Baked Ziti

Name: Baked Ziti
Prep time: 1 h 5 min
Cook time: 1 h 5 min
Total time: 1 h 5 min
Yield: 8
Cuisine: Mediterranean, Italian, European
Ingredients: 454 grams ziti (can sub penne) pasta; 1 serving Extra virgin olive oil; 454 grams bulk Italian sausage or ground beef or pork; 1 large onion, chopped; 3 garlic cloves, chopped; 1 Tbsp fresh rosemary (or basil), minced; 1 Tbsp Italian seasoning; 1 teaspoons red pepper flakes; 907 grams large jar of marinara sauce (about or make your own tomato sauce; 227 grams mozzarella cheese, grated; 237 milliliters heaping cup of ricotta cheese; 237 milliliters grated parmesan or pecorino cheese

Baked Ziti is a Mediterranean recipe that serves 8. This recipe covers 24% of your daily requirements of vitamins and minerals. One portion of this dish contains around 33g of protein, 28g of fat, and a total of 595 calories. It works well as an affordable main course. A mixture of ziti pasta, seasoning, onion, and a handful of other ingredients are all it takes to make this recipe so tasty. From preparation to the plate, this recipe takes around 1 hour and 5 minutes. Users who liked this recipe also liked Baked Ziti, BA’s Best Baked Ziti, and Baked Ziti.

Instructions

Boil the pasta:

Ingredients you will need

Pasta

Heat a large pot of water (2 quarts of water) to a strong boil.

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Water

Equipment you will use

Pot

Add a tablespoon of salt.

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Salt

Add the pasta and cook at a rolling boil, uncovered, until the pasta is al dente—edible but still a little firm to the bite.

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Pasta

Drain the pasta through a colander. Toss with a little olive oil so the pasta does not stick together while you make the sauce.

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Olive Oil

Pasta

Sauce

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Colander

Brown the meat: While the water is heating in the previous step, start on the sauce.

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Sauce

Water

Meat

Heat a tablespoon of olive oil in a large sauté pan on medium-high heat. When the oil is shimmering hot, add the bulk sausage or ground meat. Break up any large chunks of sausage as it cooks. Brown well.

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Ground Pork Sausage

Ground Beef

Olive Oil

Sausage

Cooking Oil

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Frying Pan

Don't stir that often or it will be more difficult for the meat to brown. If you are using ground beef or pork instead of sausage, sprinkle with a little salt.

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Ground Beef

Sausage

Meat

Pork

Salt

Add onions and sauté, then add garlic, spices, then tomato sauce: When the meat is mostly browned, add the onions and stir well to combine. Sauté everything until the onions are translucent and beginning to brown, about 4-5 minutes.

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Tomato Sauce

Garlic

Onion

Spices

Meat

Add the garlic, rosemary or basil, Italian seasoning and red pepper flakes and stir to combine. Cook 1 minute, then add the tomato sauce and stir well. Bring to a simmer.

Ingredients you will need

Italian Seasoning

Red Pepper Flakes

Tomato Sauce

Rosemary

Garlic

Basil

Preheat the oven to 350°F.

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Oven

Spread a thin layer of sauce in the bottom of a 9x13-inch casserole pan, then dot the surface with half the ricotta cheese. Ladle a spoonful of sauce into the pasta, stir it well and then add the pasta into the casserole.

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Ricotta Cheese

Sauce

Pasta

Equipment you will use

Casserole Dish

Ladle

Pour the rest of the sauce over the pasta, dot the remaining ricotta cheese over the pasta, and sprinkle on top both the mozzarella and the Parmesan cheese.

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Parmesan