Sausage and Peppers Baked Ziti is a comforting pasta casserole that won’t take all day to make! Sausage and peppers baked with a marinara sauce, cheese and the perfect amount of seasonings!
Also check out our Classic Baked Ziti that we serve at pretty much every holiday or party! Or you can serve both for a meat and meat-free option!
Sausage and Peppers Baked Ziti Recipe
If you love a good, comforting pasta recipe, this Sausage and Peppers Baked Ziti is for you. Not only do we serve this baked ziti for every day dinners, but also on holidays and for parties.
Everyone loves, it, it’s easy to make and can be made ahead of time. It doesn’t get better that that!
How Do You Make This Ziti Recipe?
Start by browning a pound of Italian sausage in a skillet. You can swap out regular pork sausage, chicken sausage or turkey sausage if you like. Add diced bell peppers and onions, and of course garlic to make the filling complete.
After you season the sausage and vegetables with oregano, basil, dried parsley, salt and pepper. Stir in a jar of your favorite marinara sauce and set aside. While you’re making the filling, cook a pound of ziti or ziti rigati (with the ridges), drain and have it waiting for you.
Now mix the cooked pasta together with the sausage and peppers along with a cup of shredded mozzarella cheese and grated parmesan cheese. We opted for not using ricotta cheese for this Sausage and Peppers Baked Ziti recipe because we wanted it to remind us more of traditional sausage and peppers.
Pour the pasta filling into a 9″ x 13″ inch baking dish and top with more mozzarella and parmesan cheese. Bake at 375 for just about 20-25 minute until the cheese is melted and the ziti is warmed through.
What Side Dishes Go Best With Baked Ziti?
Oh we do love our sides…and we have a few ideas here that are our favorite side dishes to go with almost any pasta recipe!
- Garlic Bread
- Homemade Caesar Salad
- Escarole Bistro Salad
- Steamed Artichokes
- Garlic Roasted Broccoli
- Parmesan Roasted Cauliflower
Can You Make This Baked Ziti Recipe Ahead Of Time?
Yep, absolutely! I prefer making this dish, covering and putting it in the refrigerator until ready to cook. Remove the baked ziti from the refrigerator at least 30 minutes before cooking to take the chill off and then bake per the recipe card.
But leftovers do reheat beautifully right in the microwave – so don’t count this Sausage and Peppers Baked Ziti out for your meal prepping ideas for the week!
Can I Add Other Vegetables Instead Of Peppers?
Sure. If bell peppers aren’t your thing then you can swap out a lot of different veggies in this pasta recipe!
- Chopped broccoli
- Frozen chopped spinach (defrosted and water squeezed out) OR fresh spinach, cooked down
- Peas
- Cubed, cooked eggplant
- Broccoli rabe
How Long Does Leftover Baked Ziti Last In The Fridge?
Well, ours never stays around very long…our kids get bowl after bowl until it’s gone! BUT, if you do have leftovers they’ll be good covered in the refrigerator for 3-4 days.
I don’t love freezing pasta recipes like this one, or really any pasta recipes, but I know a lot of people do and are fine with it. So I’ll leave that up to you!
Looking For More Pasta Recipes?
- Cheesy Shells and Ham
- Baked Macaroni and Cheese
- Lemony Shrimp and Broccoli Pasta
- Pasta Carbonara
- Classic Beef Lasagna
Sausage and Peppers Baked Ziti
- Prep Time: 10 minutes
- Cook Time: 25 minutes
- Total Time: 35 minutes
- Yield: 8 servings 1x
Print Recipe
Pin RecipeSausage and Peppers Baked Ziti in the comfort food dinner that you’re looking for! All the flavors you love in sausage and peppers baked with pasta and cheese!
Ingredients
- 1 pound ziti, rigatoni or penne
- 1 pound Italian sausage, casings removed
- 2 cups diced bell peppers, any color
- 1 cup diced onion
- 2 tablespoons chopped garlic
- 1 teaspoon kosher salt
- 2 teaspoons dried parsley
- 1 teaspoon dried oregano
- 1 teaspoon dried basil
- Fresh black pepper to taste
- 24 ounce jar marinara sauce
- 3/4 cup grated parmesan cheese, divided (1/2 cup in filling, 1/4 cup on top)
- 3 cups shredded mozzarella cheese, divided (one in filling 2 on top)
- Fresh parsley, chopped (optional)
Instructions
- Cook the pasta according to the package directions, drain and set aside.
- Preheat the oven to 375 degrees.
- Spray a large skillet with cooking spray, then add the sausage and cook while breaking up into small pieces.
- Once the sausage has cooked through, add the peppers, onion and garlic, stirring to combine with the sausage. Cook for 5 minutes until the vegetables have softened and then season with salt, dried parsley, dried oregano, dried basil and fresh black pepper to taste.
- Place the cooked ziti into the pot that you cooked it in and then add the sausage, peppers and onion mixture. Add 1/2 cup of the parmesan cheese and 1 cup of the mozzarella cheese. Pour in the marinara sauce and stir to combine.
- Spray a 9″ x 13″ baking dish with non-stick cooking spray and then pour the ziti mixture into the dish, spreading out into an even layer. Top with the remaining 1/4 cup of parmesan cheese and the remaining 2 cups of mozzarella cheese.
- Bake, uncovered for 20-25 minutes until the cheese has melted and the baked ziti is warmed through.
- Category: Dinner
- Method: Stove Top / Oven
- Cuisine: American
Keywords: mantitlement, pasta dishes, baked ziti recipe, comfort food meals, make ahead recipes, game day food, casserole recipes, recipes with sausage
