Basic Baked Ziti Recipe – Price range Bytes

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As quickly because the climate turns cool, I seize the comfortable sweaters and begin cooking the consolation meals, like this Basic Baked Ziti. It’s wealthy and gooey with its layers of pasta, home made pink sauce with Italian sausage, and three forms of melty cheese. Whole consolation in a bowl. And the most effective half is that Baked Ziti shouldn’t be fussy. You don’t have to fret about delicate sheet pasta or getting your layers excellent. It’s freeform, messy goodness at its greatest!

Overhead view of a wooden spoon scooping baked ziti out of the corner of a white casserole dish

Can I Use a Completely different Pasta Form?

In the event you can’t discover ziti (a clean, tubular formed pasta), you’ll be able to substitute penne or rigatoni on this recipe. Rigatoni is probably the most just like ziti, the one distinction being that it has a ridges and is barely shorter and wider.

Can I Add Greens to Baked Ziti?

Sure! I nearly all the time add further greens to no matter I’m cooking, however at this time I made a decision to go along with the basic type of Baked Ziti. If I had been so as to add greens, I might most likely add some contemporary spinach into the sauce and stir till it’s wilted. Or, roast some broccoli, zucchini, or eggplant, after which toss that into the sauce.

Can I Substitute the Sausage?

The Italian sausage provides a number of taste to this dish, however there are nonetheless a number of choices for substituting the sausage. You should use floor beef, turkey, or rooster, however you’ll most likely wish to double the Italian seasoning mix to make up for the herbs which are present in Italian sausage. You too can use a vegetarian Italian sausage different, or substitute with a pound of chopped mushrooms.

What Ought to I Serve with Baked Ziti?

Selfmade Garlic Bread is superior with baked ziti, however if you would like some greens on the facet I might go along with one thing like Oven Roasted Frozen Broccoli, or do a easy facet salad.

Easy methods to Retailer the Leftovers

This Baked Ziti will hold within the fridge for 4-5 days. I extremely counsel dividing the leftovers into single servings in order that they cool shortly within the fridge. This recipe makes 8 giant servings, so as soon as the servings are cooled utterly within the fridge, you’ll be able to switch a number of to the freezer for longer storage. Then every serving is only a fast microwave away from being a filling last-minute dinner!

Basic Baked Ziti

Like a freeform lasagna, this Baked Ziti has layers of pasta, home made pink sauce with Italian sausage, and three forms of melty cheese!

Writer: Beth – Price range Bytes

Close up of a wooden spoon in the casserole dish full of baked ziti

1 lb. Italian sausage (candy, gentle, or sizzling) ($3.49)
1 yellow onion ($0.27)
3 oz. tomato paste ($0.27)
1 28 oz. can crushed tomatoes ($1.00)
1 Tbsp Italian seasoning mix ($0.30)
1/2 cup water ($0.00)
1 lb. ziti ($1.67)
1/2 Tbsp salt (for pasta water) ($0.05)
15 oz. ricotta ($1.69)
1 cup Italian cheese mix* ($1.15)
freshly cracked black pepper ($0.05)
2 cups shredded mozzarella ($2.29)
1 handful chopped parsley (elective, for garnish) ($0.20)

Brown the sausage in a big skillet or pot over medium warmth, till it is brown and crispy on the perimeters (pork sausage accommodates a number of fats, so I did not add any further to the skillet).
Whereas the sausage is browning, finely cube the onion. Add the onion to the skillet as soon as the sausage has browned, and proceed to sauté over medium warmth till the onion is tender and translucent.
Add the tomato paste, crushed tomatoes, Italian seasoning, and ½ cup water to the skillet with the sausage and stir to mix. Place a lid on the skillet and permit it to come back as much as a simmer. As soon as simmering, flip the warmth down and permit it to proceed to simmer when you prepare dinner the ziti. Stir the sauce sometimes because it simmers.
After getting the sauce began, start the ziti. Deliver a big pot of water with ½ Tbsp salt to a boil over excessive warmth. As soon as boiling, add the ziti, and let it proceed to boil till the ziti is tender (about 7-8 minutes). Drain the ziti in a colander. Shake the colander a bit to shake extra water out of the pasta.
Whereas the pasta and sauce are cooking, put together the cheese filling. Add the ricotta, Italian cheese mix, and a few freshly cracked black pepper (about 10 cranks of a pepper mill) to a bowl and stir to mix. Start to preheat the oven to 350ºF.
After draining the ziti, return it to the pot and add 1 cup of the pink sauce. Stir to coat the cooked pasta in sauce.
Pour half of the ziti to a 9×13″ baking dish. Add half of the ricotta combination on high of the ziti in small dollops. Lastly, spoon half of the pink sauce and sausage over the pasta and ricotta. It is okay if the components do not cowl in a stable layer. Repeat these layers with the second half of the pasta, ricotta combination, and sauce. Lastly, high with 2 cups shredded mozzarella.
Cowl the baking dish with foil, ensuring it is barely tented in order that it does not contact or persist with the melted cheese. Switch the coated casserole to the oven and bake for 20 minutes.
After baking for 20 minutes, take away the foil, and switch the oven on to broil (hold the casserole on the center rack, about 10-12 inches from the broiler). Broil for five minutes, or simply till the cheese is barely browned. Maintain a detailed eye on the baked ziti because it broils, as a result of broilers can range in depth. High with chopped parsley, if desired, then serve.

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*Instead of Italian cheese mix you should use a mixture of mozzarella and Parmesan.

Serving: 1ServingEnergy: 570.03kcalCarbohydrates: 39.15gProtein: 34.04gFats: 30.3gSodium: 1730.49mgFiber: 4.85g

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Scroll down for the step-by-step pictures!

A white plate with baked ziti, garlic bread, and a black fork.

Easy methods to Make Baked Ziti – Step by Step Pictures

Start by browning 1 pound Italian sausage in a skillet till it’s brown and crispy on the perimeters. Pork sausage has fairly a little bit of fats in it by itself, so I didn’t add any further to the skillet.

Diced onion added to the skillet with the sausage

Whereas the sausage is browning, finely cube a yellow onion. Add it to the skillet with the browned sausage and proceed to sauté for a couple of minutes extra, or till the onion is tender and translucent.

Crushed tomatoes being poured into the skillet, with sausage, onions, tomato paste, and Italian seasoning

Add 3 oz. tomato paste (half of a 6 oz. can – don’t overlook to freeze the remainder of the can!), 1 Tbsp Italian seasoning mix, one 28 oz. can of crushed tomatoes, and 1/2 cup water. Stir to mix, place a lid on the skillet, and let it come as much as a simmer. As soon as simmering, flip the warmth all the way down to low and let it proceed to simmer, stirring sometimes, when you start cooking the ziti.

Boiled ziti in a pot of water with a wooden spoon

As soon as the sauce is simmering away, start cooking the ziti. Deliver a big pot of water with 1/2 Tbsp salt to a boil over excessive warmth. As soon as boiling, add 1 lb. ziti. Proceed to boil the ziti till tender, then drain in a colander. Shake the colander a bit to shake out the surplus water.

Ricotta, Italian cheese, and black pepper in a bowl

Whereas the ziti is boiling and the sauce is simmering, make the ricotta cheese mix. Add 15 oz. ricotta, 1 cup Italian cheese mix, and a few freshly cracked black pepper to a bowl. Stir to mix. Additionally start to preheat the oven to 350ºF on the time.

Sauce being added to cooked ziti in the pot.

After draining the ziti, return it to the pot and add 1 cup of the pink sauce. Stir to coat the ziti within the sauce.

First layers of pasta, cheese, and sauce in the casserole dish

Pour half of the sauce coated ziti right into a 9×13″ casserole dish. Add half of the ricotta combination on high of the ziti in small dollops, then add half of the pink sauce on high. Don’t fear if the layers don’t cowl one another in a stable layer. It doesn’t must be excellent!

Second layers of pasta, ricotta, and sauce, and final layer of mozzarella

Repeat with a second layer of pasta, ricotta combination, and sauce, then high with 2 cups shredded mozzarella.

Baked ziti with melted cheese and foil peeled back

Cowl the casserole with foil and bake for 20 minutes. Ensure that the foil is barely tented so it doesn’t contact the cheese and stick when it melts.

Broiled baked ziti with browned cheese on top

After baking for 20 minutes, take away the foil, flip the oven to broil, and return the casserole to the oven (hold it on the center rack, about 10-12 inches from the broiler). Broil for about 5 minutes, or simply till the cheese is browned on high. Maintain a detailed eye because it broils as a result of broilers can range in depth.