What is Baked Ziti? Traditionally, Baked Ziti is an Italian casserole dish, cooked with tomato sauce and cheese. After searching my pantry, I discovered I did not have any Ziti, nor Penne pasta, both used interchangeably in this classic recipe. Because Ziti and Penne are tubular pasta, why couldn’t I use elbow macaroni, of which I had plenty of? This dish turned out to be a “use up what is in the fridge” dish, which us home cooks – LOVE! Legend notes upon being served a dish of macaroni, an early Italian sovereign exclaimed, “Macaroni!” Which means “how very dear.” This semolina and water-based pasta do not usually contain eggs…