Baked Ziti {Freezer Meal} Recipe

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Baked Ziti {Freezer Meal} Recipe

This Baked Ziti is so simple and easy to make. It only requires a few simple ingredients and is full of flavor.

Prep Time10

Cook Time37

Total Time47

Course: Main Course

Cuisine: American

Keyword: baked pasta, Easy baked pasta, Easy dinner recipe, Freezer Meal

Servings:

Calories: 711kcal

Equipment

large pot
Large Skillet
8x8-inch glass pan (2)

Ingredients

16 ounces ziti pasta 1 package, (or Penne pasta)
1 onion chopped
1 pound lean ground beef
pepper, to taste
garlic powder, to taste
onion powder, to taste
1 teaspoon minced garlic
2 (26 ounce) jars spaghetti sauce (feel free to add any veggies to this sauce)
8 slices Provolone cheese
1½ cups sour cream
2 cups shredded Mozzarella cheese
2 Tablespoons grated parmesan cheese

Instructions

Bring a large pot of lightly salted water to a boil. Add pasta, and cook until Al Dente, about 7-8 minutes; drain.
In a large skillet, add onion, ground beef, pepper, garlic powder, onion powder, and minced garlic over medium heat. Cook and then drain grease.
Add spaghetti sauce, and simmer 15 minutes.
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Spray 2 (8 x 8 inch) pans with non-stick cooking spray. Layer as follows in each pan: 1/4 of the pasta, 1/4 of the sauce, 4 slices of Provolone cheese, 1/2 of sour cream, 1/4 of pasta, 1/4 mozzarella cheese and 1/4 of sauce mixture. Top with grated Parmesan cheese and remaining mozzarella cheese.
Bake covered for 30 minutes in the preheated oven, or until cheeses are melted.

Notes

Each 8 x 8 inch pan will feed about 6 people. The whole recipe will feed 12.

Turn this into a FREEZER MEAL:

Follow the instructions in the directions, except for the last step of cooking it.

Cover the assembled ziti with foil and stick it in the freezer (I usually use 2-3 layers of foil just to keep out the freezer burn).

It will last in the freezer for about 30 days. When you are ready to eat it, remove from the freezer and place it in the fridge to thaw 24 hours in advance.

Baking:

By allowing it to thaw in the fridge, you can cook it at the regular time and temperature (350 degrees for about 30 minutes).

If you do not thaw it in advance, it will take much longer to cook. If you cook it completely frozen, it will take anywhere from 90 minutes - 2 hours to cook all the way through.

These fill the 8x8" pans to the top, so I cooked mine on a large cookie sheet just in case they bubbled over (which they did).

This was definitely a keeper . . . my whole family devoured it (even the kids).

**If you are preparing this for a large group, you can use a DEEP 9x13" pan, but be aware that it will fill it all the way to the top.

Nutrition