Our gluten-free baked ziti with sausage is a delicious kid-friendly dinner. It’s packed with flavor from a combo of pork sausage and beef, tomatoes, and ricotta, along with lots of mozzarella and parmesan cheese.
Hearty and bursting with flavor, this is a must-try recipe! It’s the perfect dish to feed a crowd or meal prep to serve any night of the week.
Serve as a meal in itself, or pair with Instant Pot Broccoli, Baked Zucchini Squash Rounds or Green Beans For Kids as an easy way to get more veggies into your family.
For more tasty pasta dishes that can be made gluten free, check out our Butternut Squash and Sausage Pasta, Vegetarian Baked Spaghetti and Mediterranean Pasta recipes.
Ingredients
Start by gathering the ingredients for the meat and cheese mixtures then read or print the recipe card below for easy directions to making this pasta dish.
Meat Mixture
- 1 medium onion, diced
- 1 teaspoon olive oil
- 1 pound Jimmy Dean all natural pork sausage watch for added flavors, may not be gluten-free
- 1 pound lean ground beef
- 28 ounce can diced tomatoes
- 6 ounce can tomato paste
- 1 tablespoon sugar
- 2 teaspoons salt
- 1 teaspoon oregano
- 1 teaspoon garlic powder
- 1/2 teaspoon thyme
- 1/4 teaspoon crushed red pepper
Cheese Mixture
- 15 ounce ricotta cheese
- 1 large egg
- 16 ounce shredded mozzarella cheese, divided
- 1/2 cup shredded parmesan cheese, divided
- 16 ounces gluten-free pasta such as ziti, cooked per box instructions we used penne
How To Make
Serving up to 10 people, this gluten free pasta dish is super easy to prep and bake. The flavor is exactly as if you used regular pasta. The day it was served here we were feeding extra teenage boys – and no one could tell the difference.
Preheat the oven
Start by preheating the oven to 350°F.
Sauté the onion and brown the meat
In a large skillet, add 1 tablespoon of olive oil to a skillet over medium-high and heat for 1 minute. Then, add the diced onion and sauté until translucent (about 3-4 minutes). “Translucent” means that you should be able to almost see through the onions. Stir the onions – watching for your onions to turn from solid white in color to translucent while shrinking in size. The onions will also start smelling sweet because sautéing helps onions develop a sweet flavor.
Then add the ground pork and ground beef to the skillet. Using a spatula, carefully break up the meat into large chunks. Let the chunks of meat cook for approximately 1 minute. Then, break the chunks into smaller pieces and let cook for approximately 1 minute. Repeat the process of alternating between breaking up the ground pork and beef and cooking for 1 minute until no longer pink.
Add the rest of the meat mixture ingredients
To the cooked meat and onions, add the diced tomatoes, tomato paste, sugar, salt, oregano, garlic powder, thyme, and crushed red pepper. Stir well until combined.
Blend the cheese mixture together
In a large bowl, combine the ricotta cheese, 1/2 cup mozzarella cheese, 1/4 cup parmesan cheese and the egg. Stir well.
After cooking the pasta, drain and rinse
Rinse the cooked pasta with cool water to cool it down. Then, drain and gently stir in the cheese mixture.
Pro Tip: Cook the gluten-free noodles until al dente (per box instructions) as the noodles will continue to cook in the oven.
Add half of the meat mixture
To the pasta and cheese mixture, gently stir in half of the meat mixture. Add the mixture into the 9 x 13 inch baking pan. Add the rest of the meat mixture to the top.
Add the remaining cheese
Sprinkle the remaining mozzarella cheese and parmesan cheese on top of the pasta and meat mixture in the baking dish.
Bake
Bake uncovered at 350°F for 30 minutes or until cheese is melted and starting to bubble. Serve hot!
Frequently Asked Questions
Typically yes, but be sure to check the ingredient label for added flavors that may not be gluten-free. You can also opt for gluten-free chicken or turkey sausage if preferred.
This pasta casserole can be stored in the fridge for up to 5 days and reheated for meals during the week. It can also be stored in the freezer. For more tips and tricks to freeze pasta, check out our guide on How To Freeze Cooked Pasta.
This gluten-free pasta dish can be prepped the day ahead, covered, and stored in the fridge. Bake in the oven 30 minutes before you are ready to serve.
More Gluten Free Recipes
- Kid-Friendly Meatloaf
- Homemade Low-Sodium Ramen Noodles
- Gluten-Free Chicken Tenders
- Gluten Free Lemon Squares Recipe
- Air Fryer Baked Apples (Gluten-Free)
- Gluten-Free Lunch Ideas
- Gluten-Free Apple Cider Donuts
- Gluten-Free Pumpkin Muffins
CKC Features both Gluten-Free Guidance and Kids Cooking Instructions: If you’re new to eating gluten-free we understand it’s overwhelming trying to figure out which foods may contain gluten and which ones don’t. All of our gluten-free recipes marked with this symbol ✅ represent foods that need to be checked for gluten or cross-contamination.
The ⭐️ symbol in the recipe below denotes the steps in which kid cooks may need a helper (depending on age). If there is no ⭐️ symbol, that step (or recipe) doesn’t require a helper.
Gluten Free Baked Ziti
Equipment
- large mixing bowl
Ingredients
Meat Mixture
- 1 medium onion, diced
- 1 teaspoon olive oil
- 1 pound Jimmy Dean all natural pork sausage ✅
- 1 pound lean ground beef ✅
- 28 ounce can diced tomatoes ✅
- 6 ounce can tomato paste ✅
- 1 tablespoon sugar
- 2 teaspoons salt
- 1 teaspoon oregano ✅
- 1 teaspoon garlic powder ✅
- 1/2 teaspoon thyme ✅
- 1/4 teaspoon crushed red pepper ✅
Cheese Mixture
- 15 ounce ricotta cheese
- 1 large egg
- 16 ounce shredded mozzarella cheese, divided ✅
- 1/2 cup shredded parmesan cheese, divided ✅
- 16 ounces gluten-free pasta such as ziti, cooked per box instructions we used penne
Instructions
- Preheat the oven. Preheat the oven to 350°F.
- ⭐️Saute the onion and brown the meat. In a large skillet, add the oil and onions, saute for 2-3 minutes. Add the ground pork and ground beef. Cook until browned. Drain if desired.
- Add the rest of the meat mixture ingredients. To the cooked meat, add the diced tomatoes, tomato paste, sugar, salt, oregano, garlic powder, thyme, and crushed red pepper. Stir well.
- Blend the cheese mixture together. In a large bowl, combine the ricotta cheese, 1/2 cup mozzarella cheese, 1/4 cup parmesan cheese and the egg. Stir well.
- ⭐️After cooking the pasta, drain and rinse. Rinse the cooked pasta with cool water to cool it down. Drain. Gently stir in the cheese mixture.
- Add half of the meat mixture. To the pasta and cheese mixture, gently stir in half of the meat mixture. Add the pasta mixture into the 9 x 13 inch baking pan. Add the rest of the meat mixture on top of the pasta mixture.
- Add the remaining cheese. Add the rest of the mozzarella cheese and parmesan cheese on top.
- ⭐️Bake. Bake at 350°F for 30 minutes or until cheese is melted and starting to bubble. Serve hot!
Notes
Nutrition
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