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4.94 from 29 votes

The Easiest Baked Ziti

This easy baked ziti can also be prepared ahead of time and placed in the refrigerator and reheated for 15 minutes before serving!
Prep Time5 minutes
Cook Time30 minutes
Course: dinner, Main Course, main dish
Cuisine: American, pasta
Servings: 8 servings
Calories: 362kcal
Author: Lauren Kelly

Ingredients

  • 1 pound pasta of choice
  • 1 pound lean ground turkey
  • 1 tablespoon olive oil
  • 1 medium onion chopped
  • 2 cloves garlic minced
  • 1 28 ounce can crushed tomatoes
  • 1 15 ounce can tomato sauce
  • 1 teaspoon ground basil
  • 1 teaspoon ground oregano
  • ½ teaspoon salt
  • cup shredded mozzarella cheese
  • 2 tablespoons grated Parmesan cheese for topping optional

Instructions

  • Preheat the oven to 350°F.
  • Bring a large pot of water to a boil, add pasta, and cook for 7 minutes until al dente.
  • In a medium skillet, add the ground turkey. Cook for 15 minutes until no longer pink and thoroughly cooked. Set aside.
  • In a large skillet, add the oil. Cook the onion and garlic over medium-high heat for 3–4 minutes until soft. Add crushed tomatoes, tomato sauce, basil, oregano, salt, and pepper. Stir well and bring to a boil. Reduce heat to low and simmer for 15 minutes, making sure to stir every few minutes so the sauce doesn’t stick. Spoon some sauce into a 21⁄2-quart casserole dish so the bottom is covered (to ensure the pasta won’t stick to the bottom). Take 1 cup of sauce mixture and set aside. Spoon the meat into the remaining sauce.
  • Add pasta to meat sauce and mix well.
  • Add mozzarella cheese, mix again. Sprinkle the top with Parmesan cheese.
  • Cover loosely with aluminum foil to prevent drying if you'd like ( I usually leave it uncovered) and bake for 15 minutes. Remove the aluminum foil and continue to bake another 10 minutes until the cheese has melted. Let sit for 10 minutes, and serve with the reserved cup of sauce.

Notes

You can also add some vegetables to this too for added nutrition.  Broccoli, cauliflower, spinach and many other vegetables all work great in this recipe. It might be a perfect way to introduce a new vegetable to your kids.
I used an organic spelt pasta that they sell a Target which everyone really liked.  You can use whatever pasta you choose, gluten-free, penne, whatever you'd like.
I have made this with ground beef, ground turkey, ground pork ad even ground chicken. They all came out delicious and it's an easy way to mix it up.
It really doesn't matter, it's just a personal preference. And if your children only like one specific kind of pasta, go for it!

Nutrition

Calories: 362kcal | Carbohydrates: 44g | Protein: 25g | Fat: 6g | Saturated Fat: 2g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 1g | Monounsaturated Fat: 2g | Trans Fat: 1g | Cholesterol: 36mg | Sodium: 660mg | Potassium: 814mg | Fiber: 5g | Sugar: 9g | Vitamin A: 524IU | Vitamin C: 15mg | Calcium: 101mg | Iron: 3mg