Our Most Popular Fall Recipe of All Time Is a Comfort Food Classic

As soon as the first leaf drops, I find myself grabbing a sweatshirt to sit outside with my cup of morning tea, my brain turning to fall foods. I don't mean your stereotypical pumpkin spice. Rather, it’s cozy meals from the oven or ones that bubble on the stovetop that I crave—things that, for me, read comfort food. 

If I had to pick just one comfort food for the rest of my days, it’s far and away pasta. So when I discovered that the most popular fall recipe of all time here at Simply Recipes is baked ziti, I felt seen. Give me cheesy red sauced-noodles any crisp autumn day over pumpkin this or apple that. 

Baked ziti is an Italian-American classic that’s easy to throw together, feeds a crowd, and is oh-so belly warming.

Why Our Baked Ziti Recipe Is a Such a Favorite

It’s hard to argue with the dream team of pasta, tomato sauce, and melty mozzarella. Baked ziti is like a lazier lasagna that’s just as satisfying. It’s fast enough to assemble on a busy weeknight but special enough to save for a weekend gathering with friends. It serves six to eight generously, so it’s a great option when you have a crowd to feed or need leftovers. 

But perhaps the best part—there is tons of make-ahead potential, with various options to suit your schedule or level of foresight. Assemble and refrigerate the unbaked casserole up to a day ahead of time or freeze it for even longer, so that all you need to do is slip it into the oven when needed. Or bake the whole thing on assembly day and refrigerate or freeze it to simply reheat at a later date.

The Many Ways You Can Make This Baked Ziti Your Own

On top of all of this is baked ziti’s adaptability. Our recipe features a meaty tomato sauce filled with crumbled Italian sausage plus three types of cheese: mozzarella, parmesan, and ricotta. Here are some of the many ways to adapt this recipe:

• Use any other meltable cheese in place of the mozzarella, such as fontina or provolone, and try pecorino instead of parmesan. 
• Swap the ricotta cheese with cottage cheese. Or do like reader Anna, who says, “My family doesn't care for ricotta or cottage cheese, so I use cream cheese instead. Works great and tastes great!”
• Replace the sausage with ground meat like beef, turkey, or pork. 
• Make this recipe vegetarian by leaving out the meat completely. Sauté vegetables like mushrooms, eggplant, or bell peppers instead, or keep it simple and wilt baby spinach or kale into the warm tomato sauce.
• Use any short pasta shape instead of ziti like rigatoni, penne, or my personal favorite: cavatappi.
• Replace the fresh basil or rosemary with thyme, oregano, or parsley, and the dried Italian seasoning with dried oregano. Or just stir a big spoonful of basil pesto into the sauce.
• Leave out the red pepper flakes if you prefer something milder. For a spicier dish, use hot Italian sausage.