Freezer Meal Baked Ziti
Freezer Meal Baked Ziti is an easy to make pasta freezer meal. Pasta freezer meals made with ground beef are very easy to assemble and prep for the freezer. You can stock the freezer full of ready made meals like Baked Ziti so all you need to do is thaw and bake in the oven.
Ingredients
- 16 oz box ziti noodles
- 5 cups of pasta sauce
- 16 oz container of Ricotta cheese
- 1 large egg
- ½ teaspoon salt
- ½ teaspoon ground black pepper
- 1 ½ teaspoons dried parsley flakes
Instructions
Prep
- Make the Crock Pot Meat Sauce early in the day or the day before assembling the freezer meal baked ziti trays. Or you can buy jarred pasta sauce. You will need about 5 cups of pasta sauce to make two family size trays of baked ziti.
- Make the ricotta cheese mixture by mixing 1 slightly beaten egg, the salt, the ground pepper ,the dried parsley and the ricotta cheese in a large mixing bowl. Cover and chill in the refrigerator until needed. The ricotta cheese can be chilled overnight if needed.
- Boil the pasta following the instructions on the box and rinse well with cold water.
Instructions
- Divide the cooked ziti noodles between the two freezer containers (or the smaller trays if using). I put 5-6 cups of cooked ziti noodles into each of the large trays.
- Add 1 to 1 ½ cups of sauce to each family size tray. Mix with a spoon to cover the noodles with the sauce.
- Add ½ to ¾ cups of the prepared ricotta cheese mixture to each of the large trays. Mix with a spoon to combine with the sauce and noodles.
- Add 1 cup of shredded mozzarella cheese to each tray and toss the noodles with the cheese to evenly distribute the cheese throughout the pasta.
- Divide the sauce and spread over the top of each tray.
- Divide the ricotta cheese and spread over the top of the sauce.
- Sprinkle about a cup of shredded mozzarella cheese over the top of each tray.
- Place the cardboard lid on each tray. Crimp the edge of the aluminum tray over the edge of the cardboard lid to seal the tray.
- Place the trays in the freezer.
Cooking Directions
- Thaw the tray of ziti in the refrigerator overnight. Pour off any water that forms before cooking.
- If using aluminum trays or glass baking pans preheat the oven to 375 F. degrees.
- Place the thawed tray on a baking sheet and remove the lid. Place the tray in the oven and bake for 30 to 45 minutes or until the center is hot and the cheese topping is melted.
- If using plastic food prep containers you can cook the baked ziti in the microwave. Loosen the lid and heat for 4 to 5 minutes on high or until the center of the ziti is piping hot and the cheese is melted. Check after about 3 minutes and remove the lid if needed.
Video
Recipe Expert Tips
- Cook the Freezer Baked Ziti within 3 to 4 months.
- Each tray will serve 4 to 6 people.
- Cook the pasta and rinse well with cold water to prevent the noodles from sticking together.
- You can make any proportion size baked ziti that you like. You can make two family size trays of baked ziti.
- Or you can make single serving dinner or lunch trays by dividing the ingredients between the smaller containers.
- Thawing freezer meals is easy. To thaw the freezer meal baked ziti the night before you will remove the frozen tray from the freezer and thaw it in the refrigerator overnight before baking.
Nutrition
Serving: 1ServingCalories: 237kcalCarbohydrates: 35gProtein: 11gFat: 6gSaturated Fat: 3gTrans Fat: 1gCholesterol: 35mgSodium: 672mgPotassium: 469mgFiber: 3gSugar: 5gVitamin A: 633IUVitamin C: 7mgCalcium: 102mgIron: 2mg
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