Made with only five ingredients, this recipe for Baked Ziti is sure to be a crowd pleaser! The addition of garlic salt adds a twist to the dish!
Did I ever tell you about the cookbook challenge that I started?
Well, here’s the skinny on it:
Husband Man delivered the news a few months ago that he ‘thought’ my cookbook obsession was getting a ‘wee’ bit out of control.
He didn’t mind that I collected them, however, he mentioned that he was flabbergasted that the meals I chose to make every night didn’t originate from my collection (I’ve been using Pinterest and Google to find recipes lately).
I have all of these “said” cookbooks resting peacefully inside our pantry and truth be known, they take up half of the pantry space. While this issue isn’t exactly a deal breaker in our marriage, I painstakingly had to admit that he did have a point.
What was the meaning in collecting all of these books if I didn’t even at least attempt to try the recipes inside?
A couple of days after he spoke to me, I just stood there, in front of our pantry, staring at all of these books. I had no idea where to begin in terms of how to purge them. It was an overwhelming feeling.
I would close the pantry doors and then the next day, open them again, only to just stare at them with big, bulging eyes. I stared at them so hard one day that I literally had to take a nap because it made me tired. True story.
Finally, after about a week of going back and forth with it, I decided to examine each and every one of those books. I decided to give away the ones that I couldn’t see myself cooking from.
If I didn’t have a ‘passion’ for it, then it went in the Goodwill pile. I ended up giving away 12 books after it was all said and done
I made a personal promise to myself that I would make at least 7 or 8 recipes from each of the remaining books. If the majority of recipes need ‘tweaking,’ then the book gets tossed in the donation pile.
If the majority of recipes are hits with my family, then the book will be a keeper.
I’ve cooked my way through two cookbooks so far. I ended up tossing one that was a gift from my mom 🙁 As for the second one, it only took 5 recipes to win me over and realize that I needed to keep it!
This is where this recipe for baked ziti comes in!
EVERYONE in this family, to include my picky 8 year old son, LOVED this recipe! Five ingredients is all it takes to make this dish, which is what I adore.
Since this blog is all about saving time and money when it comes to food, I did a little experiment and froze an extra casserole for a month, just to see what would happen.
The verdict?? It WORKED and freezes wonderfully without the texture or taste being compromised.
I know, you can thank me later 🙂
We have added this recipe to our favorites collection and we hope you will too!
Visit the casserole section on the site for more delicious recipes like this one!
Ingredients
- 1 1/2 pounds ground beef
- 1 teaspoon garlic salt
- 8 ounce package of ziti cooked and drained
- 28 ounce jar of spaghetti sauce
- 2 cups of shredded mozzarella cheese
Equipment You'll Need
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
- Brown the ground beef in a non-stick skillet.
- Add the garlic salt while browning, stirring until crumbly.
- When the beef is brown on the inside and outside, drain well. Add the spaghetti sauce.
- Mix the ziti noodles with the spaghetti and meat sauce.
- Spoon into a 9x13 inch baking dish and top with mozzarella cheese.
- Cover with foil and bake for 30 minutes.
Libby's Notes
Brown the meat a day or two in advance and cook the noodles. Store both ingredients in separate containers. Freezer Tips:
To freeze, assemble the casserole (to include the cheese) in a disposable 9x13 aluminum pan. Do not bake. Wrap the pan tightly with saran wrap and again with aluminum foil. Label with production date. When ready to eat, place frozen casserole in the fridge overnight, then bake as directed the following day. Recipe Source:
From the cookbook, Take Five for Every Occasion
Where are the recipes? I see pictures of the food but can’t find the how to make it pages!
If you are viewing this from your phone, you need to click the ‘read more’ option inside the post and it will bring you to recipe and directions. If you are viewing this from your computer/desktop/laptop just scroll down to the end of the post and you will see the recipe card complete with ingredients and cooking instructions. Hope this helps 🙂
What if I am out of spaghetti sauce ? Can I substitute with tomato sauce / paste and add seasoning?
I have never tried it with tomato sauce or paste and seasoning. You can try it and see how it comes out. However, I would stick to spaghetti sauce if you can.
why not . ive used canned tomatoe sauce, which is base for spaghetti sauce. you can add tomato paste, water if you want a richer flavor. add in spices you like. oregano, basil, thyme, etc. fresh minced garlic, sauteed for few seconds for sure. or can use garlic salt, garlic powder. whichever you like for add ins to sauce.. peppers, onions sauteed, mushrooms, italian sausage cooked, hamburger cooked, garden veggies if you like,,a little bef broth, parmesan cheese.. and so on LOL good luck!
How long can you store this in the freezer?
I would store it for up to 2 months, but not any longer then that.
This is a huge family favorite in our house! It gets bonus points for being freezable!
I know what it’s like to have so many cookbooks. Our family moved a year ago and it took that move for me to scale down my collection.
I have a cross stitch sampler that says “My collection of cookbooks is greater than my cooking”.
I love that saying! Believe it or not, I’m still cooking through my collection…lol. It’s going to take a long while to get through all of them 😉 How did you scale your collection down?
I just made it for my family, with a side salad and garlic toast, and they LOVED it. It turned out pretty and yummy!!
I’m so glad to hear this! Yay!
This is really good! There are only 2 of here and occasionally the teenage granddaughter so here’s my tweak- I make this in 2 8×8 pans I use sauce with onions and garlic. I also add some fresh chopped mushrooms as we can’t get enough, Then we seal and freeze one (tape the reheating instructions and the use by date to the top and cover it with clear tape so it doesn’t smear when defrosting!) She was here to help me make it and we shared one between the 3 of us. We loved and and the extra went home with her so she can start dinner before her folks get home- a win/win! Thanks for posting this!
I’m so glad to hear this was a winner for you guys 🙂 We love freezing this dish as well 😉
What type of spaghetti sauce do you use?
We enjoy the tomato and basil kind. However, with this recipe, you can use any kind you enjoy and from any brand you like.
May I suggest to anyone getting ready to purge their cookbook collection, give your local library a call. I know my library has a great number of cookbooks, and would love your donation. Add the fact that you can always go back and borrow your books back if you need a recipe. Sharing is always best when it comes to cooking and eating!! Bon appetit!
That’s a good idea 😉 Thank you for sharing it with us Colette 😉
This could be made on top of the stove as a quick skillet recipe
Yes, it definitely could. Thank you so much for this tip Teri 🙂
My husband & I really enjoyed this dish
I’m so glad to hear this Christy 🙂 Thank you so much for letting us know 😉
Do you cook the noodles before adding to ground beef and sauce?
Hi Angela 🙂 Yes….you cook the noodles before adding to the ground beef and sauce 😉
BAKED ZITI, Wow my favorite. I love your idea of freezing it ahead of time ,
Thank You and Blessings..Pete
You are very welcome Pete! 😉
Can I sub the garlic salt with garlic powder? I’m out of the salt..
Yes! You sure can!
I’d like to make this tonight, but I have grated Parmesan on hand instead of the mozz. Could I substitute the parm for the mozzarella?
Yes, you sure can! Just keep in mind that it won’t be as “cheesy” as it would with mozzarella, but it definitely can be done.
We made this last night and it was great! Will this recipe work without the meat?
Hello Mike. I am so glad you enjoyed it. Yes, it will definitely work without meat.
Quick question? Do you cook the ziti noodles prior to mixing them with the meat sauce?
Yes you do.
What is the green stuff on top in the pictures?
I believe it may be dried basil. Can’t really say for certain though as these pictures were taken a few years back. The basil is not part of the ingredients because it is optional. Hope that helps some.
Hi there! Planning to make this recipe for dinner this week. My grocery store doesn’t have 8oz packages of dried pasta, only 16oz. Can I use the whole box or do I need to split it?
You can do either one….use the whole box or split it up. Either way will work 😉
Thank you for sharing this recipe! This is my family’s favorite baked ziti recipe (and we’ve tried a LOT of recipes to find our favorite!). I usually take half of the cheese and mix it with the cooked pasta and meat sauce before topping it with the remaining cheese so it’s extra cheesy throughout.
Oh you are so very welcome Ali. I am glad your family enjoys it! It’s a huge favorite here at our house as well. Thank you for sharing the tip about the cheese 😉