Smoky, hot, and utterly amazing describes this macaroni and cheese. By using more or fewer chipotles, you can change the intensity of heat.
| Prep Time: | 15 mins |
| Cook Time: | 45 mins |
| Additional Time: | 10 mins |
| Total Time: | 1 hr 10 mins |
| Servings: | 8 |
| Yield: | 8 servings |
Ingredients
- 1 (16 ounce) package ziti
- 1 (15 ounce) container ricotta cheese
- 1 ½ cups tomato sauce
- 1 (8 ounce) package shredded mozzarella cheese
- 1 egg, slightly beaten
- 1 teaspoon salt, or to taste
- ½ teaspoon ground black pepper, or to taste
- 2 cups tomato sauce, divided
- ¼ cup grated Parmesan cheese
Instructions
- Bring a large pot of lightly salted water to a boil. Cook ziti in boiling water until cooked through but firm to the bite, about 13 minutes; drain. Rinse ziti with cold water until cool; drain.
- Preheat oven to 375 degrees F (190 degrees C).
- Mix ziti, ricotta cheese, 1 1/2 cups tomato sauce, mozzarella cheese, egg, salt, and pepper in a large bowl.
- Spread 1/2 cup tomato sauce into the bottom of a 2 1/2-quart shallow baking dish. Pour ziti mixture into the dish. Top with remaining 1 1/2 cup tomato sauce and Parmesan cheese.
- Bake in preheated oven until sauce and cheese layer is bubbly and lightly browned, about 30 minutes. Let cool 10 minutes before serving.
Nutrition Facts
| Calories | 415 kcal |
| Carbohydrate | 53 g |
| Cholesterol | 60 mg |
| Dietary Fiber | 4 g |
| Protein | 24 g |
| Saturated Fat | 6 g |
| Sodium | 1141 mg |
| Sugars | 6 g |
| Fat | 12 g |
| Unsaturated Fat | 0 g |
Reviews
I had to add about 1 extra cup of sauce and a tad more ricotta, but it was delightful! I also added fresh diced garlic.
I added a layer of ground beef and some Italian seasoning.
loved it
Yummy. I didn’t make any changes. Will make again
I doubted myself while making this dish, but so far, this is the best thing I’ve ever made!!! My family and I loved it!!! It is an easy recipe that makes many servings and will be eaten by even the pickiest of children!!!
My husband took up cooking when he retired at the end of 2020. He made this and it was excellent!
This was great! I made it as written except added garlic powder, onion powder, and Italian seasoning to the ricotta mixture. Also topped it with a mix of Parmesan and mozzarella cheeses. Will make again! Thanks for the recipe!
Was easy and delicious. My daughter loved it!
Left out the egg and made a Sicilian sauce to use instead of the plain tomato sauce. Came out really good!
I used four cheese sauce in place of tomato sauce and added a layer of mozarella on top.
I made this with ground sausage, ground beef, garlic, onion, diced tomatoes, Italian seasoning, mushroom spaghetti sauce, mozzarella and cheddar cheese. It’s so much better than the actual recipe!! Love it
The recipe tastes fine but is a bit on the bland side, it could use more seasoning, perhaps some garlic or onion powder and Italian seasoning.
This was absolutely amazing. No contesto.
It turned out soft and soupy.
My family loves this dish! I made it using a jar of Rao’s Arrabiatta Sauce (and 1 small can of Hunt’s sauce to make the measurements equal the recipe amounts). The arrabiatta sauce added lots of flavor to the dish. I have made several times, using various shapes of pasta, and they all worked out fine. The cheese, sauce and pasta combo make for a wonderful comfort food casserole!
had to adjust the recipe base on what was at home. There was no Ziti at home, so I substituted medium/large shells. Also had no mozzarella but used a shredded Italian cheese mixture that had combination mozzarella, Parmesan, Asiago and provolone. I also sauteed 1/2# ground beef in olive oil along with 1/4 tsp minced garlic ( 1/2 clove), 1/3 cup minced onion and 1/2 tsp Italian seasoning ( oregano/ basil). Once browned I added to sauce/ cheese mixture..
I am the laziest cook ever, so this was perfect for me! I browned 1.5 lbs of hamburger and 1 lb. of hot sausage, dumped everything together, added garlic powder, dry onion flakes, Italian seasoning and mixed it thoroughly, then dumped in my casserole pan. Cooked for 30 minutes, topped with pizza blend cheese, baked another 10 minutes to melt/brown it, then called it done!
So easy and such a hit with the entire family, I used pasta sauce instead of tomato sauce, only change. This is a keeper, thank you for sharing!
This was very good, however, it was very dry. I used Jarred spaghetti sauce instead of just plain tomato sauce. Much better in my opinion. Next time, I would double the sauce. Otherwise, it was delicious!
I took everyone’s suggestions and added more seasoning, sauce , and cheese. I used Krafts new extra creamy mozzarella cheese that has a hint of cream cheese and it was delicious. I’d make it again
It’s pretty good but needs modifications. 1/2 the ricotta, 1/2 cup additional marinara, bake for 40 instead of 30.