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Skillet Cheesy Beef Ziti

By Sarah On   |  Updated:

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This all-in-one beef ziti is made entirely in the skillet and whips up in 30 minutes flat! Your family will love how hot and cheesy it is—Serve with crusty bread for a stick-to-your-ribs dinner!

Skillet Cheesy Beef Ziti | wholeandheavenlyoven.com

Uh-oh. I said the Z word. Z-z-z-ZITI! You are definitely in for a carb-loaded treat today….and perhaps a ton a bit of rambling from me about my love for pasta, cheese and CARBS.

Dear carbs: You’re my best friend and no matter how much I might not appreciate how tight you make my skinny jeans, I will always love you FOREVER.

Because to be honest? You’re pretty irresistible. ♥

Also, I’m craving all things cozy right about now. We got our first “real” stick-to-the-ground 2 inches of snow yesterday and it’s STILL sticking around…

Not. Okay.

Skillet Cheesy Beef Ziti | wholeandheavenlyoven.com

 Okay I promise I won’t whine ’bout the white stuff. Let’s talk skillet dinners, shall we? They’re my ultimate weakness. Preeetty much for 3 top reasons:

1. (this is a little obv) They’re SO stinkin’ fast! Bam-bam-BAM. Dinner’s on. Stuff ‘yo faces.

2. Less dishes! This is always a big plus for me, since it seems every time I turn there’s ALWAYS new mountains of dishes waiting to be washed.

3. (most important) They’re almost ALWAYS filled with some kind of carb-y goodness. ♥

And as we just discussed above: Carbs and all things cozy are your friend. 

Skillet Cheesy Beef Ziti | wholeandheavenlyoven.com

Baked ziti is one my fall-back/go-to weeknight dinners. It’s relatively simple, it’s an entire meal-in-one, and obv the CARBS are a big plus.

But the other day? Time was not on my side as I was struggling to finish a photoshoot before my light went buh-bye and the troops were already starting to complain that they were “starving.” (fact: no one is ever starving in this house)

So I said to that already-cooked pasta I had on the counter: “You know what? You’re going in the skillet today.”

Into the skillet it went, along with browned ground beef, lotsa’ sauce, cheese, and CHEESE.

The cheese is doubled and in all caps to stress how important it is. As if we needed a reminder.

Skillet Cheesy Beef Ziti | wholeandheavenlyoven.com

I wasn’t expecting this said skillet dinner to turn out as amazing as it did, but it DID and holy baloney, guys. You’d have thought I NEVER fed people around here judging from the way they face-shoveled this ziti that night.

It’s kinda been made 5 times since then. Because to tell you the truth, I can’t get enough either.

My jeans? They’re currently telling me that they’ve had enough, but I’m just choosing to ignore them.

Skillet Cheesy Beef Ziti | wholeandheavenlyoven.com

Literally all you’re gonna need for this zippy ziti is the pasta, crushed tomatoes, ground beef (for a meatless option, feel free to leave it out!) a few seasonings and obv, the CHEESE. (again, in all caps)

My favorite part about this skillet ziti (besides obv, the EATING part) is lifting the lid on the skillet after dumping on the cheese.

Holyyyyy melty-cheesy goodness….it seriously knocks me off my feet every time.

Skillet Cheesy Beef Ziti | wholeandheavenlyoven.com

And just like that my self-control is gone.

Everyone has at least 30 minutes to spend on dinner right?! Awesome, then you can make this skillet ziti and become the apple of everyone at the dinner table’s eye. And the Queen of the Carbs.

Skillet Cheesy Beef Ziti | wholeandheavenlyoven.com

MORE than appropriate for a Monday, I’m thinking…

Bring ON zee carbs. ♥

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Skillet Cheesy Beef Ziti

This all-in-one beef ziti is made entirely in the skillet and whips up in 30 minutes flat! Your family will love how hot and cheesy it is---Serve with crusty bread for a stick-to-your-ribs dinner!
Prep Time 10 minutes
Cook Time 20 minutes
Total Time 30 minutes
Servings 8 servings

Ingredients

  • 1 lb rotini pasta
  • 1 lb ground beef
  • 1 medium onion finely chopped
  • 3 garlic cloves minced
  • 1 28 oz can crushed tomatoes
  • 1 cup water
  • 1 teaspoon Italian seasoning
  • 1 teaspoon salt
  • 1/2 teaspoon black pepper
  • 2 cups shredded mozzarella cheese
  • 2 tablespoons minced fresh parsley

Instructions

  • Cook pasta according to package directions until just barely tender. Drain and set aside.
  • In a large skillet over medium-high heat, cook ground beef, onion, and garlic until meat is no longer pink. Reduce heat to medium-low. Stir crushed tomatoes, water, seasonings, and cooked pasta into meat.
  • Continue cooking ziti over medium-low heat 5-10 minutes stirring frequently until completely heated through. Remove from heat and top with shredded cheese and parsley. Cover skillet and let stand 5 minutes or until cheese is melted. Serve ziti warm.
Tried this recipe?Leave a comment and rating below. Feel free to share a picture on Instagram and tag @wholeandheavenlyoven or hashtag it #wholeandheavenlyoven

Reader Interactions

Comments

  1. Gayle @ Pumpkin 'N Spice says

    Mondays definitely call for those carb-loaded kinds of meals! This ziti looks amazing, Sarah! I love how cheesy and full of flavors this is. And even better that it can be made in just 30 minutes! Sounds like the perfect weeknight meal to me!

    Reply

  5. Heather @ Shards of Lavender says

    Carbs are the best and I love skillet dinners because they’re so quick and the cleanup is minimal! Ziti is my favorite pasta because the spirals pick up all the sauce and cheese better than thinner noodles:) This looks like the perfect dinner for my family, Sarah. Thanks for the recipe!

    Reply

  10. marcie says

    Carbs are my biggest weakness…actually they’re right up there next to chocolate! This cheesy skillet pasta looks so delicious, and needs to happy soon. This would be such a great week night meal!

    Reply

  15. Kelly - Life Made Sweeter says

    Dear Sarah, please make as much of this gorgeous Ziti as you want and feel free to send any leftovers my way. I will be waiting patiently sporting my stretchy preggo jeans because those skinny jeans just aren’t going to cut it. Looking forward to digging into this cheesy carbilicious meal. Thank you 🙂 ♥

    Reply

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