Baked Ziti

  4.6 – 248 reviews  • Pasta Recipes
Level: Easy
Total: 50 min
Active: 20 min
Yield: 6 to 8 servings
Level: Easy
Total: 50 min
Active: 20 min
Yield: 6 to 8 servings

Ingredients

  1. Olive oil, for greasing
  2. 1 pound ziti
  3. Kosher salt
  4. 3 1/2 cups Quick Tomato Sauce, recipe follows
  5. 1 pound fresh mozzarella, half cut into 1/2-inch cubes and half thinly sliced
  6. 3/4 cup freshly grated Parmesan
  7. 1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
  8. Pinch crushed red pepper
  9. 2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
  10. 1 pound sweet and/or spicy Italian sausages, casing removed and sausage crumbled
  11. 1/4 medium onion, diced (about 3 tablespoons)
  12. 3 cloves garlic, chopped
  13. One 28-ounce can whole peeled tomatoes in puree, roughly chopped
  14. Sprig thyme
  15. Sprig basil
  16. Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper

Instructions

  1. Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F.
  2. Bring a large pot of water to a boil, salt generously and boil the pasta until al dente (tender but still slightly firm). Drain.
  3. Toss the cooked pasta with the quick tomato sauce, cubed mozzarella, half the Parmesan, all of the black pepper and crushed red pepper in a large bowl. Transfer the pasta to the prepared baking dish. Cover the top of the pasta with the sliced mozzarella and sprinkle with the remaining Parmesan. Bake until lightly browned and hot, about 30 minutes. Serve immediately.
  4. Heat the oil in a medium saucepan over medium-high heat. Cook the sausage until beginning to brown, about 3 minutes. Add the onion and garlic, stirring, until lightly browned, about 3 minutes more. Add the tomatoes and the herb sprigs and bring to a boil. Lower the heat and simmer, covered, for 10 minutes.
  5. Remove and discard the herb sprigs. Stir in 2 teaspoons salt and season with pepper. Use now or store covered in the refrigerator for up to 3 days or freeze for up to 2 months.

Nutrition Facts

Serving Size 1 of 8 servings
Calories 686
Total Fat 38 g
Saturated Fat 16 g
Carbohydrates 51 g
Dietary Fiber 4 g
Sugar 5 g
Protein 34 g
Cholesterol 93 mg
Sodium 878 mg
Serving Size 1 of 8 servings
Calories 686
Total Fat 38 g
Saturated Fat 16 g
Carbohydrates 51 g
Dietary Fiber 4 g
Sugar 5 g
Protein 34 g
Cholesterol 93 mg
Sodium 878 mg

Reviews

Mary Benjamin
I have made this so many times. We love it! We use ALL the sauce, so good. You can add sauteed mushrooms as well.
Amanda Carson
Family and I love this.
Jose Porter
With only 1 can of whole tomatoes, the sauce did not look nearly saucy enough. I added a small can of tomato sauce. Otherwise, I followed the recipe exactly. The extra tomatoes helped, but overall this recipe was underwhelming. Flavor was OK, not great. Won’t make it again.
Randy Espinoza
Great recipe as is or modified to fit what’s in my cupboard.
Joseph Smith
Easy receipt, quick to make , taste great my grand kids enjoyed it. Leave out the meat for meatless days.
Edward Hill
Love this one. So easy to out together. Enjoy with a glass of wine. Salute
Taylor Browning
My go to Ziti recipe. Everything you need and nothing you don’t.
Elizabeth Ochoa
I enjoyed this recipe very much. I added more sauce per recommendation below as I’ve known ziti to become dry – added another 14oz of crushed tomatoes. Somehow we couldn’t find the fresh mozzarella but sliced and diced a pound of whole milk mozzarella. It was a hit. I’ll make it again. 
Kathryn Wagner
The flavor is very good, but there was not enough sauce for my taste and as a result the pasta was dry and crispy in places. Also not enough meat and cheese in proportion to the pasta. If you watch the video, the recipe is poorly written and doesn’t match the video. He talks about the sauce getting inside the ziti, but there’s no chance of that because there’s hardly any sauce.
Cynthia Peterson
Easy to follow recipe, have made it multiple times. Everyone I make it for likes it very much.

 

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