Easy Baked Pasta With Ground Beef
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10/06/2002
Just made this dish for dinner tonight and it was delicious. Instead of greasing the pan (I used a Pyrex dish) with butter, I sprayed a light coating of Pam; the pan was a breeze to clean afterward. Per some of the suggestions other reviewers made, I added minced garlic and had put the sauce directly on the ziti, before the provolone. Because I like the pasta to soak up the flavor of the sauce, I did the same for the top layer ziti, (adding the sauce to the ziti before the mozerella cheese). Since I wasn't sure if doing so would make the pasta too soft, I shaved a minute off of the suggested pasta boiling time. It came out perfect, this recipe is a keeper.
12/06/2006
I love this recipe! It gets five stars because, made as directed, it's absolutely delicious; creamy, savory and just perfect. If I could give this recipe more stars, I would, because it's also extremely flexible. I've made this with Italian sausage or ground turkey instead of the beef. I've also made a vegetarian version by substituting sliced zucchini and mushrooms for the meat. Sometimes I add chopped garlic and fennel seed. (There's something about fennel seed that, to me, is integral to Italian cooking. It's like cilantro to Mexican food.) Obviously, the key to the greatness of this recipe is the substitution of a layer of sour cream and provolone for the usual ricotta. That's what makes the dish so moist and creamy. Who hasn't make a beautiful lasagna only to have it dry out in the oven? I like ricotta as much as the next Italian-American, but the stuff is pretty dry and really adds no flavor. It's essentially just a binder. Here, the combination of the provolone melting into the sour cream is truly inspired; the sour cream adds moisture and the provolone adds flavor. I'm planning to use the same combo instead of ricotta in my next lasagna. The importance of using a high-quality sauce for this recipe almost goes without saying, so I'll stop here. Thanks, Colleen!
09/06/2007
Rewrite of review - This was one of the first recipes I found on Allrecipes back in 2002. Just made it again last night for friends (including 2 kids..who including the adults..went for seconds) and family. This dish makes plenty of leftovers - pack them in tupperware and freeze for another night. Always a fantastic turnout with this dish!! Did make a few altercations though...as always: Didnt realize i picked up Penne pasta instead of Ziti at the store. I omitted the onions. Used hot italian turkey sausage (squeezed the meat out of the casings and cooked it like you'd cook ground beef). Seasoned the meat with pepper, garlic powder, onion powder, and Mrs Dash. Added 2 TBS of minced garlic to browning meat. Added 1 (drained) can of mushroom pieces with stems. Added 2 jars of pasta sauce and let simmer for 15 mins. Halved the amount of (reduced fat/light) sour cream and replaced it with (reduced fat/light) ricotta. And used the rest of the ingredients off the recipe. Layered PAM sprayed Pyrex baking dishes like so...Ziti, sauce, Provolone, Sour Cream, Ricotta, ziti, rest of sauce and Sargento's Italian 6 Shredded Cheese Blend - Mozzarella, Provolone, Asiago and Parmesan. Covered with foil and baked for 30 mins. :) Yummmmy **TIP** Unless you have a big family or are having company...i suggest if you are feeding up to 4 people to half the recipe. Thanks Colleen for a great recipe!
04/02/2005
This is great! I use 1 pound ground beef and 1 pound Italian sausage and add onion, green pepper and garlic while browning. I add 1 TBSP of Italian seasoning, sliced mushrooms and sliced black olives to the sauce. I mix the pasta and meat sauce together, place half the mixture in the pan, then the sour cream and 1/2 of the cheese, then the remaining ziti mixture and top with the remaining cheese. I like the pasta completely coated with sauce. I use shredded Italian blend cheese and PILE it on, at least double what the recipe calls for, and increase the Parmesan as well. Definitely use 2 jars of sauce, it sounds like a lot but other wise the Ziti will be dry. This is perfect for a family gathering, it makes a lot.
06/20/2003
Delicious and great make-ahead recipe for entertaining. Read a ton of the reviews and recommend following changes suggested by others: use larger dish (31/2-4 qt.), saute several cloves of minced garlic w/meat and onion, add layer of sauce over ziti before provolone/sour cream layer, cover while baking so it doesn't dry out, if making ahead and refrigerating, be sure to double the cooking time. I used Bertolli Five Cheese spaghetti sauce with a little sugar and crushed red pepper -- excellent! If
04/28/2002
This was a really good recipe. I wasn't able to find any sliced provolone cheese so I substituted it w/ a shredded cheese w/ provolone in it. It still came out great, but it was difficult to spread the sour cream. That was easily corrected by placing the sour cream in a zip lock bag, snipping a corner, and then evenly spreading it over the ingredients. Everyone in my family loved it!
09/27/2002
This recipe was easy and good, and as other reviewers have said it is very similar to lasagna. I would make one change next time I make it and put the bottom layer of sauce dirctly on the noodles, then the cheese on top of that. When assembled as directed, the provolone cheese layer made a barrier and kept the sauce away from the noodles below and made for a layer of naked noodles at the bottom. I also ended up with extra sauce while assembling because it didn't settle down to the bottom. This recipe makes a VERY full 9X13 pan, and definitely use a well seasoned sauce (like tomato & basil) and the half & half ground beef and italian sausage. My 3 year old really like it too! Thank you!
11/30/2004
The reason why I love this site, is to be able to try new recipes. If you are going to suggest making a completely different recipe in a REVIEWRATE, then submit your own recipe. It's not fair to the other person to have their version shot down completely. **I made this and took it to a family reunion this past summer....it was a big hit! Try it, you will be pleasantly surprised!**
04/22/2010
This was delicious, the only thing I changed was the addition of salt and pepper and 2 cloves minced garlic. Side note: I've noticed many of the reviews who rated this recipe low had modified the ingredients, in particular using ricotta cheese instead of sour cream. I thought the sour cream added a wonderful flavor and feel there is already plenty of cheese flavor and no need for ricotta. Reviewers need to remember that when modifying or customizing ingredients of recipes to their own liking or opinion it is inappropriate to leave a poor or low review or rating.
01/05/2013
Love this Ziti!!! Simple to prepare, flavorful, and very easy to modify based on your own family's preferences. I made the recipe exactly as stated with the exception of the spaghetti sauce. As I didn't have any, I defrosted John Chandler's sauce from his "World's Best Lasagna" listed on Allrecipes. I'm sure using his sauce made all the difference! Thanks Colleen for submitting this recipe!
01/20/2012
Simply delicious! This is very easy to throw together and perfect for a hearty weeknight meal. So if your're in the mood for Italian but think you don't have the time - think again. I added 1/2 lb. of sausage to the ground beef and onion along with some fresh minced garlic. And, to the sauce I added a little red wine and some Italian seasoning to give a bit of a flavor boost. The sour cream was a nice change from the usual ricotta cheese and I just eyeballed the other cheeses when layering. I covered it and baked it a little longer than 30 minutes leaving it uncovered for the last 10 minutes. Great with garlic bread and a salad!
06/13/2002
I hope you are still reading your reviews, Colleen, after at least 2 years. This is the BEST BAKED ZITI! Your recipe is WONDERFUL as it is written, not to be changed. The sour cream and provolone is what makes it SPECIAL and DIFFERENT. Don't substitute anything. I used "Classico Sausage & Pepper" sauce and it was perfect, I destroyed my old baked ziti recipe.
07/21/2012
I've made this twice now: the first time with the ricotta substitution (per other reviews) and the second time with the sour cream (per the recipe). If you like a creamy sauce with your pasta, stick with the recipe. This was more to our taste and liking. Ricotta is too dry for Baked Ziti IMHO. I mixed half of the meat sauce with half of the ziti for first layer (stir to coat the ziti), added provolone and sour cream, then added the other half of the ziti and meat sauce. Topped with mozzarella and parmesan. Cook covered for 30 min, took foil off last 5 min to brown the cheese. It is super easy and tastes great, and worthy of company.
09/04/2003
This was great!!! I modified a few things from reading other reviews. I changed the serving size to 4 and that filled a 9x13 pan alone! I also did half ground beef and half ground sausage and used garlic powder and oregano when I browned it. I also used half sour cream and half ricotta cheese. Came out really good. I love cheese so I used a whole 16oz. of mozzarella. With the sauce I used half in my meat mixture and mixed the other half with the ziti noodles so they were completely covered in and out. Also when you bake it, COVER it with foil and the last 5 minutes uncover it and broil it so it gets that nice crispy brown topping! I loved it and my husband did also! Definitely a keeper!!!
08/07/2000
I was surprised at how good this was. I used organic, low fat sour cream; organic pasta sauce and 5% fat ground meat. I didn't expect much from this recipe but will definitely make this again. I think the sour cream did the trick. Now I'm wondering if sour cream would be a good replacement for ricotta in lasagne!
01/17/2003
I would have given this recipe 5 stars, but I must agree with a few of the other reviewers - the sour cream just doesn't fit the dish perfectly. I love sour cream, but I think the sour cream and provolone cheese would best be replaced by ricotta cheese. If you do that, and add in a little spinach, this becomes a very easy lasagna like dish. WARNING! This recipe fills a HEAPING 9x13 pan...so don't add anything unless you subtract something or it will not fit!! You could easily 1/2 this recipe and still generously feed a family of 4 and still have leftovers. Great staple to use in your regular menu rotation! Thanks!
12/06/2011
GREAT Recipe! BUT you MUST cover the dish with foil before putting it in the oven. I spotted this issue with the recipe before making it, but an inexperienced cook may not. Also, Mix the Ziti with the Sauce prior to layering cheeses. I just mix my pasta and sauce together, then layer 1/2 pasta and sauce mix, provolone, sour cream, 1/2 pasta, mozzerella on top. It is great. You can also add kalamato olives and mushrooms to the sauce for great flavor bonuses. I use Classico brand Tomato & Basil Sauce. It's perfect with this recipe and two jars is jut the right amount. TRUST THE SOUR CREAM!! I do not use ricotta. It's too heavy and not worth it. The sour cream is simple and it tastes amazing when it's done. TRUST IT. I'll make this again, for sure. The whole family loved it.
01/18/2007
This recipe Is WONDERFUL !!!. I Made this for dinner last night with garlic cheese bread - It was AWESOME !!! I used 1.5 lb.ground beef.I added the noodles to the meat sauce so it would soak into the noodles.Spray pan with cooking spray.I put half the pasta meat sauce in the pans (I used 2 pans because it made a lot) layered the provolone, sour cream and Mozzarella. Then put the rest of the pasta meat sauce on top and sprinkled with parmesan. Make sure you cover it with foil. I did add extra cheese - I like cheesy. The provolone was kind of hard to slice – next time I will have the deli slice it or buy it already sliced. YUMMY !!!!! (update) I gave this recipe to my sister and she said it was absolutely Wonderful !!! I froze half of it. I took it out of the freezer, put it into a casserole dish and covered with tin foil - baked at 350 for one hour YUMM!!!!! Thank you for sharing your recipe !!!!
08/08/2009
This is a wonderful recipe, tastier than your standard baked ziti, in fact much tastier than any I've had from a restaurant. The addition of provolone and substitution of sour cream (for ricotta) really kick up the flavor and makes it more savory. My wife who never really cared for baked ziti loves this dish. We use the "Old Italian Meat Sauce" recipe on this website which is really good. A little bit of advice for everyone who thinks of using ricotta instead of sour cream. Stop!!! Don't!!!. Once you do that it's pretty much just the standard old boring recipe. The sour cream is integral to making this dish such a keeper.
09/17/2002
I can not believe the rave reviews I received from this dish. My dad said he has never tasted any pasta dish that was a good as this one!!! I only made two slight adjustments to the ingredients, I used 1/2 lb of ground beef and 1/2 lb of ground sausage, and I also added garlic. UPDATE: I made this recipe again using fat free sour cream and cheese, big mistake, it lost all the flavor. Stick to the regular stuff
10/30/2002
I halved this recipe to fit a 8x8 dish and it was FULL. I used some leftover homemade spaghetti sauce. I also used ridged mostaccioli pasta (it's similar to ziti in shape except it has ridges on it that better hold the sauce). I also used ricotta cheese instead of sour cream. My grocery store was out of provolone and I used shredded mozzarella and colby jack. Even with the alterations I made, it turned out excellent. I served it with crusty garlic bread and it was a very filling meal. One last thing, since I was using homemade sauce out of the fridge, it was cold and I had to cook it about 50 min. So if you do this too, make sure you cook it long enough to warm everything up. Thanks for a great recipe Colleen!
02/13/2000
This was a big hit with my family. I used a jar of Ragu sauce with Romano cheese flavoring and was very happy with the results!
09/09/2002
Wow! This is a wonderful recipe. I have made it twice now, and it was great both times. I did cut the recipe in half, and it was enough for a couple of meals for the two of us. The first time, I used the amount of sour cream called for. The second time, I used half ricotta and half sour cream. They were both good, but it definitely needs some sour cream - it gives it a distinct flavor. This is a good meal for any night, but also would be perfect for company. It's very easy to put together. A lot of the taste of lasagna without all the work. Thanks so much for the recipe!
11/13/2002
This is a delicious recipe! I made half the recipe for the two of us and there was a perfect amount for a hearty dinner and lunch the next day for both of us. We're vegetarian so I made it meatless. I did add some Veggie sausages (Morningstar), but we both didn't really think they added to the taste of the dish very much. I did, saute onions, green peppers, mushrooms and garlic in a pot, and then added the sauce to the mixture. I added sun dried tomatoes, italian seasonings, salt, black pepper and crushed red pepper (we obviously like it spicy) to the sauce. Then, instead of layering the ziti and the sauce, I just mixed the cooked ziti into the sauce. That way, there was no plain pasta at the bottom of the pan. Then I layered with the provelone, sour cream, mozzarella and parmesean. I did use light sour cream (not nonfat). It barely fit into my 8x8 pan. I'm making this again this weekend for guests and will probably pair it with a garden salad and breadsticks. Yum!
10/05/2010
Liked this recipe. I omitted the onion and substituted ricotta for the sour cream per my family's tastes. I also mixed an egg into the ricotta to make it fluffy. I mixed the sauce and meat together and the ziti and the ricotta together. I layered the meat sauce first, then ziti/cheese, mozzarella, and parmesan. Ingredients made two layers. I chopped up the provolone and topped the dish prior to baking. Baked covered.
02/09/2011
I thought this was pretty good, but nothing too amazing. I cut the recipe in half and it fed 2 adults and 3 small children and had leftovers. I left out the Parmesan since we didn't have any.
08/21/2003
This is a very good, and hearty dish, BUT, next time when I make it I will do the following: Substitute Ricotta for the Sour Cream. And, substitute Ground Sausage for the Ground Beef. This I feel will make for a more delicious dish. BTW, this is a large dish. I filled up an entire 9x13 casserole dish, and my husband, son and I did not stop eating the leftovers until the 3rd day. So, you may want to halve this recipe as it can be too big.
10/23/2002
This was really great. I used skroodles, and it was perfect. I too was skeptical about the sour cream, but it was great. I used light sour cream, and it was fine. I also doctored the sauce and meat up quite a bit with fresh garlic, garlic powder, dried basil, crushed red pepper, black pepper, salt and a touch of sugar for a little sweetness (I find that it gives jarred sauce more of a homemade taste). Also, I halved the recipe and still had tons and tons of yummy pasta. This is going to be a family favorite for many years to come.
02/24/2004
This is Superb! Although I did alter a little away from recipe. I added minced garlic to my hamburger meat & other seasonings. The next time I make this I will Layer it different as the bottom layer was a lil' dry. I would recommend 1/2 pasta then some sauce then the following ingredients. Daughter says its better than Lasagna which she don't care for. All in all this was good. Do put some sauce on bottom atop of pasta! Makes a pan full I used a 9x14
10/01/2003
OK- here's my saga. I totally disagree with negative feedback on this recipe. I made major mistakes and it still turned out great. What did I do wrong you ask? Well... way too much sour cream (when it cooks it thickened and it was great), too much cheese, ingredients in the wrong order, no onion- just onion powder, and wrong kind of pasta. Regardless of all this, the kids were waiting for it when it came out of the oven. I served it to family (2 picky kids) and neighbor and all ate 2 platefuls. Not too cheesy or saucy at all. Did cook for 20 minutes longer. Biggest hint from me: use a good sauce, as most store boughts are gross. Good luck!
01/05/2003
This is, by far, the BEST ziti I have ever eaten. It is so easy and yet so incredibly flavorful. It has a much more distinct flavor than the recipes that use ricotta cheese and come out tasting bland. It also doesn't come out as dry as a lot of ziti recipes do. It is excellent the second day, as well! I used the 48 oz. jar of original Prego instead of 2-26 oz. jars, and it was a perfect amount and flavor. It is a lot of food to squeeze into the small 13x9 baking dish, but it will fit, and it will be gone before you know it. The entire family loved it, kids and adults alike. THANK YOU!
11/29/2001
The first time I tried this recipe, using fat-free sour cream, I didn't see what all the fuss was about. I tried it again with full-fat sour cream after reading some reviews and discovered just how wonderful this dish is! I was cooking for a vegetarian, so I substituted Morningstar's veggie crumbles for the ground beef, and I added some sliced portabello mushrooms and minced garlic to the sauce as well. This was one of the easiest dishes I have ever made, and so good, too!
06/04/2003
This was amazing. I used light sour cream and ground turkey to make it a bit healtier and it was gone instantly. Really good stuff.
10/06/2002
This was awesome! I used homemade spaghetti sauce with Italian sausage instead of ground beef and it turned out soooo delicious! Also used half sour cream and half ricotta cheese. Definitely will be putting this under family favorites.
06/16/2007
This was AMAZING! I was a bit hesitant to use sour cream instead of Ricotta but I'm glad I did. I also dont think it's fair to change the recipe in any way and not give five stars. I abhor jar sauce (and Ive tried them all). I used the "Best Marinara Sauce Yet" on this site and it was just perfect. The only thing I did differently was use a bigger pan and covered it until the last 5 minutes. This was the best Ziti I have ever made. I've tossed my old recipe. Thansk Colleen!
02/05/2007
This is very tasty and was very popular at a covered dish dinner. I varied it slightly, using 3/4 c. ricotta cheese and 3/4 c. sour cream instead of sour cream only. I also used 8 oz. each of the provolone and mozzarella cheeses. I mixed the ziti and sauce together before layering: 1/2 ziti/sauce mix, provolone cheese, ricotta cheese/sour cream mix, 1/2 mozzarella, remaining ziti/sauce mix, remaining mozzarella, and finally the parmesan cheese.
05/10/2006
Oh gosh, I really wanted to give this easy to prepare dish 5 stars but I just can't. A baked pasta dish (IMO) MUST NOT have too much sauce in order for it to come out really good. Too much sauce = liquid and too much liquid makes the pasta soggy and drowns it with the sauce flavor. I like my baked pasta to have that kind of chewy texture that comes from being slightly dried, otherwise you may as well make the good ol' wet spaghetti we all love. This dish came out something more like you'd expect from Hamburger Helper or canned Beefaroni not that there's anything wrong with that, (as Seinfeld would say ;)) but that's not what I want when I'm looking for "baked" pasta. If I were to try this again, at the very least I would reduce the sauce to 1 jar and bake it in a bigger pan so it could dry better but I'll probably keep exploring some of the other recipes instead.
02/04/2008
I changed this up a little. I used ground hot italian sausage in place of the ground beef, and added 2 garlic cloves to the onions. I mixed the cooked pasta with the sauce because I wanted to make sure the pasta got coated. I used low fat sour cream. I mixed all the cheeses together and just layered them in the middle and on top. Turned out great. My mother in law asked for the recipe!
02/04/2008
This is one of my most requested dishes at family gathering's! Alway's a big hit and gobbled up. I love the special taste the sour cream gives this dish. Concerning the calories,etc.,you can use ground turkey or no meat at all,fat free sour cream.
08/31/2002
I personally LOVED this...I tried to be sneaky and make the recipe without DH seeing the ingredients but he looked at my monitor and saw SOUR CREAM!!!! He hates sour cream and I can usually sneak it in if he doesn't see the ingredients LOL...funny thing is he can't taste it...I'm starting to think it's a psychological thing LOL!!!!!! Anyway, I think this was VERY easy to make and a hit with my 8 yr old, he ate every bit up! Makes a BIG dish so be sure to scale it down if you have a small family, otherwise you'll be left with a LOT of leftovers, which is also fine because it heats back up well! A deeper pan may help too...there are alot of ingredients in here. Very good stuff....be sure to try this one!
01/19/2003
The sour cream makes this a very moist dish. I made it without the meat. Everyone liked it. I made it in two square pans, one for now and one to freeze for later. 1/2 of the recipe made plenty for 2 adults and 3 small kids
01/24/2008
I have made this recipe several times and it is awesome! I do make one change, I replace the jar spaghetti, ground beef and onion, with the Betty Crocker Spagetti Sauce as follows: Cook and stir 1 lb ground beef, 1 large onion, and 1 clove garlic until light brown, drain and stir in 1 tsp sugar, 1 tsp dried oregano leaves, 3/4 tsp salt, 3/4 tsp dried basil, 1/2 tsp dried marjoram leaves, 1 can diced tomatoes undrained, 1 8 oz can tomatoe sauce. Cover and let simmer 1 hour. I usually double this recipe and whatever is leftover can be frozen for homemade spagetti later.
10/08/2002
A HUGE hit with my 17-year old son. I used bulk Italian sausage instead of ground beef for a little extra flavor. Like lasagne only not as heavy, and the sour cream adds a nice zing to it.
11/29/2001
Received mixed reviews when I baked this for my family. Was well received, overall, but I will add more meat and omit the sour cream next time (perhaps using ricotta cheese instead). The sour cream wasn't 'incorporated' well within the casserole (it was layered), and left a bad taste.
09/25/2002
I made this for my boyfriend last night. He loved it. He's Italian so he knows what he's talking about. He said that was the best baked ziti he ever had. I was a little hesitant about the sour cream but that made all the difference. But I used only one cup instead of one and a half. It was delicious. Try it!
10/18/2004
Great tasting ziti! A few suggestions - Add some minced garlic or a bit of garlic powder to give it some flavoring. I also used Garlic and Herb Pasta sauce to give it some added flavor. If you like very cheesey dishes, add more cheese, I didn't find this quite as cheesey as I'd like it to be, but still delicious, next time, more cheese! Bake for 30 minutes COVERED! The recipe doesn't tell you that, but cover to retain the moistness of the sauce. Bake for another 10 minutes (watch closely) uncovered to melt cheeses. This makes a VERY LARGE portion, so I recommend halving the recipe if there are 4 or less people you have to feed. I also drained the beef (after browning) before adding spagetti sauce which makes it less runny and retains flavor of pasta sauce. After the beef was done cooking, I mixed in the ziti with the beef and added the sauce that way so everything gets covered. I will definitely try this recipe again, though use half of what is recommended and more cheese! FYI: subsituting ricotta for sour cream will give it a more lasanga flavored taste.
06/09/2014
I think this is a great recipe. I have made it a few times playing around with sour cream vs. ricotta as some reviews have suggested. This last time I did 1/2 cup ricotta and the rest sour cream and I think that was my most favorite yet. Straight ricotta just isn't as good as with the sour cream (for my tastes anyway). I also found that mixing the noodles and sauce is the better way to go too so that you don't get dry patches of noodles throughout the pan. And as another reviewer suggested - make sure you buy a good quality jar sauce. That will be the difference between a great meal and a so so meal. Thanks for sharing!
01/17/2003
This was a great recipe - the first one I have gotten off of the website. I have made this dish twice now. I would suggest using only half the amount of sour cream as the full amount was a little much for me. It was really delicious!
05/27/2003
This was absolutely the best baked ziti I have ever eaten. My husband and 13 year old son loved it. I usually don't use jar sauce but I used Barilla's marinara and only used 1 jar. I love a lot of sauce but the 1 jar was enough. I cooked 3/4 of the box of ziti rigati. I read somewhere that the ziti with ridges is better for baked ziti because the cheese is able to stick to it better. Kept to the regular amounts of 1 1/2 cups sour cream, 6 oz. provolone & mozarella. I definitely had my doubts about the sour cream and provolone combo even after reading all of the reviews. I was shocked at the wonderful taste. After baking for 1/2 hour, I put under the broiler for a minute to cook the moz. cheese a little more. Definitely trying many more times!
11/09/2002
I do believe this is a grand recipe. Loved the taste and any combination of spaghetti sauce will work. Could even through in some sauteed mushrooms and green peppers to spruce it up a bit, but tastes wonderful as is. My aunt just loves Baked Ziti, and this recipe fits the bill. Thanks Colleen.
01/06/2006
As a a recent college grad who is slowly learning to cook without Hamburger Helper, I was a little nervous to cook something like this. It turned out so great that I even took a picture of it to send to my mom and sister, my cooking mentors. It was easy to prepare and delicious, and enough so that my roommate and I have lunch and dinner for the next week.
08/07/2012
I am of 100% Italian descent and grew up with my grandmother who cooked nothing but fresh from scratch italian meals. To be honest, she never really made baked ziti, mostly spaghettis and raviolis, linquine and clams. However, I had italian aunts who made baked ziti and it was definitely delish. But I have to say that this recipe by far is the best baked ziti ever, at least to me. I would have never thought to use sour cream, but it adds a flavor and a consistency that regular baked ziti doesn't have. I love this recipe and will only make my baked ziti this way from now on. Bon appetit or as the Italians would say, Mangia!
02/16/2011
I've made this a million times and everyone loves it. I mix the sour cream and the ziti noodles (and I have to admit that I'm a bit heavy-handed with the sour cream so it is definitely not dry!). I've also started doing half ground beef, half italian sausage. Add some fresh basil on top and it is just divine. Seriously, people rave about it and I'm known for this baked ziti.
12/14/2007
This is fantastic. I make one little change. I mix just a little bit of sauce and a touch of sour cream into the first layer of noodles. Just enough to coat everything but not enough to be sloppy. . .it keeps everything moist. You'll also want to make sure that your layer of provolone has openings to allow the sauce/sour cream to seep through. . you want that yummy mixture to seep in pockets into the noodles. I have doubled and tripled it for large meals and there are rarely leftovers. I also add in any veggies (onions, peppers, mushrooms) that I have on hand.
04/03/2008
This is pretty good. Everyone loved it! It certainly makes plenty! The only thing I can comment on is that if you dont like your top layered pasta 'crunchy', then cover the dish with foil during bake time. Thx.
10/22/2002
Good, but not "the best". I think this recipe would have been better with ricotta cheese vs. the sour cream.
02/17/2000
Definitely a 5 recipe card review. Works well with non-fat sour cream and non-fat mozarella. I used "Mom's Best Spaghetti Sauce " with this, minus the meatbalss, and increased the garilc by several cloves. Half of the recipe is enjoyed by my family, and the other half goes into the freezer or to a friend. Freezes well. You gotta try this one!
09/28/2002
Because I was catering my brothers party, I decided to make this with the addition of ricotta cheese and going meatless. The sour cream gave it a nice tang and the provolone cheese was a welcomed change. I'm not a huge pasta fan, but I did taste and my bro's guests went back for seconds and thirds. I guess that says it all. Thank you Taylor for your advice on this recipe and I'm glad you enjoyed my onion sauce!
04/11/2003
I want to give this recipe more than just a measly 5 stars! This has become the most requested dish that I have ever made. I have served this for dinner parties as well as for the immediate family. Always a huge hit and always make extra for those 2nd, even third, helpings. Also, I have lightened this recipe with ground turkey, fat free sour cream, and a low fat mozzarella and parmesan cheese mix. I use the Classico Sausage and Red Pepper jarred pasta sauce. Everyone at the last dinner party we had was floored to learn it was made with fat free and low call ingredients. I served the Ziti with classic Caesar Salad and croutons, Caprese Salad and Garlic Bread.
12/30/2010
I was really nervous about using sour cream but you couldn't even tell it was in there. It melts with the provolone and ends up blending in well. It reminded me of lasagna, but was much easier to prepare. I used sweet Italian sausage and squeezed it out of the casing. Spray your foil with a little bit of Pam to prevent the cheese from sticking to it. I also used a bigger baking dish than called for. I find it hard to believe that this would all fit into a 9x13.
10/06/2001
This dish is INCREDIBLE!!!! It tastes a lot like lasagna, but I actually like this better!
10/27/2002
Wow! I made this tonight and it was great! Easy, and really tasty. I added some garlic and italian seasoning to give it a little more flavor. Great recipe!
08/19/2007
I can see how so many people would like this, WE THOUGHT it was lacking something. I guess we could go through and read every couple thousand of reviews and see how people may have altered this recipe, but I'd rather just find a different one. My husband thought the SOUR CREAM didn't go well in this dish. I liked it ok, I just thought it was missing something that gave it the "WOW-FACTOR". Thank you for a good recipe though; AGAIN, I can understand why it is a good recipe for so many others.
01/27/2012
As written, I'd give 3.5 - 4 stars. I tried it this way and prefer the way I usually make it. Like many others I use Ricotta cheese as well. I have done it with adding an egg to it and without. I add spices to the Ricotta as well. I find it adds a nice creaminess to the dish. I also spend extra time seasoning the spaghetti sauce even though it's jarred. I always start the layering with a little sauce on the bottom of the pan before any ziti. To me, it's more important to get a little bit of everything in every serving rather than having a nice looking layered piece (like lasagna). I always end up topping with freshly shredded Parm cheese. Remove foil 5 -8 min before serving to get that nice bubbly browned topping. I reserve a tiny bit of spaghetti sauce for any leftovers in case a little is needed after being in fridge the next day. This is a go-to recipe in our house because it's so simple and SO good. Serve with a simple green salad and some good bread and you've got happy full stomaches for everyone!
04/09/2000
Excellent!!!This is easy to prepare ahead of time when company is coming over. I made it early for company and we had time to relax by the pool and visit then just baked it in the oven 30 min. before we wanted to eat. Everyone loved it and had seconds! I used 2 large cloves of garlic and a 9x13 pan. I will definately be making this again! Thanks! :)
06/09/2001
I added Italian seasoning,parsley,a bay leaf, and GARLIC to the sauce and beef/onion mixture, otherwise it wouldn't of had flavor. Also something that is left out is to cover the dish with foil before you put it in the oven, otherwise the pasta will dry out. You should remove the foil in the last few minutes of cooking to get slight browning of the top layer.
02/22/2000
everyone in our family loves this recipe. they always come back for seconds. this is the best italian dish i've ever made.
06/30/2008
I have to admit, growing up in an italian family, I'm pretty picky when it comes to italian dishes. I was quite intrigued because this dish doesn't include ricotta cheese which has always been a staple ingredient for my mom's version. However, my children aren't huge fans of ricotta. So I thought I'd give this recipe a try. I was pleasantly surprised at how wonderful this turned out!! My 3 boys and hubby LOVED it! The sour cream adds a great flavor and creamy texture that equals (and maybe surpasses) the ricotta. Like many other reviewers, I mixed the pasta in the sauce mixture then stirred in the shredded cheese (I also added more than recipe calls for). However, I did layer the sliced provolone and sour cream in between the two layers of ziti. Then topped with even MORE shredded cheese! I will certainly be making this again!!! Thanks for a great recipe that my whole family can enjoy!
08/09/2005
I substituted Italian sausage for the beef. Also, I had to use a larger pan than 9 x 13. Everyone in my family loves this from my picky 2-year-old to my husband!
10/28/2002
The whole family loved it.
05/13/2008
WONDERFUL! All of my guests wanted the recipe! I made a mistake, in that I made it, using a larger, and deeper pan, and made 1 1/2 recipe. Consequenly, it took longer to cook (double the time). Next time, I'll follow the recommendations! Thanks for a great recipe!
09/12/2010
Wonderful! I used ground turkey. I seasoned the meat with garlic, oregano, basil, onion and green pepper. I used a 6 cheese shredded cheese and topped in with Mozzarella and Parmesan cheese. I also mixed everything together, then added the cheese on top and covered the dish to bake. Husband gave it a thumbs up!
08/27/2010
Big hit with my family! Thanks for the recipe!
04/18/2007
THIS WAS SOOOOOO GOOD! Everytime I make it people ask for the recipe. I think the best suggestion that anyone has made for this recipe is to mix the pasta into the sour cream instead of layering the sour cream. The pasta stays so tender and you get a little taste of the sour cream with each bite. PERFECT!
08/13/2012
I've made this dish countless times. All 3 of my kids LOVE it. My tips are as follows: If you add the cooked Ziti to the meat/sauce mixture you do not have to grease/butter the baking dish. This recipe makes more than just one 9x13 pan so have another smaller pan for the extra's. Def. cover the dish when baking. Hope this helps!
10/21/2012
This was delicious! It tasted better than any restaurant baked ziti that I've ever ordered. I cut the entire recipe in half using the recipe adjuster. Two things I did differently based on reviews - First, I made sure to put a thin layer of the meat sauce on the bottom of the pan before the first layer of ziti. Second, I covered the dish with foil for the first 25 min of baking, then uncovered it for the last 5 min. I used an 8x8 glass pan and all of the ingredients for my half-recipe fit perfectly. I think the provolone and sour cream make this really special, yummy, and gooey. I used Prego 3-Cheese sauce. A keeper!!
02/10/2011
I just upsized this to make it for my Junior A hockey team (18-20 year olds). I made six 9" by 13" by 3" deep tubs of it, and the boys all had 2nds and 3rds. It is a SUPER recipe. I took a chance by using a recipe I have never tried and made it for the 25 players on the team and Coaches, an equivelent of 50 people (they can really eat!) and it was a HIT!
01/01/2015
This was the first time I've ever tried doing a baked ziti and it came out perfect! Only thing I did different after reading some reviews was using half the sour cream and adding in ricotta to make the 1.5 cups. I also covered when I baked it too. This is great especially if you have a lot of people over and don't want to spend all day in the kitchen.
01/04/2015
Fantastic. I used greek yogurt instead of sour cream to cut calories a bit but everything else was as written. My 4 and 5 year olds loved it.
02/04/2008
A great recipe I like to freeze in batches and enjoy weeks later. I replaced the sour cream with ricotta (I've tried it both ways, and the ricotta gives it a better flavor). I eyeball the amount of spag sauce - it usually comes out to 1 1/2 jars. It's like lasagna...but easier!
02/19/2009
I adore this recipe! Any adjustments are for personal taste, I added some garlic and a pizza-takeout package of red pepper to the sauce while cooking and we couldn't get enough! NOTE: Do cover it with tented foil while baking (of course), and stir together the sauce and pasta before layering to really get the sauce throughout. Spreading the sour cream on top of *slices* of provalone made things a little easier, as well. :) I made this for game night with friends and there have been constant requests for it ever since. One of the top recipes ever!
05/22/2000
Delicious! Definitely a keeper!
05/01/2008
MM MM GOOD!!! I used ground turkey, less sour cream, added some ricotta cheese, tossed the pasta in the sauce so it would not dry out and added some Italian spices. I layered it as follows: sauce/pasta, sour cream, cheeses and repeat. Using fresh mozzarella makes a difference as well as good quality organic pasta sauce. People @ the potluck raved!!! Will make again!!! Thanks!
11/04/2002
This is the BEST recipe! Easy and couldn't be better. We will be making this one A LOT! My husband said if it was on a menu in a restaurant, he'd never try anything else on the menu. Sauteed the onion and a few cloves of garlic first. Used 1 Prego mushroom sauce and 1 other Prego sauce (had more garlic in it)Also, used rigatoni noodles instead of ziti.
01/09/2013
I have made this recipe now for about 1 year on different occasions. Everybody, and I mean everybody loves it! Thank you for allowing me to cook with these directions for my family and friends!
10/20/2011
Absolutely delicious :) I did take the more Italian route...I boiled the ziti and tossed it with a 400 g container of ricotta and 1 egg. I made the sauce the same way except my package of meat was almost 700 g. I omitted the provolone cheese and added basil. I sprayed Pam in a baking dish and layered it: 1) onion/ground beef/sauce 2) ziti/ricotta/egg 3) mozza slices 4) parmesan cheese/basil 5) repeat cover with tinfoil while baking and after 30 minutes remove the tinfoil and put it under the broiler.
10/10/2002
This was awesome-and even better re-heated. Thanks for sharing.
09/23/2003
This was only ok, nothing special! I served it to a party of six on Sunday. My grandaughter said it was too cheesy ( I silently agreed), my daughter gave it a polite "it's good" and there was no response from others---or second helpings served. I think the reviewers are very generous with their ratings on this dish!
10/07/2002
The sour cream looked like ricotta cheese. This recipe was not for us.
08/04/2007
This was so amazing. I made a few changes though, I used a small container of ricotta instead of sour cream, and added parmesan, nutmeg, parsley,salt, and pepper, and one egg. I tossed that with the cooked pasta, then layered with the sauce, and topped with loads of mozzerella cheese. OMG scruptious!!!!!
12/18/2008
This is a good dish! Anyway, this recipe is a keeper and it can be easily revised to meet your on likes and dislikes with it.
01/21/2007
This was a great recipe to 'springboard' with!! Okay, here's my changes:). *Instead of jars, I used my own homemade version of sauce. *Like others suggested, I did add garlic to the meat/onions. *With the sour cream, I mixed in cottage cheese (half/half) and seasoned it with parsley, garlic granules and salt/pepper. *Didn't have provolone, so I substituted Swiss! *Also took the advice of others and put some sauce on top of first layer of noodles BEFORE Provolone(swiss in my case). *I constructed carefully as it does tend to overload a 9x13 BUT it all went in. **Tip, I used a big cookie pan under it to catch any drips, worked beautifully.** *I did bake this for almost 40 minutes, and I let it REST,which is important, for about 10 minutes....then cut into 12 squares, AWESOME!! ALL of my kiddos enjoyed this, including my 5 year old picky eater:). THIS is a keeper! Thanks!
02/06/2008
This was wonderful, thanks. I cut it in half since there are only two of us. My son loved it. I love what the sour cream does to the texture. I used low fat sour cream.
03/30/2008
This recipe was great! I didn't have ziti on hand so I used rigatoni instead. I think I will follow others' advice and rearrange the layers. Other than that, wouldn't change a thing! Thanks!
11/08/2000
This was absolutely delicious, but boy was it filling! Definitely a keeper!
10/27/2002
I served this at 2 parties in one weekend. Not only was it easy to prepare, but it everyone helped themselves to seconds! I added garlic and for the 2 jars of sauces, I used Ragu 7-herb sauce and Ragu Chunk Vegetable sauce. Delicious!
10/01/2012
I made this for my husbands "surprise" party and it got rave reviews. I will definitely make this again.
03/24/2007
If I could give this recipe 10 stars, I would. I've been making it for years and recently prepared it for my cooking club. Everyone thought it was fantastic and said it put their ziti recipes to shame. I just added a little bit of minced garlic and a can of tomatoes to the sauce. Thanks for the great recipe!
08/13/2012
I didn't personally taste this, but the rest of the family did. It was kind of bland according to them unless you hit a spot with lots of cheese. I used ricotta, added wine to my sauce with lots of italian seasoning and garlic powder. I'll be tweeking it for sure but it's a great base recipe and an easy week night dinner if you prep the sauce ahead. Might add in some italian sausage or something along those lines...MORE CHEESE! :)
Source: https://www.allrecipes.com/recipe/11758/baked-ziti-i/
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