Description
Baked Ziti is a hearty Italian-American dish made with pasta, sausage, and cheese, baked to perfection.
Ingredients
Scale
- 1 pound uncooked ziti or penne pasta
- 1 pound Italian sausage
- 1 medium onion, chopped
- 4–5 cloves garlic, minced
- 1/2 teaspoon Italian seasoning
- 1/4 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes (optional)
- 1 (28 ounce) can crushed tomatoes
- 1 cup heavy/whipping cream
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- Pepper to taste
- 1 teaspoon white sugar
- 8 ounces ricotta cheese
- 1 cup freshly grated parmesan cheese
- 2 cups shredded mozzarella
- For serving: chopped fresh parsley and/or basil (optional)
Instructions
- Preheat your oven to 375F and move the rack to the top third of the oven.
- Boil a salted pot of water and cook the ziti for 2-3 minutes less than package directions indicate. Drain and set aside.
- Add the sausage meat and onion to another pot and cook until browned (about 7-10 minutes), stirring occasionally.
- Add the garlic, Italian seasoning, and red pepper flakes to the pot and cook for about a minute.
- Stir in the crushed tomatoes, cream, salt & pepper, and sugar. Let it heat through (about 5 minutes).
- Drain the pasta, add it to the pot with the sauce, and toss.
- Add half the pasta mixture to a 9×13 casserole dish (spread it out evenly to create your bottom layer).
- Spoon the ricotta over the pasta for the cheesy middle layer.
- Spoon the remaining pasta into the casserole dish to create an even top layer.
- Sprinkle the parmesan and mozzarella over top.
- Bake, uncovered, for 20 minutes, then broil to brown the cheese.
- Serve with fresh basil and/or parsley if desired.
Notes
- Use either ground sausage meat or buy sausages and take the meat out of the casings.
- The sugar enhances the sweetness of the canned tomatoes.
- If you need to substitute the cream, use a cup of crushed tomatoes or tomato sauce.
- This recipe will still be delicious without ricotta.
- Prep Time: 20 minutes
- Cook Time: 30 minutes
- Category: Main Course
- Method: Baking
- Cuisine: Italian-American
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1 cup
- Calories: 450
- Sugar: 5g
- Sodium: 800mg
- Fat: 25g
- Saturated Fat: 12g
- Unsaturated Fat: 8g
- Trans Fat: 0g
- Carbohydrates: 40g
- Fiber: 3g
- Protein: 20g
- Cholesterol: 60mg
Keywords: Baked Ziti, Italian Pasta, Comfort Food