Baked Ziti

By dlperkins

Ingredients

• 2 Tablespoons Olive Oil
• 3 cloves Garlic, Minced
• 1 whole Large Onion, Diced
• 1 pound Italian Sausage
• 1 pound Ground Beef
• 1 can (28 Oz. Size) Whole Tomatoes, With Juice
• 2 cans (14.5 Ounce) Tomato Sauce Or Marinara Sauce
• 2 teaspoons Italian Seasoning
• 1/2 teaspoon Red Pepper Flakes
• Salt And Pepper, to taste
• 16 ounces, weight Ziti Or Mostaciolli, Cooked Until Not Quite Al Dente
• 1 tub (15 Oz. Size) Whole Milk Ricotta Cheese
• 1-1/2 pound Mozzarella Cheese, Grated
• 1/2 cup Grated Parmesan Cheese
• 1 whole Egg
• Fresh Minced Parsley

Details

Servings 12
Preparation time 15mins
Cooking time 60mins
Adapted from thepioneerwoman.com

Preparation

Step 1

Before I begin with this recipe tutorial, I must make an important disclosure:

I did not use ziti to make this Baked Ziti.

Baked Ziti is a classic baked pasta dish. It’s basically some kind of tomato or meat sauce baked in a dish with some kind of cheese and, of course, ziti noodles—unless you’re me, then you use mostaciolli noodles. Some people just use tomato/marinara sauce. That, of course, would never fly in this house. There must be meat. Meat there must be. As for the cheese, some people use only mozzarella, while others prefer use a gooey cheese mixture stirred throughout.

Then throw the onion and garlic in a pot with some olive oil over medium heat. Stir them around and cook them for a few minutes, just long enough for the house to smell so good that everyone runs into the kitchen, embraces you, and says “What’s for dinner, darling mother and wife? We’re ready to eat.”

Stir it around until the meat’s all brown.

Drain off the fat (but please leave a little bit to make sure the whole baked dish is nice and moist and oh-so-decadent) and pour in a big ol’ can of whole tomatoes…

Stir it around and add some salt and pepper.

Throw in some Italian seasoning…or whatever mix of things like parsley, basil, oregano, etc., that you want.

Then just let the sauce simmer on low.

While the sauce is simmering, bawl up some mostaciolli.

Meantime, make the cheese mixture. Use your very scary hand that resembles a naked chicken to grab a tub of ricotta.

Next, add a bunch of Parmesan/Romano/Asiago…anything in that family, or a combination of the three.

Crack in an egg and add some salt and pepper.

Then give it a few stirs. Not enough to totally mix it together—you want big clumps of ricotta still intact.

And toss it in the cheese mixture—again, don’t mix the heck out of it. Just toss. Toss peacefully.

Now just pour on the sauce that’s been cooling.

And add some more if you think it needs it. You want it to be really creamy, but really saucy too.

Now, pour half the coated pasta into a very big, very honkin’ casserole dish.

Add the rest of the pasta, packing it down a bit after you add it.

And add more mozzarella.

Actually, have your daughter add more mozzarella.

Heat olive oil in a pot over medium heat. Add onions and garlic and saute for several minutes, or until starting to soften. Add Italian sausage and ground beef and cook until browned. Drain off fat, leaving a bit behind for flavor and moisture.

Add tomatoes, tomato juice, salt, pepper, Italian seasoning, and red pepper flakes. Stir and simmer for 25 to 30 minutes. After that time, remove 3 to 4 cups of the sauce to a different bowl to cool down.

Preheat oven to 375 degrees.

In a separate bowl, mix together the ricotta cheese, 2 cups of the grated mozzarella, Parmesan, egg, and salt and pepper. Stir together just a couple of times (do not mix completely).

Drain the pasta and rinse under cool water to stop the cooking and cool it down. Pour it into the bowl with the cheese mixture and toss to slightly combine (there should still be large lumps.) Add the cooled meat sauce and toss to combine.

Add half the coated pasta to a large casserole dish or lasagna dish. Spoon half of the remaining sauce over the top, then top with half the remaining mozzarella cheese. Repeat with another layer of the coated pasta, the sauce, and the mozzarella.

Looks great and very similar to my stuffed shells but would take less time. I tell my family I add fresh herb ribbons from my garden but really use spinach with a pinch of nutmeg and they don’t know the difference! Thank you for the recipe.

Hallelujah I make stuffed shells too which are very time consuming but definitely a family favorite!! This will take much less time to prepare and looks just as good!

That looks good, but it’s more complicated (and calorie-laden) than the version I make.

Ohhh myy—I loved baked pasta dishes and will have to try this one!! I was wondering if you would try making a recipe for a dish called “green pepper steak.” It is from my childhood and mom would make it all the time for my birthday. I’m going to try to recreate it this year but need help–haha. It has the steak strips, green peppers, a tomato/beef broth type of gravy, and served all over rice.

This looks so wonderfully delicious. i think I will make it the next time I have company. I have yet to see one of your recipes that I don’t want to try.

This looks awesome and easy. I would throw in a couple of big handfuls of baby spinach leaves and mix them in with the ziti and cheese mixture. Yum.

This just got added to my menu for the week- looks so yummy!

wow that is interesting. I have always “layered” the ingredients when I make ziti. (I use penne)

This is comfort food to the 100000000th degree. Sadly we’re a mostly dairy free home, so while I’ve managed to make things like vodka sauce dairy free (

I saw Trisha Yearwood make a black bean lasagna the other day where she subbed soy, nuts and basil all whirled up in the cuisinart instead of the ricotta and cheese. This might be an option in this dish for you.

FYI – This is a terriffic potluck and also a good “Make ahead and then slide directly from refrigerator into a cold oven (set to 350) for 1 hour”

This looks AH-MAY-ZING! However my weirdo fiance won’t eat Ricotta or sour cream or cottage cheese see a pattern here? Is there a way to make the cheese mixture with like just parmesan and mozzarella? Thanks, cooking for him is always an adventure.

You can omit the ricotta and egg and mix the pasta with the sauce, mozzarella and Parmesan.

You can also substitute small curd cottage cheese for the ricotta. If you have a hand blender or stick blender, put some small curd cottage cheese (4% Breakstone’s is divine!) in a bowl, put your stick blender in there, turn it on and blend the cheese until it is smooth. Then carry on as the recipe says to do. It will taste really good, and you won’t even miss the ricotta. : 0)

Have to make this. Husband is on a low carb diet, ugh. Soon as he is off it Ziti is on the table.

I’m wondering about freezing too. I’ve frozen dishes like this before and found the pasta too mushy for my taste. I’m wondering if I can mix the ricotta mixture and meat mixture together minus the pasta and freeze. That way I could thaw, cook fresh pasta and bake. Does anyone know if this will work? Thanks!

I really don’t see what the big fuss is… plus your recipe looks very good! I usually add nutmeg to the sauce, you should try it next time!

This looks wonderful! I am mentally going through my pantry to see if I have the ingredients to make it for dinner!

sweetmaddy

This looks amazing! Also, please don’t ever stop saying things like “bawl” and eyetalian, makes me laugh every time!!!

This is one of my favorite dishes. I like to mix it up each time I make it so it’s never quite the same, except the cheese, I never mess with mounds of cheese that are required to make each bite blissfully wonderful. Soemtimes I add pepperoni and olives, other times I keep the meat out and throw in zuchinni.

I was quite literally JUST talking about how I was going to make baked ziti tonight for tomorrow night’s dinner (using mostaccioli, because that’s what I have).

That looks delicious ! I must make it sometime with just a few adjustments… no meat in mine or red pepper flakes and i think i’d use part skim ricotta and mozzarella to spare a few calories but boy that looks good ! And you’re so funny, i loved the ‘ hand that looks like a naked chicken’ comment !!!

Ree, I always bloom my dried herbs/spices in the oil, before adding the liquid. They need the oil to bring out all the herby goodness.

I agree with Randi, it makes the flavours from the herbs come out intensifying the dish and adding a complexity to the meal otherwise not found if you dont do this…other than that..its in the oven and I cannot wait…also I am Calabrese and whoever thinks that saying Eye talian is offensive needs to concentrate on bigger issues , the intentions by Ree werent malicious so just move on!

Baked ziti is one of my family’s favorite comfort foods. Naturally, being an Italian-American household and all. I think this will make an appearance on Christmas Day. YUM!

Make my own version of this dish, but will try this one. All of your recipes are food porn to me, Also in my house as in your, meal without meat, is not a meal.

Yum. Add a bag of spinach and you can call it healthy…lol.

I don’t know what’s better Ree – the recipe or your narrative! Can’t wait to make this a little later in the week.

Okay- now I have reason to go grocery shopping. I will make this tonight!!

Wow, I haven’t seen mostaciolli in the stores here for a long time. I have a recipe that calls for mostaciolli, that my mother used to make. Since I can no longer find mostaciolli for it, I now use… ZITI. =D

I like your recipe. I never thought of doing the stuffed shell cheese mixed in with the noodles and sauce. Great idea! Kind of like a deconstructed stuffed shells! Hubby would adore this!

You’re a genius! I always struggle to mash out the ricotta mixture in a layered pasta dish and when I saw this, I was so happy to have found a solution for my inadequate ricotta squashing mashing…um…smoothing. Whatever. You fixed it!

Thank goodness you didn’t add sugar to your tomato sauce this time. It drives me crazy when people put sugar in their spaghetti sauce – so NOT Italian!!

I add sugar to my spaghetti sauce if it tastes too acidic. When it comes to cooking, there are many different ways to do things, and the important thing is for people to find a recipe or method that works for them.

It drives me crazy when people try to call a dish wrong or improper because it is different than when they make — so NOT the point of a food blog comment section!

Kimberly – Because my boyfriend can always seem to detect sugar in ANYTHING and decide that it’s too sweet, I’ve discovered another trick for reducing acidity in my tomato based sauces and chili. I just add a little pinch of baking soda, and it seems to work pretty well. I’m sure that’s so SO NOT Italian, but it tastes darn good! BTW, the sugar in the sauce is likely more “Italian” than the tomatoes, since they’ve had sugar in Italy for probably twice as long as they’ve had tomatoes.

Really? My husband’s grandmother was Italian as they come (Galluci, came over from Italy on a boat), and when she taught me how to make sauce, she told me to put just a pinch of sugar in to cut the acidity of the sauce. Her daughter (my mother-in-law) makes the best ziti I have ever tasted and she also mixes the cheeses like Ree does. Amazes me how they don’t have recipes…they just do it and it always tastes wonderful!

Currently salivating over your baked ‘not’ ziti. Thinking of ways that I can make it without ricotta (known as ‘icky cheese’ by my plebian husband). Perhaps a bechamel sauce to hold it together? Thanks for your food porn!

I make this quite a bit. I love to use hot Italian sausage in mine…love the spice!

You make yours almost the same way I make mine. I was going make it sometime this week when my husband is working (he is not a big fan of any dish that has noodles in it). My kids go crazy over this stuff though and so do I!!!

Mostaccioli – penne – ziti – it’s all variations on a theme, some with ridges, some cut diagonally. You say tomato, I say tomah-toh… well, actually… pomodoro!

Ree, your recipe reminds me of my mom’s yummy recipe for lasagna (using different pasta of course). Hey, don’t beat yourself up for not using Ziti…it’s all about what you have on hand!

Baked ziti is great, it’s a great place to do some adding in of things like roasted veggies, pepperoni, meatballs. It is our go to meal to take over to someone’s house when they are sick. My kids called it pizza casserole when they were little.

My sister in law does this same thing, but adds sliced cooked sausage in between the layers. We leave out the ricotta. Totally yummy!

I was going to make lasagna for Christmas day but just may try this instead.

Can you make it a day or so ahead and just pop it in the oven when you want to serve it?

O dear!! Take it from this southern italian–this is not Italian baked Ziti. First we are not from Eyetaly–it’s Italy–even” eetaly “in my country. We are Italian–not Eyetalian. You basically made chili with sausage and poured it over the pasta. Baked ziti takes it’s flavor from layers of sauce, whether white or red, simmered and layered to build up flavors and textures. This is more of a chili mac dish. Happy to make the correction!!

Donna for your commentary. As for Ree, yes, she did make her comments in good

I don’t make chili this way – to me, this is baked ziti. Not much food in America is perfect in ethnic authenticity anymore and so what. It all depends on what you like. And your comment was more of a snobby poke at Ree then a request for a correction. Besides, Ree can do whatever she likes. There’s no copyrights on recipes. Also, there are much worse things in life than mispronouncing italian as a joke. Lighten up.

Your baked zita looks REALLY GOOD! Does it travel well? I maybe going out of town, about 5 hours from home for Christmas. I might be responsible for a meal too. Could i bring this and reheat it, or would you just bake it once?

The recipe calls for 1 1/2 lbs of mozzarella cheese… Just wanted to check to make sure that isn’t supposed to be 1 1/2 cups of mozzarella before I shop. Sounds like a lot, but I’m cooking for 2 not a crowd like at your homestead

I borrowed that trick, made a few pans of baked ziti in law school for ‘exam snacks’ (when different clubs make snacks and put them out for their fellow students to nosh on). Rumour ran around the school at the speed of light – “Best baked ziti EVER is by the cafe!”

I ditched my supper plans to make this–as far from turkey leftovers as you can!

I throw some spinach into the mix to make healthy Maynard.

Your baked ziti what looks a lot like the lasagna I make. Looked at the comments think I may start adding some nutmeg and spinach

And yes I add sugar to….:)

I make a recipe pretty much identical…I add fresh chopped spinach! Makes for a very pretty dish and kids don’t even know they are eating spinach!

Funny I made almost exactly the same recipe on Saturday with 2 small additions: I added in 2 eggplants, diced and sauteed up in garlic olive oil until tender and one yellow sweet pepper, diced fine and sauteed up with the onions, I bought small fresh mozzarella pearls and tossed those in with grated whole milk mozzarella and reggiano parmesan on top. Cooked untiil bubbly and hot and brought to a cookie exchange, YUM!!!!

Yum! Have to make this next week.

I make something similar using rigatoni noodles and I add a can of Campbell’s Cheddar Cheese Soup to my sauce. Mmmmm… I think it always tastes better the next day. I’ve been known to eat it cold for breakfast. Is that bad?! HA!

Saturday, June 20: Chuck and Crew! My father-in-law and his crew of fearless fence-builders have been working hard, so I take them a big lunch so they won't have to stop and run to town for food. (Coincidentally, Ladd and Josh get wind of the food and crash the party!) See you this Saturday morning.

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