One-Pan Baked Ziti Skillet
One-Pan Baked Ziti Skillet – a super easy Italian dinner that is done all in one pan in under 20 minutes! Crushed tomatoes, garlic, ziti, ricotta, basil and Parmesan make this delish!
ONE-PAN BAKED ZITI SKILLET
(posted in 2013 when I was pregnant)
I want to hide in my house for the next four weeks until I have this baby.
I can’t handle the comments anymore.
I realize that I’m a freak of nature and that my body is defying all laws of gravity but does EVERYONE have to comment on it?
Here’s an example of 20 minutes of my day:
- I walked into the gym with my kids and handed my pass to the lady at the front desk to scan who then blurts out an expletive.
“@#&$()@!%, you’re huge!”
Thanks. Super professional…and when my 4-year-old repeats that later today, I’ll know who to blame.
- I headed upstairs to the gym area where a man stops me and asks if he can rub my belly. Surprisingly this doesn’t bother me. People in South Florida are very touchy feely.
- After getting on the elliptical a man stops me and spends five minutes trying to convince me that I am indeed having twins. He’s sure of it. Nevermind the weekly ultrasounds I get at the perinatal. This guy knows better.
Really, just those comments aren’t all that bad. But when you get that times 10 a day, my patience wears thin. I’m aware I may be a tad hormonal and sensitive, but I just don’t want anyone to talk to me until I give birth. Thanks. And I should probably stop blogging until my thick skin comes back…
I got really excited about this Baked Ziti dish because everything is cooked in one skillet.
I was hoping to not have to turn on the oven…and I’m sure if you’re really against it you can just put the lid on in the end and melt the cheese that way. You just won’t have the browned, toasty top.
Be careful when you take it out of the oven. Not thinking, I grabbed the hot handle and spent the rest of the night nursing a burn on my entire hand. Was it worth it? YES. The aroma of the garlic, basil and the tomato sauce cooking was unreal. The ricotta adds a light and creamy finish to the dish. This had an authentic Italian flavor with hardly any work. Now it’s one of our favorites!
OTHER ONE-PAN DINNERS:
- One-Pan Monterey Chicken Pasta
- Pesto Bruschetta Chicken
- One-Pan Cheesy Chicken, Broccoli, and Rice
- One-Pot Bacon Broccoli Pasta
- Caprese Chicken Skillet
- One-Pan Chicken Fajita Rice
- One-Pan Ham and Rice Skillet
One-Pan Baked Ziti Skillet
One-Pan Baked Ziti Skillet - a super easy Italian dinner that is done all in one pan in under 20 minutes! Crushed tomatoes, garlic, ziti, ricotta, basil and Parmesan make this delish!
Ingredients
- 6 garlic cloves, minced
- 4 teaspoons olive oil, divided
- ¼ teaspoon red pepper flakes
- salt and pepper
- 1 (28 ounce can) crushed tomatoes
- 3 cups water
- 12 ounces ziti pasta, 3¾ cups
- 4 ounces (1/2 cup ) whole-milk ricotta
- 3/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese, divided
- ½ cup heavy cream
- ¼ cup chopped fresh basil
- 1 cup mozzarella cheese, shredded
Instructions
- Adjust oven rack to middle position and preheat oven to 475 degrees.
- Combine 1 tablespoon oil, garlic, pepper flakes, and 1/2 teaspoon salt in 12-inch ovensafe nonstick skillet and saute over medium-high heat until fragrant, about 1 minute.
- Add crushed tomatoes, water, ziti and 1/2 teaspoon salt.
- Cover and cook, stirring often and adjusting heat as needed to maintain vigorous simmer, until ziti is almost tender, 12-15 minutes. Make sure you don't cook it too much. It will continue to cook in the oven.
- While the pasta is cooking, combine ricotta, remaining 1 teaspoon olive oil, 1/4 cup of grated Parmesan cheese, 1/4 teaspoon salt, and 1/8 teaspoon pepper in a bowl. Set aside.
- Stir in cream, 1/2 cup Parmesan, and basil into the pasta and season with salt and pepper to taste.
- At this point if your skillet is not ovensafe, transfer the pasta mixture into a shallow 2-quart casserole dish before sprinkling with the ricotta and cheese and baking. If you're really against turning on the oven you could cover the skillet with a lid and melt the cheese that way but it won't get browned and toasty.
- Add dollops of the ricotta mixture with a spoon on top of the pasta and sprinkle mozzarella evenly over ziti.
- Transfer skillet to oven and bake until cheese has melted and browned, about 5-10 minutes. Let cool slightly and sprinkle with remaining tablespoon of basil. Serve.
Notes
Nutrition Information:
Yield: 4 Serving Size: 1 gramsAmount Per Serving: Unsaturated Fat: 0g
Have made this several times and it always comes out amazing!
Thank you!
I made this for dinner last night and it was a huge hit! My husband is very difficult to cook for but he went back for a second serving. So easy to make & full of flavor. Thank you!
Awesome to hear that!
I made this for my family and I thought it was delicious. Thank you so much for sharing this recipe. Congratulations on another baby! I am sorry that people speak before they think.
Great recipe. Although I have not found any such thing as a large enough non stick skillet that is oven safe up to 475 degrees. So I have to always transfer to a dutch oven to bake. Delicious though!
Oh honey, you just need access to a good copier and make up some comments to hand back.
Yes, I know I’m huge and pregnant…. I noticed that just the other day…
Just one in here according to my ultrasound, for $5 I’ll sell you a copy.
If you want to touch my belly, you must first wash your hands.
Make multiple copies to hand out! or make it into a tee shirt…. or maybe a lot of tee-shirts to sell to other poor pregnant women for use in their 3rd trimester….
Hahaha. I totally should!
Ugh, I know how you feel!! I was huge for all 3 of my pregnancies. People couldn’t shut up about it. This third time I felt like you. Every single time I went out of the house people had something to say. Once or twice a day someone would ask if it’s twins. Or how big is the baby? How much longer? Like you said, dealing with this 10 times a day is tiring and annoying. I wanted to say I was fat before I got pregnant but thanks for pointing out how huge I am…
Oh my gosh! That’s the worst.
next time anyone says something as rude as those folks did, smile sweetly and punch them in the throat. Tell them that the doctor said the baby is prone to violence.
Haha. Wish I could have had that line back then.
I LOVE this recipe…it turned out great the very first time I tried it! Very satisfying and yummy 🙂 I have just recently discovered your website and I feel very inspired to try a lot of your recipes! Thank you 🙂
Welcome Jennifer!
I love this recipe…it turned out great, so satisfying, so yummy! I just recently discovered your website and I really find a lot of great ideas and feel inspired to try many things! Thank you! 🙂
That looks amazing! Cheesy yumminess… I could eat the whole thing.
I almost did!
This is in my oven right now and it smells SO GOOD! I’m sure it will be tasty. Can’t wait to try it. It’s a little early for this but I may have a small helping for breakfast, haha.
How many people does this serve? It looks lush!
I would say it serves 4-6 people.
Thank you! 🙂
You are awsome, do not care about rude comments.
I want to make this for dinner tonight, it sounds so easy and yummy for my picky family. I have to add meat to it though, as everything must contain meat or no one will eat it. Any recommendations on when to introduce a ground beef or crumbled Italian sausage? I’m thinking when you’re browning the garlic, but I’m not sure how that will work out when you add the water and pasta. Any thoughts or recommendations would be greatly appreciated! Thanks!
I would brown the beef first then add the garlic so it doesn’t burn.
I know how you feel! I am 36 weeks pregnant and get MULTIPLE comments everyday. We decided not to find out what we are having but everyone else seems to know what it is and isn’t afraid to voice their opinions. I too get the comments that I look like I am going to pop!
After I learned that pregnant women get asked about/commented on, all day every day about the baby, I always make it a point not to say a word! AND my b’day is August 23rd so definitely a good time to have a baby. (Altho my mother would say that being pregnant all summer is not much fun.)
Don’t sweat the small stuff. Be thankful for what you have and will soon have….a bundle of love.
I made this for dinner last night and it’s delicious. I got behind on time so I was rushing to get dinner ready and I was amazed at how fast and easily this came together. I feel like baked pastas always take a long time, so the quick factor scored major points with me. Plus, I loved that it was creamy but not all cream. The perfect sauce for it. Thank for posting this! Good luck in the coming weeks with both the people around you and with your family!
Thank you Lindsey!
I made this for dinner Friday night and my family loved it! It was soooo yummy! Thanks for sharing the recipe!
This blog post made my day since I relate to it so well! And I made this tonight (though had to modify a few things because of what I had) and loved it. Also loved that it’s a delicious meal in ONE dish. I never like doing dishes, but at the end of pregnancy with swollen legs and no energy, this is a lifesaver!
Aw you poor thing – people are so rude!! But good thing you had this great ziti to go home to for dinner – it looks amazing!! Perfect for a weeknight dinner!
Sent this in email but thought I would add it here as well
I know this sounds absolutely bonkers but for future reference…plain yellow mustard works WONDERS on burns. You can look it up…I did when my mom told me to slather mustard on my burn When I grabbed the wrong end of an iron. Seriously slater it on and let it dry then rinse. I repeated a few times. It is a little inconvenient to have mustard all over you hand when you are as clumsy as me but I was amazed when the next day you couldn’t even tell I had burned my hand. If you get this email soon enough you may still want to try it. Now I have a “first aid” container of yellow mustard in my fridge at all times.
Best of luck
Thank you! I just got your email. That is crazy but I will try it!!
I am sorry you have to put up with these stupid people who don’t think first before running off with the mouth. 28 years ago when I was pregnant with my son and living in Puerto Rico; complete strangers would pat my tummy. At first, I was creeped out by this. I got used to it real quick. Babies and pregnant women are loved there.
The baked ziti looks yummy! I love your blog and recipes!! Take care…
OMG you poor thing!!! The one that would bug me the most is the guy insisting you’re having twins-I just get so bugged when people insist they know better than like…everyone. Soon you’ll just have a sweet little baby, though, so yay! And YAY for this incredible skillet baked ziti-it looks mouthwateringggg
I know, right?!!
Hi! I’m going to be making this for dinner tonight and I was wondering if I can subsitute the crushed tomatoes for Hunt’s tomato sauce? I’m also wondering how many servings does this make? I’m cooking for two so I’m wondering if I should cut down on the ingredients.
Thanks!
I would say it serves 4-6. I think tomato sauce would be okay, not ideal but would work.
This looks so delicious. Thanks! Sorry about your hand…i have done that, too…think it’s almost automatic to grab the handle like that. Good luck with your baby. My best friend refused to leave the house when she was past due because of people’s reactions! Sorry you’re having to deal with that but won’t it be wonderful when baby’s here!!!! Thanks again and have a great day
This dinner is right up my alley. Looks and sounds amazing. And considering we’re in the middle of a kitchen gut (literally looking at studs) I’m all over something that can be brewed up in one pot. Yum.
Is it wrong that I now want to see pictures of your freak of nature belly? LOL I’ve had three, so I know the comments that can be thrown out every time you leave the house. Soon, everyone will want to be touching your baby instead. 🙂
If I get brave enough I’ll post one on instagram at the end. It’s for posterity, right?
Screw what everyone else thinks, it all depends on how you carry the baby – I’m 29 weeks pregnant and massive in comparison to my friend who is only a week behind me. Reason is she has a tilted womb, so most of the bub is hidden on the inside and only now showing. I’ve had plenty of people comment on my size, and I still have 11 weeks to get even bigger *eeeep*
I can’t believe you are going to the gym! I am so lazy being pregnant 🙂
Btw, this meal looks delicious, I definitely need to try this out!
This looks and sounds amazing, YUM!
xx
Kelly
Sparkles and Shoes
I hated those comments. Thinking of you!
(And I pinned this.)
When I was at the end of my pregnancy with my last one, a guy at the grocery store told me I was “Huge” to which I responded, “Yeah, so are you.” I’m not super proud of that, but seriously, what is wrong with people??? Good luck!! Wish I could walk next to you and say all the mean things back that I’m sure you are too nice to say. This looks amazing!!
I’ve always wanted to say that back!