Baked Ziti Cups (Printable)

Individual cheesy pasta cups layered with tomato sauce and melted mozzarella for easy, delicious bites.

# 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 - 1.5 cups shredded mozzarella cheese
14 - Nonstick cooking spray

# How-To:

01 - Preheat oven to 375°F. Lightly coat a 12-cup muffin tin with nonstick cooking spray.
02 - Boil ziti pasta in salted water until just al dente. Drain and set aside to cool slightly.
03 - Heat olive oil over medium heat in a saucepan. 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. Stir until smooth.
05 - In a large bowl, mix half of the drained pasta with half the tomato sauce and half the shredded mozzarella. Toss until evenly coated.
06 - Distribute half of the pasta mixture evenly into the muffin cups. Spoon the ricotta mixture on top of each portion, then layer with the remaining pasta. Spoon the remaining tomato sauce over each cup and sprinkle with the remaining mozzarella cheese.
07 - Bake in the preheated oven for 20 to 25 minutes until the cheese is melted and bubbly.
08 - Allow the cups to cool in the tin for 5 minutes before loosening them with a knife and removing. Serve warm, garnished with extra basil if desired.

# Expert Hints:

01 -
  • They're handheld, which means less cleanup and actual eating while standing up in the kitchen without guilt.
  • The crispy edges against the soft, cheesy center creates a textural moment that somehow makes you feel like you're eating something fancy.
  • One batch makes enough to freeze half for mornings when you forgot to plan dinner.
  • They work for feeding a crowd or just yourself on nights when you want something warm and comforting that doesn't require sitting down.
02 -
  • Don't skip the cooling step or the ricotta mixture will melt and ooze out as you try to remove the cups—that 5 minutes changes everything about how they hold together.
  • Low-moisture mozzarella is your friend here; fresh mozzarella will make the cups soggy and loose by the time you serve them.
  • If you've overfilled the cups, they'll crack as they cool—leave about 1 cm (1/2 inch) of headroom from the rim.
03 -
  • Use a slight squeeze of lemon zest stirred into the ricotta mixture right before assembling—it's invisible but adds a subtle brightness that somehow makes everything taste more alive.
  • If your mozzarella is particularly wet, pat it dry with a paper towel before sprinkling it on top so you don't end up with pools of moisture that steam instead of brown.
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