My easy baked ziti uses frozen meatballs for an easy weeknight dinner. It’s quick to make but still has wonderful flavor.
If you like this recipe, check out my Burrata Pasta next!
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A big baked casserole dish of cheesy ziti pasta is one of my favorite comfort foods. A bag of frozen tiny meatballs is an easy way to start a dinner. Check out my guide for cooking Crock Pot Frozen Meatballs. So I decided to combine baked ziti and meatballs for a delicious and comforting dinner that is sure to please.
More meatball recipes
Ingredients for baked ziti with meatballs
- Pasta – Use one box of short tube shaped pasta. Ziti is the obvious choice. But you could use rigatoni or penne.
- Meatballs – My recipe is written for a bag of 36 frozen meatballs. I chose to use ground beef meatballs, but you could use turkey, chicken or pork, it’s up to you! If you’d like to make your own homemade meatballs, check out my recipe for Air Fryer Meatballs.
- Tomatoes – San Marzano are my favorites to use when I need crushed tomatoes. I wanted my pasta to be extra saucy so I used one 28 ounce can plus a smaller 15 ounce can.
- Flavorings – Fresh garlic of course, plus a decadent combo of butter, brown sugar and balsamic combine to turn canned tomatoes in a richly flavored marinara sauce. Plus I season both the sauce and pasta cooking water with a generous amount of salt.
- Cheese – I think burrata cheese helps to elevate this dish from the usual shredded mozzarella cheese. The cream from the insides of the burrata makes the sauce extra rich.
Instructions
In a large pot cook the ziti to al dente and drain pasta in a colander and return it to the pot.
Meanwhile prepare the sauce and bite-size meatballs in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Combine the sauce and cooked pasta together in a large bowl. Spread into a large greased baking dish. Top with cheese and bake at 450 degrees F for 25 minutes until golden brown.
For complete instructions, keep scrolling to find my free recipe card. Plus a video which will show how to separate the balls of burrata cheese. And make the baked ziti from start to finish.
Serving suggestions
Here’s some more of my recipes to turn this baked ziti with meatballs into a complete meal –
Storage directions
Store any leftover ziti in an airtight container. It will stay fresh in the refrigerator for 3 – 5 days. Or fresh in the freezer for one month. Be sure and reheat leftovers to steamy hot (at least 165 degrees F) in the microwave.
Baked Ziti with Meatballs
Ingredients
- 16 oz ziti pasta
- 18 oz frozen meatballs I used a bag with 36 meatballs
- 2 tbsp butter
- 3 cloves garlic minced
- 43 oz crushed tomatoes I used San Marzano - one 28 oz can plus one 15 oz can
- 12 oz burrata cheese three balls of burrata cheese
- 1 tbsp balsamic vinegar
- 1 tbsp brown sugar
- 2 tsp salt
- 2 tbsp fresh basil
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 450 degrees F.
- Using your hands, break each ball of cheese in half and gently scrape out the inside curds and cream. You're going to stir the creamy cheese into the sauce. And tear the cheese into pieces to top the baked ziti.
- Bring a large salted pot of water to a boil.
- Meanwhile, melt the butter in a large skillet over medium heat. Add the garlic and cook stirring until fragrant, about one minute.
- Pour in the crushed tomatoes. Add the vinegar, brown sugar and salt. Stir well to combine.
- Add the meatballs to the sauce. Cover the pan and let the sauce and meatballs simmer for about 10 minutes.
- Drop the pasta into the boiling salted water and cook according to box directions. Drain and return the pasta to the pot.
- Uncover the pan with the meatballs and sauce and stir in the creamy insides of the burrata cheese until combined.
- Gently pour the meatballs and creamy sauce into the cooked ziti and stir well to combine. Pour the pasta mixture into a 9 x 13 baking dish. Top the pasta with the torn pieces of burrata cheese.
- Bake the ziti in the preheated oven for 25 minutes, or until the sauce is bubbling and the cheese is browned. Garnish with fresh basil.
Video
Nutrition
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