Baked Ziti Near You

Is Baked Ziti the Same as Lasagna?

Technically, yes, baked ziti is quite similar to lasagna. Both dishes are part of something called "pasta al forno", which literally translates to "oven pasta" and covers any pasta dish that needs baking to be completed.

However, their similarities pretty much end here. As you probably already know, lasagna is made with pasta sheets that are placed above one another, divided by layers of filling in between. Baked ziti, on the other hand, is a dish made with ziti pasta, mozzarella, and marinara sauce.

Pretty much a casserole, baked ziti is a simpler, yet still tasty pasta al forno option for baked pasta lovers.

Why is it Called Baked Ziti?

Simple, it's called baked ziti because it literally is baked ziti! As we mentioned in the previous paragraph, there is nothing more to this dish other than baked ziti-type pasta, mozzarella, and marinara sauce. Sure, there are some alternatives and recipes with additions, but the basic, original ziti recipe is just those three ingredients.

Even though a lot of Italian recipes popular in the US date back centuries, baked ziti is a fairly new invention. Believed to have been introduced in the 1950s, the dish has been heavily influenced by American lifestyle and cooking.

Even if baked ziti specifically is fairly new, pasta al forno isn't. In fact, this style of preparing pasta can be traced back to the Middle Ages. However, it just wasn't ziti being baked, but other types, and it wasn't until the 1950s that somebody thought to give ziti a try.

Since its conception, the dish has had a chokehold over American-Italian cuisine and is known as the ultimate comfort food to many.

Fun Facts

• The dish is believed to have been invented by Joan Berchielli, although not much information is available about it
• Even though there is an “original” version of the recipe, there really isn’t a “traditional” one, as baked ziti isn’t a traditionally Italian dish
• The show “The Sopranos” really helped put this dish on the culinary map and popularized it across the world

What Goes With Baked Ziti?

To understand what might go well with baked ziti, it's important to fist understand how its made. As we said before, this dish is a fairly simple one to make, which brings with itself two advantages.

The first one is that learning how it's made is going to be super simple and prep time is going to be fast. The second - that the dish is extremely forgiving and can be paired with a lot of tasty ingredients easily.

In a nutshell, baked ziti is prepared by boiling the pasta until it can be considered al-dente. Then, it's placed in a casserole dish. Added to it are mozzarella and a homemade tomato sauce and the dish is placed in the oven. After about 10 minutes, or when the pasta is golden-brown, the dish is taken out and served hot. Pretty simple, right?

Now, you can eat it as is, or you can take a look at some additions. For example, a lot of people enjoy baked ziti with meatballs. Others love adding a bit of prosciutto to the mix. Some foodies opt for mushrooms to get an enriched vegetarian variation of the dish, and so on.

In American restaurants, you'll usually find this dish served plain, with meatballs, or with a different type of cheese, like ricotta. Many of them do get creative with their recipes of baked ziti, though, so you can be sure that you'll have an exciting variety to choose from.

A lot of places also offer customization options, so you can create your very own plate you'll love! After all, the whole history of pasta al forno dishes is a somewhat DIY ordeal, so you're good either way.

Is Ziti Good for Weight-loss?

The age old question - are our comfort foods actually healthy for us? Can a comfort food even be healthy? Isn't the whole point of it to not be? Well, the answers to those questions depend on the people asking them.

However, in the case of baked ziti, the answer depends on the variation you're eating. If your plate consists of only the main three ingredients, you'll be getting 32g of carbs, 1g of fat, 16g of protein, and a total of about 200 to 300 calories.

However, if you add things to your ziti, you'll be looking at a higher caloric value, with ground beef meatballs adding about 200 calories, some fat, and some protein. A four cheese plate will add some calories too, as will mushrooms, cream, and whatever else you'd like to sprinkle on.

Even though caloric intake does vary, baked ziti isn't inherently unhealthy. After all, it's mainly semolina and wheat flour, tomatoes, and dairy - all things that your body can use up! All in all, baked ziti isn't a scary or heavy dish, so whichever option you go with will do you just fine.

Where Can I Find Baked Ziti Near Me?

If all this reading got you feeling hungry, we have some recommendations for you! Our Boston customers can head to either Viga or Primo Pizza Restaurant (among many others) for a plate of the finest ziti in the city!

In Vegas, Pellegrini Pizza as well as Biaggio's Pizzeria are definitely worth a try!

Finally, for our Houston readers, we'd like to highlight Pizza Fino and Prima Pasta.

If you didn't find your city on our list, you can head to our website and look up some amazing hotspots in your town! We have a variety of incredible places and you can search by dish as well as location.