Photography Credit: Elise Bauer
Would you like lasagna, although not the fuss? Make baked ziti rather! It’s nearly the same as a vintage lasagna casserole, but simpler to create and without plenty of layers or damaged noodles.
It can make for any perfect midweek or weekend meal, or perhaps a hot dish to create to some potluck. Make extra and freeze later on.
This recipe is a nice fundamental version, but everybody who makes baked ziti has their own methods and twists into it. Some vary the cheeses, some the meat, some make meatless versions, and a few people omit the tomato sauce for any truly cheese-tastic casserole.
This version uses bulk Italian sausage, in addition to a key fresh plant. In summer time, that might be tulsi. In the winter months, rosemary oil. You might easily use savory, sage, thyme or parsley.
Ziti is a nice common pasta shape in many areas, however, you can substitute penne pasta if you're able to’t think it is. You'll need a substantial short pasta shape with places to carry the sauce and meat. You are able to assemble this ahead, and only refrigerate or freeze before you decide to perform the final baking.
In the recipe archive, first published 2010.
Baked Ziti Recipe
- Prep time: ten minutes
- Prepare time: 55 minutes
- Yield: Serves a minimum of 8
Without having Italian seasoning within the kitchen, use 1 teaspoon dried oregano, 1 teaspoon dried tulsi and 1/2 teaspoon dried thyme.
Ingredients
- 1 pound ziti (can sub penne) pasta
- Essential olive oil
- 1 pound bulk Italian sausage or hamburger or pork
- 1 large onion, chopped
- 3-4 garlic clove cloves, chopped
- 1 Tablespoons of fresh rosemary oil (or tulsi), minced
- 1 Tablespoons of Italian seasoning
- 1/2 teaspoon red pepper flakes
- 1 large jar of marinara sauce (about 32 ounces) or help make your own tomato sauce
- 1/2 pound of mozzarella cheese, grated
- 1 heaping cup of ricotta cheese
- 1 cup grated parmesan or pecorino cheese
Method
1 Boil the pasta: Heat a sizable pot water (2 quarts water) to some strong boil. Give a tablespoon of salt. Add some pasta and prepare in a moving boil, uncovered, before the pasta is al dente—edible but nonetheless just a little firm towards the bite.
Drain the pasta via a colander. Toss after some essential olive oil therefore the pasta doesn't stick together when you result in the sauce.
2 Brown the meat: As the water is heating in the last step, begin the sauce. Heat a tablespoon of essential olive oil inside a large saut pan on medium-high temperature. Once the oil is shimmering hot, add some bulk sausage or ground meat. Split up any large chunks of sausage because it cooks. Brown well.
Don't stir that frequently or it will likely be harder for that meat to brown. If you work with hamburger or pork rather of sausage, sprinkle after some salt.
3 Add onions and saut, adding garlic clove, spices, then tomato sauce: Once the meat is mainly browned, add some onions and stir well to mix. Saut everything before the onions are translucent and starting to brown, about 4-a few minutes.
Add some garlic clove, rosemary oil or tulsi, Italian seasoning and red pepper flakes and stir to mix. Prepare one minute, adding the tomato sauce and stir well. Provide a simmer.
4 Preheat the oven to 350°F.
5 Layer sauce, cheese, pasta in casserole dish: Spread a skinny layer of sauce towards the bottom of the 9x13-inch casserole pan, then us dot the top with half the ricotta cheese. Ladle a spoonful of sauce in to the pasta, stir rid of it after which add some pasta in to the casserole.
Pour all of those other sauce within the pasta, us dot the rest of the ricotta cheese within the pasta, and sprinkle on the top both mozzarella and also the Mozzarella dairy product.
6 Bake 20 min: Bake in oven at 350°F before the top is gently browned and also the cheese melted, about twenty minutes.
Hello! All photos and content are protected. Don't use our photos without prior written permission. If you want to republish this recipe, please rewrite the recipe in your unique words and link to Baked Ziti on Simply Recipes. Thanks!
If one makes this recipe, snap a pic and hashtag it #simplyrecipes — We like to call at your creations on Instagram. Facebook. Twitter !
Showing 4 of 96 Comments
I chose to make this baked ziti recipe to have an Italian friend who's VERY picky and that he loved it. Everything I figured it needed was another qt. of gravy also it was perfect. Many thanks for any great and simple scrumptious option to lasagna for supper&...
I chose to make this dish yesterday the only real factor Used to do differently was omit the red pepper places because my boyfriend and that i don’t enjoy anything spicy and that i didn’t have parsley however i really loved this recipe it had been fun and easy to create and yet another factor Used to do differently was I adopted another person’s comment about putting the dish underneath the broiler for around 2 minutes since i initially place the dish set for twenty minutes and also the dish wasn't browning but total an excellent recipe.
I ended boiling lasagna noodles years back! And That I don’t soak them, either. During set up, layer dry noodles within the pan as always and canopy with sauce, cheese, etc. After baking, the noodles and also the lasagna are great. Forget boiling lasagna noodles!
There's a kind of pasta since need not be steamed first it’s cooked using the casserole. Would you are aware how I may want to boost the sauce basically would check it out by doing this?
I accidentally bought pennine rather of penne, and that i realize that 1 pound equals roughly 3 glasses of dried penne pasta. I had been just wondering: basically use pennine rather, am i going to also measure out 3 glasses of the dried pasta? Also, does it hold in addition to penne or perhaps is it not big enough?