Baked Ziti Recipe

Ingredients

• 1 pound ziti
• 2 tbsp olive oil
• 1 large yellow onion, chopped (~1 1/2 cups)
• 4 cloves garlic, minced
• 1 pound Italian sausage (sweet, hot, or a mix)
• 1/2 cup dry red wine
• 2 (28-ounce) cans San Marzano crushed tomatoes
• 1 (6-ounce) can tomato paste
• 1 tbsp dried oregano
• 1/2 tsp red pepper flakes
• Diamond Crystal kosher salt
• Freshly ground black pepper
• 15 ounces whole-milk ricotta cheese
• 1 pound low-moisture mozzarella, freshly grated
• 1/2 cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese, plus more for topping
• 1 large egg
• 1/4 cup chopped fresh basil

Start the Sauce

In a large Dutch oven or heavy-bottomed pot, heat the olive oil over medium heat. Add the chopped onion with a pinch of salt and cook until it softens and becomes translucent, about 5-7 minutes.

Add the Italian sausage to the pot. Use a spoon to break it apart and cook until it’s browned all over. There should be a layer of browned bits (fond) on the bottom of the pot.

Pour in the red wine to deglaze. Scrape all those browned bits off the bottom of the pot as the wine sizzles. Let the wine cook down by about half.

Stir in the tomato paste and cook for a minute, then add the crushed tomatoes, oregano, and red pepper flakes. Season lightly with salt and pepper. Bring it to a simmer and let it cook, partially covered, for at least 30 minutes for the flavors to meld.

Cook Pasta and Make Cheese Mixture

Preheat your oven to 375F.

Bring a large pot of heavily salted water to a boil. Cook the ziti until it is very al dente, about 2-3 minutes less than the package directions. It will finish cooking in the oven, and this prevents it from turning to mush.

While the pasta cooks, make the cheese filling. In a medium bowl, combine the ricotta, about three-quarters of the grated mozzarella, the Parmesan, the egg, and the fresh basil. Mix until everything is well combined.

Drain the pasta and add it directly to the pot with the tomato sauce. Stir everything together until the pasta is fully coated.

Assemble and Bake

Spread half of the pasta-and-sauce mixture into a 9×13 inch baking dish.

Drop spoonfuls of the ricotta mixture over the pasta layer and gently spread it into an even layer.

Top with the remaining pasta and sauce mixture. Sprinkle the rest of the grated mozzarella and some extra Parmesan over the top.

Bake, uncovered, for 25-30 minutes, until the sauce is bubbling and the cheese on top is melted and starting to brown in spots.

Let it rest for at least 10 minutes before serving. This is important for letting the casserole set up.

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Baked Ziti

This is a crowd-pleaser casserole that has all the satisfying parts of lasagna without the tedious layering. The foundation is a robust sausage and tomato sauce combined with a creamy ricotta-mozzarella mixture.

Prep Time 30 minutes minutes

Cook Time 1 hour hour

Rest Time 10 minutes minutes

Total Time 1 hour hour 40 minutes minutes

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Ingredients

• 1 pound ziti
• 2 tbsp olive oil
• 1 large yellow onion ~1 1/2 cups, chopped
• 4 cloves garlic minced
• 1 pound Italian sausage sweet, hot, or a mix
• 1/2 cup dry red wine
• 2 cans San Marzano crushed tomatoes 28-ounce
• 1 can tomato paste 6-ounce
• 1 tbsp dried oregano
• 1/2 tsp red pepper flakes
• Diamond Crystal kosher salt
• Freshly ground black pepper
• 15 ounces whole-milk ricotta cheese
• 1 pound low-moisture mozzarella freshly grated
• 1/2 cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese plus more for topping
• 1 large egg
• 1/4 cup chopped fresh basil

Method

• Heat olive oil in Dutch oven over medium heat. Cook onion until translucent, 5-7 minutes.
• Add sausage, break apart, and brown completely.
• Add wine, deglaze pot, reduce by half.
• Stir in tomato paste, crushed tomatoes, oregano, red pepper flakes, salt and pepper. Simmer partially covered 30 minutes.
• Preheat oven to 375F.
• Cook ziti 2-3 minutes less than package directions.
• Mix ricotta, 3/4 of mozzarella, Parmesan, egg, and basil in bowl.
• Combine cooked pasta with sauce.
• Layer half pasta mixture in 9×13 baking dish.
• Spread ricotta mixture over pasta.
• Top with remaining pasta and sauce.
• Sprinkle with remaining mozzarella and extra Parmesan.
• Bake uncovered 25-30 minutes until bubbly and cheese browns.
• Rest 10 minutes before serving.
• Note: Pasta must be very al dente as it will continue cooking in oven.