One-Pot Baked Ziti
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This one-pot baked ziti is quick and easy, crowd-pleasing, and a godsend on busy nights and weekends. It can be made with either fresh or canned tomatoes, and it is delicious either way.
This baked ziti recipe from Cook’s Country’s Cook It In Cast Iron, has the added bonus of being a one-pot wonder: after you crush the tomatoes with a potato masher (or whisk or spoon), you add the dried pasta and water directly into the pan and simmer everything together until the pasta is cooked and the liquid has evaporated.
After a quick pass under the broiler, your one-pan, no-fuss baked ziti is done: crisp noodles, melty cheese, bubbly sauce.
One and done!
For years I followed the recipe to a T, making it only during tomato season when the cherry tomatoes are sweet and plentiful. When I discovered, however, that it tastes just as good when made with canned tomatoes, it became a year-round staple.
PrintOne-Pot Baked Ziti
- Total Time: 35 minutes
- Yield: Serves 4
- Diet: Vegetarian
Description
From Cook’s Illustrated Cook It In Cast Iron
For canned tomatoes, I love the small boxes of Colavita crushed tomatoes. Each box is 13.7 ounces. I use two of them in this recipe.
Ingredients
If Using Fresh Tomatoes:
- 1.5 pounds cherry tomatoes
- 1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil
- Kosher salt and pepper to taste
- 6 cloves garlic, minced
- 1 teaspoon tomato paste
- Pinch red pepper flakes
- 12 ounces (3.75 cups) ziti
- 3 cups water, plus more as needed
- 1 ounce Parmesan cheese, grated (1/2 cup)
- 1/4 cup chopped fresh basil
- 4 ounces mozzarella cheese, shredded (1 cup)
If Using Canned Tomatoes:
- 2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
- 1.5 cups diced onions
- kosher salt
- 3 to 6 cloves garlic, minced
- 1 teaspoon tomato paste
- 1/4 to 1/2 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes
- 28 oz crushed tomatoes, see notes above
- 1 lb. dried ziti
- 3 cups water, plus more as needed
- 1 ounce Parmesan cheese, grated (1/2 cup)
- 1/4 to 1/2 cup chopped fresh basil
- Freshly cracked black pepper to taste
- 4 ounces whole milk mozzarella cheese, shredded (1 cup)
Instructions
If using fresh tomatoes:
- Adjust oven rack 6 inches from broiler element and heat broiler. Heat 12-inch cast-iron skillet (or other large oven-safe skillet) over medium heat for 5 minutes. Toss tomatoes with oil and 1 teaspoon salt. Add tomatoes to skillet and cook, stirring occasionally, until lightly charred and blistered, about 10 minutes. Stir in garlic, tomato paste, and pepper flakes and cook until fragrant, about 30 seconds. Off heat, coarsely mash tomatoes using potato masher.
- Stir in pasta and water and bring to boil over medium-high heat. (I add another teaspoon of kosher salt at this point, and more later, but if you are sensitive to salt, maybe start with 1/2 teaspoon.) Reduce heat to a vigorous simmer (low heat), stir well, cover, and cook, stirring every few minutes, until pasta is tender, 15 to 18 minutes.
- Stir in Parmesan and adjust sauce consistency with extra hot water as needed. Stir in basil. Taste—this is your chance to get the seasoning right. Add salt and pepper to taste (I add another 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt and lots of fresh pepper). Sprinkle with mozzarella. Transfer skillet to oven and broil until cheese is melted and spotty brown, about 5 minutes. Serve.
If using canned tomatoes:
- Adjust oven rack 6 inches from broiler element and heat broiler.
- Heat a large oven-safe skillet over medium heat. Add the olive oil and the onions. Season with a pinch of salt. Sauté for 5 minutes or until the onions are translucent and just beginning to brown. Stir in the garlic, tomato paste, and pepper flakes and cook until fragrant, about 30 seconds.
- Stir in the crushed tomatoes, pasta, water, and 1.5 teaspoons kosher salt. Bring to a boil over medium-high heat. Reduce heat to low, stir well, cover, and cook, stirring once after 10 minutes, until pasta is tender, 12 to 15 minutes.
- Taste to ensure the noodles are cooked, then adjust sauce consistency with extra hot water as needed. Stir in the parmesan and basil. Taste—this is your chance to get the seasoning right. Add salt and pepper to taste — I always add more. Sprinkle with mozzarella. Transfer skillet to oven and broil until cheese is melted and spotty brown, about 5 minutes. Serve. Pass more parmesan and pepper alongside.
- Prep Time: 5 minutes
- Cook Time: 30 minutes
- Category: Pasta
- Method: Stovetop
- Cuisine: Italian
This post may contain affiliate links. Please read my disclosure policy.
28 Comments on “One-Pot Baked Ziti”
Yes ! Miracle it is ! Beautiful. Grazie mille !
This looks amazing. Really loved watching your gif.
I will definitely try this next week when I return from vacation AND I am with you about wanting to move to CA, although my love is for northern California!!!
Susanna, my love for Northern California is nearly as strong as my love for SoCal. Let’s move!! 🙂 🙂
I made this tonight and thought it was outstanding!
Yay! So happy to hear this!
Yum! I cannot wait to try this recipe out, thanks for the share, keep up the posts!
Thanks,Hanna!
Another winner! Thanks Alexandra.
Yay!! So happy to hear this 🙂 🙂 🙂
I wonder why I don’t live in Southern California every day! Love this recipe though, thanks!
🙂 🙂 🙂
It looks so delicious! Thanks for sharing!!
-Gabby
http://www.orcuttfamilydentistry.com
🙂
Which All-Clad pan are you using in the photos, and what’s the capacity? It looks like it’s the perfect size. Thank you!
Hi Amy! It’s called an All-Clad everyday pan, and I don’t believe All-Clad make it anymore, but I’m sure you could google or reach out to them to see what they have that’s similar. It’s about 13-inches across. Le Creuset makes a 5-qt braiser that is similar capacity, which I own and love.
My family and I lòve this recipe. So tasteful, yet easy to make. Thank you for sharing.
Wonderful to hear this! Thanks for writing 🙂
One of my favorite recipes EVER I make it at least once a month!
Oh yay! So nice to hear this, Maddie!
My whole family loved this pasta..I used passata as it’s what I had to hand…. Next time I will definitely add Italian sausage to make it a bit heartier. I know it’s a keeper when my husband will eat it as leftovers twice!! 🙂 thank you for sharing!
Great to hear, Melodie 🙂 🙂 🙂 Sausage will be such a nice addition.
Wow! What a delicious, fresh, fast and easy to prepare dinner! I followed the fresh tomato recipe, and the only changes I made were out of situational necessity.😊My husband is a “meat and potatoes and more meat” man, so I added frozen meatballs with the pasta and water to make the meal more hearty. I didn’t have any fresh basil, so I substituted with a few frozen cubes of homemade pesto. My husband loved it! This is a keeper and will definitely be on our regular meal rotation. Thanks so very much!
Cynthia! What a great tip! I am going to try this text time. My kids would love the meatballs + it adds some protein. Yum. Thank you for writing!
This is such a great recipe. It’s a great reminder that delicious food doesn’t have to be fussy.
Great to hear, Rebecca!
Just curious, why did you put onions in with the canned tomatoes but not the fresh?
I have just recently discovered you and your recipes are wonderful. I’ve even purchased your book twice! I had misplaced the first copy. I was so upset and ended up ordering a second copy and then of course I found it first copy. Lol! I am going to give the second one to a friend. Thanks.
Awww this means the world, Pat! Thank you so much 🙂 🙂 🙂 Glad you found your original copy.
Regarding the onions, I think it’s just that I find canned tomatoes need a little more help, and the onions lend a sweetness and flavor I find to be nice with the canned but not necessary with the fresh. That said, if you were to add onions with the fresh tomatoes, I think it would be delicious 🙂