Copycat Sabarro's Baked Ziti is not just a food court favorite. Baked Ziti is a hearty meatless vegetarian classic meal. Filled with pasta, cheeses, tomato sauce, and fresh herbs makes this a delicious meal that is perfect for a weeknight family dinner. Quick and easy- ready in just over 30 minutes!
When I was a kid going to the mall food court was a big deal.
My favorite place to go was Sabaro's. I would get the small baked ziti and my sister got a slice of cheese pizza. I am sure my parents already knew what the answer would be when they asked us where we wanted to go to dinner.
Making Copycat Sabarro's Baked Ziti brings back all of the favorite mall memories from childhood- KB Toys, Claire's, and Maurice's.... the list could go on and on.
There is nothing fancy about this dish, but is so easy and totally kid-friendly. My kids love this meal, and I love the easy prep and bits of nostalgia. Aside from being easy, this is a meatless dish, and it is perfect for those looking for a great vegetarian option that the family will love. This recipe is also really easy to double if you are feeding a larger group of people!
This pasta has a delicious cheesy quality about it because the ricotta and tomato sauce are mixed and it is a delicious texture- plus all the extra cheese on top of the pasta!
[easy-image-collage id=11790]What do I need to make Sabarro's Baked Ziti?
- Ziti Noodles
- Whole Milk Ricotta Cheese
- Grated Parmesan Cheese
- Canned Tomato Sauce
- Shredded Mozzarella Cheese
- Chopped fresh parsley
- Round Baking Dish
- Colander
How do I make Sabarro's Baked Ziti?
- Pre-heat oven to 350°F.
- Cook ziti according to package instructions.
- While ziti is cooking mix together, ricotta, 1 ¾ cups tomato sauce, Parmesan, and ½ cup of mozzarella cheese in a large bowl. Make sure that the bowl is large enough to accommodate the cooked pasta.
- Drain ziti, do not rise, and add to the tomato sauce mixture. Stir to evenly mix.
- Pour pasta and sauce into a baking dish. I recommend a very deep 8x8 or a round dutch oven.
- Top with remaining cheese and chopped parsley.
- Bake for 20-25 minutes until hot and bubbly.
- Allow pasta to sit for about 5-7 minutes before serving.
- Warm the tomato sauce and spoon over the top of the pasta when served on individual plates.
Looking for more delicious pasta recipes?!
Creamy Chicken Bacon Ranch Casserole
Weeknight Spaghetti with Meat Sauce
Are you following me yet? What are you waiting for?
Copycat Sabarro's Baked Ziti
Ingredients
- 1 lb Ziti noodles
- 1 lb Whole Milk Ricotta Cheese
- 3 Oz Grated Parmesan Cheese
- 28 oz Canned Tomato Sauce
- 1 ½ cups Shredded Mozzarella Cheese
- 3 tablespoon chopped fresh parsley
Instructions
- Pre-heat oven to 350°F.
- Cook ziti according to package instructions.
- While ziti is cooking mix together, ricotta, 1 ¾ cups tomato sauce, Parmesan, and ½ cup of mozzarella cheese in a large bowl. Make sure that the bowl is large enough to accommodate the cooked pasta.
- Drain ziti, do not rise, and add to the tomato sauce mixture. Stir to evenly mix.
- Pour pasta and sauce into a baking dish. I recommend a very deep 8x8 or a round dutch oven.
- Top with remaining cheese and chopped parsley.
- Bake for 20-25 minutes until hot and bubbly.
- Allow pasta to sit for about 5-7 minutes before serving.
- Warm the tomato sauce and spoon over the top of the pasta when served on individual plates.
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This post was originally published in 2012 and was updated in 2020 for reader enhancement and enjoyment.
Danielle
I don't even remember when was the last time that I made ziti. This recipe made me crave it so much! 🙂
Leslie
I have a ziti recipe that is very similar to this! It's amazing! Definitely a staple in our home! I honestly think I should try yours. The main difference is I have sour cream and you use ricotta cheese. I love ricotta cheese and I would love to see how it tastes that way! Great recipe!!!
Pavani
That baked ziti looks so yummy and inviting. I have to make this for my pasta & cheese loving kids. This will make a super hit dinner in our home.
Lori | The Kitchen Whisperer
I've never tried Sabaros but this looks scrumptious! I LOVE baked cheesy pasta and know my family will love this! I love that it's super easy to make! Definitely perfect for a rainy, chilly night with some crusty bread!
Jacqui DeBono
Baked ziti is always a good thing! It is one of my favourite recipes to make at home!
Denise
This Baked Ziti looks incredibly delicious! And its so easy to make! Thank you for sharing the recipe.
Andrea Howe
I love baked ziti! And I love that this doesn't require that many ingredients either. Perfect for right now, since we can't get to the store as much as we like. Thank you so much for the recipe!
Veronika
Love Baked Ziti! It's so comforting and full of flavor! I think I want to make it tonight for dinner!
Marisa F. Stewart
I'd never heard of Sabarro's but I have heard of baked ziti and this dish looked so good I had to make it myself. I certainly wasn't disappointed. The pasta with that creamy sauce was delicious. This recipe will become a regular at our house.
Amanda
I'm obsessed with baked ziti, and this stuff is great! It has the perfect load of ultra cheesiness, and it's a breeze to make.
Nicole
I could live off baked ziti! What's not to love about cheesy pasta that is super simple to make? Your recipe looks super easy and would be a classic staple for anyone to have in their back pocket.
NickiDE
Although this was easy to prepare, the flavor was nothing special. I made half the recipe and it filled an 8x8 pan to the top. I think you would need a much larger pan for the whole recipe.
Ashley Lecker
I would say this is certainly a nostalgic dish! I grew up eating it from Sabarro's so it is special to me.
Joyce
My ex-husband used to manage a Shark and some where I have their recipe. I keep wondering if that is a typo on the mozzarella cheese as 1 1/2 lbs seems like a lot. That would be 6 cups of cheese. I hope someone responds..
Joyce
Sorry that should have said Sbarro.
Ashley Lecker
It should be cups! Thank you catching that!
Bethy
sounds great, can't wait to try it. just plain canned tomato sauce or bottled marinara?
Ashley Lecker
I use a canned tomato sauce, but marinara would be good too.
Leelee
I grew up loving mall sbarro’s baked ziti too!Making your recipe currently- as an Italian girl I like anything saucy and cheesy-haven’t made a baked ziti in a while so thank you for the inspo in trying some nestalgia:)
Jonathan Marsh
Hey so as someone who worked at sbarros,
The ingrediants are spot on. However yours is probably better than theirs.
All they do is boil the noodles, make the sauce, mix in the noodles, and add fresh parsley on top.
I used to sprinkle a dab of pepper flakes in our location. Our ziti sales spiked so the District manager didn’t have a problem with me tweaking the recipe a bit. He did tell me, “treat the store like it’s yours, and it will be a successful location.”
I just wish I could remember the dough recipe enough to break it down for 1 pound instead of 50 pounds of flour.