Baked Ziti – classic Italian comfort food made with hearty pasta, flavorful sausage, a homemade marinara and layered with ricotta, mozzarella and parmesan cheese! It’s a lot like lasagna but it’s faster since layers are lazier, but of course it tastes equally as good!
Baked Ziti
Ingredients
- 1 Tbsp olive oil
- 1 3/4 cup chopped yellow onions (1 medium onion)
- 1 lb Mild or Hot Italian Sausage, such as Johnsonville
- 3 cloves garlic, minced
- 1 (28 oz) can crushed tomatoes
- 1 (14.5 oz) can petite diced tomatoes
- 3 Tbsp tomato paste
- 1/3 cup slightly packed chopped fresh basil, plus more for topping
- 4 Tbsp chopped fresh parsley, divided
- Salt and freshly ground black pepper
- 1 (15 oz) container ricotta cheese
- 1 large egg
- 3 1/2 cups (14 oz) shredded mozzarella, divided
- 3/4 cup (1.7 oz) finely shredded parmesan, divided
- 16 oz dry ziti pasta
Instructions
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Preheat oven and boil water: Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Bring a large pot of water to a boil (for pasta).
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For the sauce: Heat olive oil in a large saute pan (deep skillet), add onions and saute 2 minutes then add sausage and cook, stirring and breaking up sausage occasionally, until cooked through, adding in garlic during last 1 minute, drain excess fat.
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Stir in crushed tomatoes, diced tomatoes, tomato paste, basil, 2 Tbsp parsley and season with salt and pepper to taste. Bring mixture to a light boil, then reduce heat to low, cover and allow to simmer 10 minutes then remove from heat.
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Too cook pasta: Cook pasta according to package directions about a minute shy of al dente. Drain pasta while reserving 1/4 cup of the pasta water.
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Return pasta to empty pot, immediately add reserved pasta water and 1 cup of the red sauce then toss pasta to coat.
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For the cheeses: In a mixing bowl using a fork stir together ricotta, egg, 2 Tbsp parsley and season with salt and pepper. Mix in 1 1/2 cups of the mozzarella and 1/2 cup of the parmesan.
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To assemble the ziti: Spray a 13 by 9-inch baking dish with non-stick spray. Spread 1 1/2 cups of the red sauce evenly into bottom of dish, then spread 1/2 of the pasta over sauce then dollop spoonfuls of ricotta mixture all over pasta and flatten slightly.
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Top with remaining pasta. Spoon remaining sauce evenly over pasta layer. Sprinkle top evenly with remaining 2 cups of the mozzarella and 1/4 cup parmesan.
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To cook the baked ziti: Tent baking dish with foil (don't let it touch the cheese or it will stick) and bake 15 minutes then uncover and bake 10 - 15 minutes longer until cheese is melted throughout. Serve warm.
Recipe Notes
- For a more browned topping you can broil during last few minutes of baking (as long as you aren't using a glass baking dish).
- If you'd like a spicy baked ziti then add 1/4 - 1/2 tsp red pepper flakes to sauce.
