Baked Ziti with Tomato, Mozzarella & Sausage

By á-168951

Ingredients

• Try to find freshly made ricotta and mozzarella to See how good this dish can be.
• Olive Oil
• 1 large onion cut into small dice
• 3/4 lb. sweet Italian pork sausage, removed from its casings and crumbled
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
• 1/4 cup dry red wine
• 1 35-oz can whole plum tomatoes, chopped, with their juice
• 1/4 cup chopped fresh marjoram or oregano (from about large sprigs)
• 1 cup fresh ricotta
• 1 cup fresh grated mild Pecorino Romano
• 1/3 cup chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley
• Pinch nutmeg, preferably fresh ground
• 1 lb. ziti
• 1/2 lb. mozzarella preferably fresh, cut into small cubes

Details

Servings 1
Adapted from keyingredient.com

Preparation

Step 1

Heat oven to 375 degrees. Lightly oil a large, shallow baking dish. Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil.

In a large skillet, heat about 2 Tbs. of olive oil over medium heat. Add the onion and saute until soft, about 5 minutes. Add the crumbled sausage and garlic and saute until the sausage starts to brown. Season with salt and pepper. If the sausage gives off a lot of fat, pour off most of it, but leave a little to add flavor to the sauce. Add the red wine and let it boil until it is almost gone. Add the tomatoes with all their juice and cook uncovered at a lively simmer for 10 minutes. The sauce will thicken slightly. Add the marjoram or oregano and taste for seasoning.

In a large bowl, mix the ricotta, about 1/2 the Pecrino Pomano, the parsley and the nutmeg. Season with salt and pepper.

Meanwhile cook the ziti in the boiling water until al dente. Drain well and toss it with the ricotta mixture until well coated. Add the sausage sauce and mix again. Add the mozzerella and toss gently. Pour everything into the baking dish and sprinkle the remaining Percorino Romano on top. Bake uncovered until slightly browned and bubbling about 20 minutes. Serve right away.