Show that busy weeknight who’s boss with this 5-Ingredient Baked Ziti!
Take the worry out of weeknight dinners
I don’t know about you, but I’d be LOST if it weren’t for meal planning. Now, that’s not to say that I do a meal prep every weekend because, let’s be honest, sometimes I don’t. But I always make time to plan our meals for the coming week.
Here’s why it’s a non-negotiable in my life:
- I hate last minute scrambling for anything,
- I hate wasting food,
- I dislike overbuying at the grocery store (because, budget),
- I like to use up what I have on hand first (again, budget + waste).
And most of all, I like to have some modicum of predictability in my week. Meal planning let’s me accomplish all those things in about 15 minutes. And when I do have time to prep, well, that’s just icing on the cake. Even if it’s a super quick prep to knock out a big salad, wash and prep veggies for snacking and recipes and prepare a whole chicken to repurpose for other meals later in the week – it still gets me ahead for the week ahead and reduces the likelihood of not knowing the answer to ‘What’s for dinner?’ or having to scramble to put something on the table fast.
Which is why I’m sharing this 5-ingredient Baked Ziti recipe today. It’s a regular on our meal plan and something that I can prep ahead, stash in the fridge and pop in the oven when the week gets hectic – and I think you’ll like it, too!
Looking for guidance with meal planning? Check out Real Plans, a highly customizable online meal planning service that includes over 300 of our very own recipes.
Double up: Cook once and eat twice
Yes, you can freeze this 5-ingrdient Baked Ziti to make life even easier later on down the road when you need a ‘reheat & eat’ meal. If you’re using gluten-free pasta like I do, you’ll want to cook the noodles until they’re just shy of al dente so that when the dish is thawed and baked the noodles won’t turn to mush.
It’s best to thaw the dish overnight in the fridge then bake, covered with foil, at 400ºF for 35-40 minutes or until hot throughout then remove the foil for the last 5-10 minutes of baking to allow the cheese to get all melty and a little brown around the edges.
You CAN make this dish from frozen, however, it will take significantly longer to bake (covered with foil) – plan for at least an hour or more in the oven at 400ºF.
Looking for a meat-free option?
Just replace the ground beef and Italian sausage with 1-2 cups of your favorite cooked vegetables. I like sautéed zucchini, mushrooms and peppers but feel free to use that you have on hand. If using greens like spinach or kale, there’s no need to precook them – just stir them right into the pasta when you add the sugar-free marinara sauce and cheese.
Ready, Set, Plan!
And take a load off knowing that this 5-ingredient Baked Ziti will be waiting in the fridge (or freezer!) when you need it this week.
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5-Ingredient Baked Ziti
- Prep Time: 20 mins.
- Cook Time: 30 mins.
- Total Time: 50 mins.
- Yield: 8 1x
- Category: One-Dish, Freezer-friendly
- Cuisine: Gluten-free

Ingredients
- 12 oz. gluten-free pasta of choice
- ½ lb. bulk mild Italian sausage + 1/2 lb. ground beef (may use 1 lb. ground meat of choice)
- 1 tsp. garlic powder, optional
- 1 24-25 oz. jar sugar-free marinara sauce
- 1 1/2 cups mozzarella cheese, shredded
- 1 tsp. dried Italian seasoning
- Fresh basil, optional
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350°F. Grease a 9×13-inch baking dish (or two 9×9 baking dishes if freezing one) and set aside.
- Add ground beef and sausage to a skillet or saute pan over medium high heat. Using a spatula, break up the meat so it cooks quickly and evenly and cook until meat is no longer pink. Drain fat from meat, if needed.
- Transfer meat mixture to a paper towel lined plate using a slotted spoon or spatula.
- While meat is cooking, bring a large pot of water to a rolling boil. Add pasta and cook 10-11 minutes or until al dente (pasta should be slightly firm or it will become mushy when baked – and even a little more al dente if you plan to freeze it). Drain pasta and pour into the greased pan (or split between the two pans if freezing one).
- Add meat, Italian seasoning, marinara sauce and 3/4 cup cheese to the pan (or pans) with the noodles. Stir gently. Sprinkle with remaining 3/4 cup cheese.
- If freezing one pan, see instructions below.
- Cover pan with foil and bake for 30 minutes or until hot and bubbly. Remove foil for the last 10 minutes to allow cheese on top to melt.
- Sprinkle with fresh basil, if desired.
To freeze, prepare up through Step 5. Cover pan tightly with foil and transfer to the freezer. Will keep frozen for up to 3 months.
Thaw overnight in the fridge then bake, covered, at 400ºF for 35-45 minutes. To bake from frozen, bake at 400ºF for 60-75 minutes or until hot throughout.
Nutrition
- Serving Size: ⅛ recipe
- Calories: 362
- Sugar: 5g
- Sodium: 520mg
- Fat: 13g
- Carbohydrates: 41g
- Fiber: 3g
- Protein: 21g
What’s your go-to, make-ahead weeknight dinner? Tell us in the comments below!
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Gina says
Yum!! What are your favorite pasta brands and sauce?
Stacie Hassing says
Hi Gina, I would have to say for Gluten-free pasta my favorite brands would be Barilla or Ancient Harvest. I have also tried Banza which is a pasta made from beans and it was good but didn’t hold up as well. For sauce I usually choose Muir Glen. Hope that helps!
Gina says
Thanks so much!!
Linda Domes says
This looks delicious. Hw much Italian seasoning do you recommend? Step 5?
Stacie Hassing says
1 tsp. 🙂
Puneet says
I’m wondering (i) whether one could use cubes of chicken instead of the sausage and beef, and (ii) how one could convert this to a veg option e.g. use black beans and broccoli/cauliflower instead.
Thanks!
Stacie Hassing says
Hi Puneet! You could definitely try chicken in place of the sausage and beef. As far as the vegetarian option, that would be an entirely different recipe as the flavor would be much different. But it sounds good! 🙂
Kim S says
Italian seasoning is mentioned in the directions but not the ingredient list. How much? And where does the optional garlic go? Thank you!
Stacie Hassing says
1 tsp. of Italian seasoning and you can add the garlic with the meat.
Karen says
What brand of gf pasta do you think freezes best?
Stacie Hassing says
Hi Karen, I typically go with Barilla or Ancient Harvest Quinoa Pasta. DeBoles or Ronzoni would be a couple of other options for you. Hope that helps!
Susan says
Delicious! New family favorite…and so easy!
Stacie Hassing says
YES! Thank you for this awesome feedback! Glad you’re family loved it 🙂
Linda M7lcshy says
I am fixing this for our evening meal tonight and çant wait to taste it. Thanks for sharing it with all of us. Linda Mulcahy
Marcia says
I’m not super knowledgeable about freezing items. Do you fully cook the casserole then freeze it? Or do you assemble then freeze, thaw, cook? Thanks
Jessica Beacom says
Hi Marcia,
The best way to do this, if you’re freezing it, is to cook the noodles until they’re about half done (meaning, they’ll feel underdone when you bite into one) then mix together the noodles, sauce, and cheese and refrigerate that until it’s completely chilled. Then wrap the dish tightly and freeze. When it comes time to use it from the freezer, allow it to thaw overnight in the fridge then bake it covered until it’s hot in the center.
Shauna says
Thank you so much for including both a meat-free and a freezer option! I cook for just myself and boyfriend and often find we have WAY too much food. Love the recipe and this was delicious- will be making again!
Kirsi RHOADES says
This was a keeper for all 4 of my kids!! Thanks!
★★★★★
Jessica Beacom says
That’s awesome news!!
Courtney J Mohamed says
Nothing better than finding a recipe the whole family likes! Thank you
★★★★★
Jessica Beacom says
That is such a great feeling!
Vanessa Gorski-Villalobos says
Love this recipe! It’s got great basic instructions and easily allows for customization with other ingredients, like adding sautéed onions or other veg to the dish. Plus, it’s incredibly easy and a perfect Sunday evening meal that will last for several days with leftovers.
★★★★★