicely.

→ How do I know when the baked dish is done?

Look for bubbling cheese and a golden crust on top; these indicate the dish is cooked through and ready.

→ Can I prepare this ahead of time?

Assemble the layers the day before, keep covered in the fridge, then bake fresh before serving for best results.

→ What can I use in place of ground beef?

Ground turkey, Italian sausage, or plant-based meat alternatives can be used to vary protein sources.

→ Should I drain the cooked beef before mixing?

Yes, draining excess fat improves the texture and prevents greasiness in the finished dish.