Baked Ziti Cups Delight (Printable version)

Individual ziti cups layered with cheese and tomato for a flavorful, handheld meal option.

# What You'll Need:

→ Pasta

01 - 8 ounces ziti or rigatoni pasta

→ Sauce

02 - 1 tablespoon olive oil
03 - 2 cloves garlic, minced
04 - 14 ounces canned crushed tomatoes
05 - 1 teaspoon dried Italian herbs
06 - 1/2 teaspoon salt
07 - 1/4 teaspoon black pepper

→ Cheese Mixture

08 - 1 cup ricotta cheese
09 - 1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese
10 - 1 large egg
11 - 2 tablespoons chopped fresh basil (optional)
12 - 1/4 teaspoon salt

→ Assembly

13 - 1 1/2 cups shredded mozzarella cheese
14 - Nonstick cooking spray

# Directions:

01 - Preheat oven to 375°F. Lightly coat a 12-cup muffin tin with nonstick cooking spray.
02 - Boil ziti pasta in generously salted water until just al dente. Drain and allow to cool slightly.
03 - Heat olive oil in a saucepan over medium heat. Add minced garlic and sauté until fragrant, about 1 minute. Stir in crushed tomatoes, Italian herbs, salt, and pepper. Simmer for 5 minutes then remove from heat.
04 - In a medium bowl, combine ricotta, Parmesan, egg, basil if using, and salt. Mix until smooth.
05 - In a large bowl, toss drained pasta with half of the tomato sauce and half of the shredded mozzarella until evenly coated.
06 - Divide half the pasta mixture evenly into the prepared muffin cups. Add a spoonful of the cheese mixture on top of each. Layer remaining pasta over cheese, spoon remaining tomato sauce onto each, and finish with the remaining mozzarella cheese.
07 - Bake in the preheated oven for 20 to 25 minutes until cheese is melted and bubbly. Let cups cool in the tin for 5 minutes before loosening with a knife and removing.
08 - Serve warm, optionally garnished with additional fresh basil.

# Expert Advice:

01 -
  • They're portable and elegant enough to hand someone without a fork—perfect for eating standing up at a party.
  • Each cup stays crispy on the outside while staying creamy inside, which somehow feels more special than a regular casserole.
  • You can freeze them unbaked and pop them in the oven whenever hunger strikes, making weeknight dinners genuinely easier.
02 -
  • Don't skip the cooling time in the muffin tin—even 3 minutes helps them hold together when you lift them out.
  • Undercooked pasta becomes perfect pasta once baked, but overcooked pasta becomes mush, so stop cooking when it still has a tiny bit of bite.
  • The cheese will keep melting even after you take them out of the oven, so pull them slightly before they look as bubbly as you want them to be.
03 -
  • Use a small ice cream scoop to divide the pasta mixture evenly—it takes the guesswork out of portioning and makes everything look intentional.
  • If the ricotta mixture is too thick to spoon, loosen it with a tablespoon of milk until it moves like thick yogurt.
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