Quick and Easy Baked Ziti

One-pan recipes are my dream come true.

No, really. I mean it.

Of all my easy dinners, this baked ziti is one of my absolute favorites for exactly that reason. After cooking, all you have to wash is one mixing spoon.

The original idea for this recipe came from my sister. Over one family Thanksgiving weekend, my sister was tasked with making Saturday night dinner. It was a huge crowd with lots of kids, so she needed a simple and easy recipe. She made two pans of this ziti, and the entire family inhaled it. When I asked her the secret, she told me that she simply tossed raw pasta, sauce, water, and mozzarella into a pan and baked.

Since then, I’ve been adapting this recipe. The super low-energy way to make it is closest to my sister’s original recipe: just toss in 4 ingredients, mix, and done. However, I’ve adapted it to what I think creates the best texture and flavor. If you’re going to do additions, add either both the egg and ricotta cheese or neither – the egg is only needed to hold together and improve the ricotta’s texture.

The great part about this recipe is that all the main ingredients can be kept on hand. This is my go-to when I haven’t been to a grocery store in a while! Pasta and jarred marinara sauce are pantry staples, and I store cheese in my freezer for recipes like this one. Eggs and ricotta cheese can last for ages in the refrigerator, but if you don’t have them, you can skip and it will still be delicious.

I’ve left off an amount of mozzarella to include because you can decide how cheesy you’d like to go. Of my three kids, one doesn’t like melted cheese (I know, I don’t get it either) and so I’ve made this with varying amounts, trying to figure out how much I can add before he protests.