Baked Ziti Plus
Baked Ziti Plus layers tender rigatoni with a hearty tomato sauce packed with ground beef, Italian sausage, peppers, and onions. Ricotta and plenty of mozzarella melt throughout and on top, delivering a bubbly, cheesy bake with savory depth and a hint of sweetness from slow-simmered tomatoes. It’s a crowd-pleasing casserole perfect for family dinners, potlucks, or cozy weekends.
- Prep20 mins
- Cook3 hrs 55 mins
- Serves16
- DifficultyMedium
easyChef Pro health score
Calculated from USDA-referenced nutrient data for the ingredients in Baked Ziti Plus, not estimated by an AI model. The same recipe returns the same score every time.
- Glycemic ImpactFair
- 47 / 100
- Carb quality, not quantity. Higher is better.
- Nutritional DensityPoor
- 10 / 100
- Nutrients per calorie. Higher is better.
- Energy DensityFair
- 69 / 100
- Calories by weight. Higher means more food for fewer calories.
- NOVA Processed Culinary Ingredients
- 2 / 4
- Processing level, 1 (whole) to 4 (ultra-processed). Lower is better.
How it scores for each health goal
The same recipe scores differently against different goals, because the goal changes the calculation rather than filtering a list. Set your goal in easyChef Pro and every recipe is scored against it.
- 23
- Heart Health
- 75
- Metabolic
- 37
- Digestive
- 23
- Inflammatory
- 47
- Performance
- 39
- General Wellness
- 1
Warm olive oil in a stockpot over medium-low heat; cook and stir the garlic in the hot oil until lightly browned, 1 to 2 minutes.
- 2
Heat a large skillet over medium-high heat.
- 3
Cook and stir the beef in the hot skillet until browned and crumbly, 5 to 7 minutes; drain and discard the grease.
- 4
Stir the ground beef into the garlic.
- 5
Add the crushed tomatoes and tomato puree to the ground beef mixture; season with salt and pepper.
- 6
Cover the stockpot and simmer the mixture, stirring occasionally, until the flavors have blended, about 2 hours.
- 7
Heat a large skillet over medium-high heat.
- 8
Cook the sausage links in the hot skillet until browned and no longer pink in the center, 10 to 15 minutes; drain and discard the grease.
- 9
Slice the sausages into 1/4-inch rounds.
- 10
Stir the sausage, green bell pepper, and onion into the simmering tomato sauce; cook, stirring occasionally, until the bell pepper and onion are softened, about 1 hour.
- 11
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C).
- 12
Bring a large pot of lightly salted water to a boil.
- 13
Cook the rigatoni in the boiling water, stirring occasionally, until cooked through but slightly firm, 10 to 11 minutes.
- 14
Drain and return the rigatoni to the pot.
- 15
Dice about 3/4 of the mozzarella into 1/8-inch cubes.
- 16
Mix the cubed mozzarella with the ricotta cheese in a bowl.
- 17
Stir the cheese mixture into the cooked rigatoni until the mozzarella begins to melt.
- 18
Pour the rigatoni-cheese mixture into 2 large casserole dishes; add the tomato-meat sauce.
- 19
Toss well.
- 20
Slice the remaining mozzarella cheese and arrange it on top of the rigatoni mixtures.
- 21
Bake in the preheated oven until the mozzarella cheese is melted and browned, about 45 minutes.
- Calories 591.3 kcal High 30%
- Protein 37.39 g Good Source 75%
- Carbohydrate 25.63 g 9%
- Total Fat 39.31 g High 50%
- Saturated Fat 15.72 g High 79%
- Trans Fat 0.08 g High --
- Cholesterol 130.75 mg High 44%
- Sodium 1001.3 mg High 44%
- Dietary Fiber 5.05 g Moderate 18%
- Total Sugars 10.25 g --
- Added Sugars 0.19 g Low Source 0%
- Calcium 299.72 mg Good Source 23%
- Iron 4.11 mg Good Source 23%
- Potassium 816.24 mg Moderate 17%
- Vitamin A 152.31 mcg Moderate 17%
- Vitamin C 12.63 mg Moderate 14%
- Vitamin D 0.04 mcg Low Source 0%
Values are per serving. Percent Daily Values are based on a 2,000-calorie diet.
- Milk 🥛
- Wheat 🌾
- Gluten
- Tomatoes 🍅
- Garlic 🧄
- Onions 🧅
About This Recipe
Baked Ziti Plus is an Italian dinner recipe made with 12 ingredients. It takes about 4 hrs 15 mins, serves 16, and is rated medium. Key ingredients include Crushed Tomatoes, Garlic, Green Bell Pepper, and Ground Beef. Each serving provides about 591.3 kcal, and is a good source of protein.
Recipe Questions
- What is Baked Ziti Plus?
- It is an Italian recipe made with 12 ingredients, usually served for dinner or lunch.
- What is Baked Ziti Plus made of?
- The main ingredients are Crushed Tomatoes, Garlic, Green Bell Pepper, Ground Beef, Italian Pork Sausage. The full list of 12 is above.
- What goes well with Baked Ziti Plus?
- Explore these Italian side-dish recipes.
- How long does it take to make Baked Ziti Plus?
- About 4 hrs 15 mins in total: 20 mins to prepare and 3 hrs 55 mins to cook.
- How many calories are in one serving?
- One serving provides about 591.3 kcal. The full nutrition breakdown is above.
- Is Baked Ziti Plus easy to make?
- This recipe is rated medium, with 12 ingredients and 21 steps.
- Is Baked Ziti Plus healthy?
- Baked Ziti Plus has an easyChef Pro health score of 41/100. Per serving, it provides 591.3 calories and 37.39 g of protein, or 75% of the Daily Value. It is a good source of calcium and iron. Worth noting per serving: sodium at 1001.3 mg (44% of the Daily Value) and saturated fat at 15.72 g (79% of the Daily Value). It contains Milk, Wheat, Gluten, Tomatoes, Garlic and Onions, so it may not be suitable for people with those allergies or dietary restrictions. Whether it fits your goals depends on your complete meal plan and nutritional needs. Remix it in easyChef Pro to adjust the ingredients and generate fresh nutrition and scores.
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