Our Baked Ziti without ricotta combines layers of rich meat sauce, creamy bechamel, and gooey melted cheese for the ultimate comfort food!
If you’re craving the ultimate cozy comfort food, look no further than our baked ziti. Bonus, it’s just as fantastic with dairy free alternatives, so everyone can enjoy!
This recipe is the perfect blend of Italian-inspired flavors and weeknight practicality. Whether you’re feeding a crowd, meal prepping for the week, or simply looking to impress someone special, baked ziti hits the spot and it’s so comforting!
Customize it with your favorite cheeses, adjust the meat-to-sauce ratio, or sneak in some veggies to add some extra fiber and flavor!
Baked Ziti without Ricotta Ingredients
- Ground beef and ground pork: We love the combo of beef and pork, but you can use all beef or even add sausage.
- Seasonings: Although we’re using fresh garlic and fresh onions, we still add a bit of seasonings like parsley, granulated garlic, granulated onion, basil, oregano, salt, and pepper.
- Olive oil: Used for sautéing vegetables and infusing flavor into the sauce.
- Yellow onion: Brings sweetness and depth to the meat sauce, we recommend using this!
- Garlic cloves: We always prefer fresh over “jarlic”.
- Balsamic vinegar or red wine: Adds acidity and richness to the sauce.
- Beef bouillon: We love this to add a depth of flavor.
- Crushed tomatoes: The base of the meat sauce; choose basil-flavored or plain as preferred.
- Water: We use just a bit to rinse the tomato can to use every bit of sauce!
- Butter: Creates the base, roux, for the bechamel sauce; plant-based options work for dairy-free needs.
- All-purpose flour: We use this to thicken the bechamel.
- Full-fat milk: This is how we create the bulk of the bechamel.
- Grated parmesan cheese: Adds a rich, cheesy flavor; opt for vegan versions if needed.
- Rigatoni or ziti pasta: The foundation of the dish, capturing sauce in its hollow shapes, but we love the rigatoni as it has ridges to hold onto more sauce!
- Mozzarella: Melts into gooey layers; use dairy-free alternatives if desired.
- Parmesan cheese: Adds a finishing touch of cheesy flavor.
How to Make Baked Ziti without Ricotta
Cook the meat by browning ground beef and ground pork in a large pan. Break the meat apart as it cooks, season with granulated garlic, parsley, salt, and pepper, then add in the onions and garlic as it’s cooking.
Add the crushed tomatoes, dried herbs and seasonings to the meat sauce along with the crushed tomatoes, balsamic vinegar, and the beef bouillon.
Mix to combine and let it simmer while you make the rest of the ingredients.
Make the bechamel sauce by melting butter in a small saucepan.
Stir in the flour and cook briefly.
Gradually whisk in the warmed milk until smooth and thickened. Add grated parmesan, granulated garlic, salt, and pepper to taste.
Cook the pasta according to package instructions, then drain. Combine the cooked pasta with the meat sauce.
Preheat the oven to 350°F. In a 9×13-inch casserole dish, layer the pasta with meat sauce, followed by béchamel, mozzarella, and parmesan.
Repeat layering until the dish is full, finishing with a sprinkle of mozzarella and parmesan on top.
Cover with foil and bake for 30 minutes. Remove the foil and bake for an additional 10-15 minutes, or until the cheese is melted and bubbly. Let the dish cool for 15-20 minutes before serving.
Recipe tips and alterations
- Adjust the balance of ground beef and pork to your taste, you can even swap out the ground pork and use ground sausage instead.
- Use as much bechamel as you like for your preferred consistency; leftovers can be reserved for another use.
- Store leftovers in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 3 days or freeze for up to 3 months.
- To reheat, bake at 350°F covered with foil until warmed through, or microwave individual portions.
- Feel free to experiment with cheese choices or add vegetables like spinach for a variation.
Baked Ziti without Ricotta
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Print Pin Recipe 🖤 SaveIngredients
Meat
- 1 lb ground beef
- 1 lb ground pork or all beef
- 1 teaspoon granulated garlic
- 1 teaspoon parsley
- salt and pepper to taste
Meat Sauce
- 1 tablespoon olive oil or use the meat grease
- 1 large yellow onion chopped finely
- 5 cloves garlic minced we usually do a whole bulb
- 1-2 tablespoons balsamic vinegar do this to taste, or you can use 1/8 cup red wine
- 1/2 tablespoon beef bouillon we use better than bouillon organic versions for dairy free
- 1 teaspoon dried basil omit if your crushed tomatoes have basil
- 1 teaspoon dried oregano
- 1/2 teaspoon granulated garlic
- 1/2 teaspoon granulated onion
- 28 oz can crushed tomatoes use another 15 oz can of crushed tomatoes if you like extra sauce
- 1/2 cup water use this to rinse the tomato can and get all the crushed tomatoes into the pot
- salt & pepper to taste
Bechamel
- 1/4 cup butter we recommend country crock plant butter for dairy free
- 1/4 cup all-purpose flour
- 2 – 2 1/2 cups full fat milk warmed, we recommend Oatly full fat for dairy free
- 2 tablespoons grated parmesan cheese we recommend follow your heartf or dairy free
- 1/2 teaspoon granulated garlic
- salt and pepper to taste
Lasagna
- 1 lb rigatoni or ziti pasta
- 4-8 oz mozzarella we recommend follow your heart for dairy free
- 2-4 oz vegan parmesan we recommend follow your heart for dairy free
Instructions
Meat
- In a large pan, brown the ground beef and ground pork using a metal potato masher to break the meat up and as it cooks season with granulated garlic, parsley, salt, and pepper, then add in the onions and garlic.1 lb ground beef, 1 lb ground pork, 1 teaspoon granulated garlic, 1 teaspoon parsley, salt and pepper to taste, 1 tablespoon olive oil, 1 large yellow onion, 5 cloves garlic minced
- Add the crushed tomatoes, dried herbs and seasonings to the meat sauce along with the crushed tomatoes, balsamic vinegar, and the beef bouillon. Mix to combine and let it simmer while you make the rest of the ingredients.1-2 tablespoons balsamic vinegar, 1/2 tablespoon beef bouillon, 1 teaspoon dried basil, 1 teaspoon dried oregano, 1/2 teaspoon granulated garlic, 1/2 teaspoon granulated onion, 28 oz can crushed tomatoes, 1/2 cup water, salt & pepper
Bechamel
- Prepare the rigatoni pasta and prep the bechamel.1 lb rigatoni
- In a small saucepan on medium heat add the butter and once melted add in the flour. Cook for a minute or two then reduce the heat and gradually whisk in the warm milk. Whisk as needed as the sauce will thicken. Once thickened add the grated parmesan, granulated garlic, salt and pepper to taste.1/4 cup butter, 1/4 cup all-purpose flour, 2 – 2 1/2 cups full fat milk, 2 tablespoons grated parmesan cheese, 1/2 teaspoon granulated garlic, salt and pepper
Baked Ziti
- Combine the rigatoni noodles with the meat sauce.
- Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.
- Assemble the baked ziti in a 9×13 inch casserole dish. First do a layer of rigatoni with meat sauce, then top with the bechamel, mozzarella, and parm. Add another layer of pasta with meat sauce, a layer of bechamel, a sprinkle of mozzarella, and a sprinkle of parmesan. Repeat until you have 3-4 layers.4-8 oz mozzarella, 2-4 oz vegan parmesan
- Cover the baked ziti with foil and bake at 350°F for 30 minutes, then uncover and bake for another 10-15 minutes or until the cheese is melted.
- Use oven mitts to carefully remove the baked ziti from the oven. Let the baked ziti cool for 15-20 minutes before serving.
Video
Notes
- Use as much or as little bechamel that you like, and use 2 cups for a thicker bechamel, 2 1/2 for thinner – when it’s done, it should coat the back of a spoon.
- Adjust the balance of ground beef and pork to your taste, or use all beef, or even add ground sausage.
- Store leftovers in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 3 days or freeze for up to 3 months.
- To reheat, bake at 350°F covered with foil until warmed through, or microwave individual portions.
Nutrition
The nutritional information is automatically calculated and can vary based ingredients and products used. If the nutrition numbers are important for you we recommend calculating them yourself.
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