Step 1

Preheat the oven to 375 degrees.

Step 2

Bring a 5-6 quart pot of salted water to a boil. Add the pasta and cook for 5 minutes. The pasta should still have a bite to it after it cooks. This helps keep the pasta from getting mushy.

Step 3

Drain the pasta and rinse. Place the pasta into a 9 x13 baking dish.

Step 4

Mix ricotta cheese, egg, romano or parmesan cheese, garlic powder, onion powder, Italian seasoning, salt, and pepper in a medium bowl. Stir in the crushed red pepper if you're using it.

Step 5

Mix the ricotta cheese mixture and spaghetti sauce in with the pasta. Start with 3-cups of sauce and add more if you need to. The pasta should be covered with sauce and cheese mixture.

Step 6

Sprinkle mozzarella over the top of the pasta mixture.

Step 7

Cover with foil and bake for 55 minutes. Uncover and bake for another 5 minutes or until cheese is melted and the baked ziti is bubbling on the sides.