Italian sausage is added in place of the traditional ricotta cheese in this baked ziti recipe, and the results are incredibly gratifying.
| Prep Time: | 30 mins |
| Cook Time: | 40 mins |
| Additional Time: | 15 mins |
| Total Time: | 1 hr 25 mins |
| Servings: | 12 |
| Yield: | 12 servings |
Ingredients
- nonstick cooking spray
- 1 (8 ounce) package shredded mozzarella cheese
- 1 (8 ounce) package shredded Italian cheese blend
- 1 (16 ounce) package ziti pasta
- 3 tablespoons olive oil, or more to taste
- 1 pound bulk Italian sausage
- ¼ teaspoon baking soda
- 1 cup diced onion
- 3 cloves garlic, diced
- 5 cups lower-sodium pasta sauce
- ⅓ cup sliced black olives
- 1 tablespoon whole fennel seeds
- 2 teaspoons Italian seasoning
- 1 teaspoon anchovy paste
- ½ teaspoon ground black pepper
- ¼ teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes
- 3 tablespoons grated Parmesan cheese
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F (190 degrees C). Spray a 4-quart rectangular baking dish with nonstick spray. Combine mozzarella and Italian blend cheeses in a bowl and place in the refrigerator.
- Bring a large pot of lightly salted water to a boil. Add ziti and cook, stirring occasionally, until tender yet firm to the bite, about 11 minutes. Drain.
- At the same time, heat 3 tablespoons oil in a Dutch oven over medium-high heat. Add sausage and break up into morsels. Sprinkle baking soda onto sausage, then add onion and garlic. Cook and stir, continuing to break up any clumps as it cooks, until browned and crumbly, 5 to 7 minutes. Pour off and discard any grease.
- Add pasta sauce, olives, fennel seeds, Italian seasoning, anchovy paste, black pepper, and red pepper flakes. Add up to 3 tablespoons more oil if desired, and continue stirring until mixture comes to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer, stirring regularly, until thickened, 5 to 10 minutes. Remove from the heat and stir in ziti.
- Spread 1/2 of the sauced ziti into the prepared baking dish and sprinkle 1/2 of the shredded cheese mixture evenly on top. Spoon or ladle the rest of the ziti evenly on top without disturbing the layers underneath; it’s okay to have some ziti partially exposed as they will brown handsomely and deliciously as they bake. Sprinkle remaining shredded cheese mixture on top and sprinkle Parmesan across the surface.
- Bake, uncovered, in the preheated oven until bubbly, 20 to 25 minutes. Remove from the oven and let rest for 15 minutes before serving.
- Use hot, mild, or sweet Italian sausage in bulk, but links or patties will also work. You can use penne instead of ziti, and Romano or aged Asiago instead of Parmesan.
- Adjust any of the added seasonings and flavorings to suit your own tastes and the characteristics of the brand of sauce you’re using.
- You can use a 10×15-inch roasting pan instead of a 4-quart baking dish. Don’t use a 3-quart baking dish or a 9×13-inch pan as they are not large enough.
- For a simpler, quicker version, omit any or all of the following: onion, garlic, baking soda, anchovy paste, Italian Seasoning, fennel seed, black pepper, chili flakes, and black olives. So, if you’re happy with your brand of pasta sauce, you can whittle the recipe down to just ziti, sausage, sauce, olive oil, and cheeses!
Nutrition Facts
| Calories | 480 kcal |
| Carbohydrate | 47 g |
| Cholesterol | 44 mg |
| Dietary Fiber | 5 g |
| Protein | 21 g |
| Saturated Fat | 9 g |
| Sodium | 1145 mg |
| Sugars | 11 g |
| Fat | 23 g |
| Unsaturated Fat | 0 g |
Reviews
I was looking for a simple recipe with ingredients I had on hand. I ran across this recipe and decided to try it. The outcome was sensational! Rich and hearty and the flavors were perfect! Thank you to the author who shared this recipe.
Hi! I am the author of this recipe, and I want to point out two things. First, the sauce needs to be mixed in piping HOT, as indicated in the directions, for the baking time to come out right. If jarred sauce is mixed in at room temperature, then the baking time will need to be extended. Second, I have since noticed that jarred pasta sauces are sold by net WEIGHT, not VOLUME (that is, fluid ounces), so a total of 40 ounces by weight (meaning ounces avoirdupois) of jarred sauce actually don’t come out to those 5 standard volumetric measuring cups of 8 fluid ounces each. (I miscalculated without measuring.) It’s more like 4¼ cups, maybe a little less, undoubtedly varying by brand, too. Nevertheless, I’ve found that the recipe works with the two stated jar sizes of the brands that I used. But 5 measured cupfuls will work fine, too, and may even be needed for a longer bake.
5.1.22 A lot of ingredients, but once they’re pulled out of the pantry and fridge, this comes together pretty quickly and easily. My casserole never did get bubbly and ended up being a little dry; I’m thinking that I needed more pasta sauce. Prepared as directed, tasted, and then made just a few adjustments to suit our tastes: added some salt, a pretty good glug of red wine, more red pepper flakes and Italian seasoning. Unfortunately, leaving it rest for 15 minutes coming out of the oven resulted in a casserole that was barely warm. Maybe 5 minutes, but won’t do 15 minutes again! This was OK, not sure I’ll make it again, but thanks for sharing.