BAKED ZITI
Blog,Breakfast,Budget Bites |
April 18, 2023
5/5 - (1 vote)

$12.16 RECIPE / $1.52 SERVING

I pull out my comfy sweaters and start making comfort food like this Classic Baked Ziti as soon as the weather cools down.

With layers of spaghetti, handmade red sauce with Italian sausage, and three varieties of melty cheese, it’s rich and gooey. In a bowl, total comfort.

The best part is that Baked Ziti is simple to prepare. You don’t have to be concerned about delicate sheet pasta or flawless layering. It’s the greatest of freeform, sloppy delight!

CAN I USE A DIFFERENT SHAPE OF PASTA?

BAKED ZITI CLASSIC
Food: BAKED ZITI CLASSIC
Source: FeedFeed

If ziti (a smooth, tubular-shaped pasta) is unavailable, penne or rigatoni can be used instead. The sole difference between rigatoni and ziti is that rigatoni has ridges and is somewhat shorter and wider.

CAN I SERVE BAKED ZITI WITH VEGETABLES?

Yes! I typically always add extra vegetables to whatever I’m making, but today I chose to make Baked Ziti in its traditional style.

If I were to add veggies, I would most likely toss in some fresh spinach until it was wilted. Alternatively, roast some broccoli, zucchini, or eggplant before adding it to the sauce.

CAN I EXCHANGE THE SAUSAGE?

Although the Italian sausage contributes a lot of flavor to this dish, there are a few possibilities for replacing it.

You can substitute ground beef, turkey, or chicken, but you’ll need to double the Italian spice mix to compensate for the herbs in Italian sausage.

You can also use a vegetarian Italian sausage alternative or a pound of chopped mushrooms as a substitute.

WITH BAKED ZITI, WHAT SHOULD I SERVE?

With baked ziti, homemade garlic bread is fantastic, but if you want some vegetables on the side, try Oven Roasted Frozen Broccoli or a simple side salad.

WHAT TO DO WITH THE LEFTOVERS

This Baked Ziti will last 4-5 days in the refrigerator. I recommend splitting the leftovers into single servings to let them to cool fast in the fridge.

This recipe yields 8 generous portions, so when they’ve cooled completely in the refrigerator, you may freeze a few of them for later use. Then, with a short microwave, each serve becomes a filling last-minute dinner!

CLASSIC BAKED ZITI

This Baked Ziti contains layers of pasta, handmade red sauce with Italian sausage, and three varieties of melty cheese, just like a freeform lasagna!
Prep Time: 10 mins
Cook Time: 55 mins
Total Time: 1 hr. 5 mins
Servings: 8

INGREDIENTS

  • 1 lb. Italian sausage (sweet, mild, or hot) ($3.49)
  • 1 yellow onion ($0.27)
  • 3 oz. tomato paste ($0.27)
  • 1 28 oz. can crushed tomatoes ($1.00)
  • 1 Tbsp. Italian seasoning blend ($0.30)
  • 1/2 cup water ($0.00)
  • 1 lb. ziti ($1.67)
  • 1/2 Tbsp. salt (for pasta water) ($0.05)
  • 15 oz. ricotta ($1.69)
  • 1 cup Italian cheese blend* ($1.15)
  • freshly cracked black pepper ($0.05)
  • 2 cups shredded mozzarella ($2.29)
  • 1 handful chopped parsley (optional, for garnish) ($0.20)

INSTRUCTIONS

  1. Brown the sausage in a big skillet or pot over medium heat until it’s golden brown and crispy around the edges (pork sausage has a lot of fat, so I didn’t add any more to the skillet).
  2. Finely dice the onion while the sausage is frying. Once the sausage has browned, add the onion to the skillet and continue to sauté over medium heat until the onion is tender and transparent.
  3. Stir in the tomato paste, crushed tomatoes, Italian seasoning, and 12 cups of water with the sausage in the skillet. Allow the skillet to come to a simmer with the lid on. Turn the heat down to low and continue to cook the ziti while the sauce simmers. As the sauce simmers, stir it occasionally.
  4. Begin the ziti after the sauce has been begun. Bring a big saucepan of water to a boil over high heat with 12 tablespoons of salt. When the water is boiling, add the ziti and cook until they are soft (about 7-8 minutes). In a colander, drain the ziti. To get the excess water out of the pasta, shake the colander a little.
  5. Prepare the cheese filling while the pasta and sauce are cooking. In a mixing dish, add the ricotta, Italian cheese blend, and freshly cracked black pepper (approximately 10 cranks of a pepper mill). Preheat the oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit.
  6. Return the ziti to the pot after draining it and add 1 cup of the red sauce. Toss the cooked pasta in the sauce, stirring constantly.
  7. Half of the ziti should be poured into a 9×13″ baking dish. Place small dollops of half of the ricotta mixture on top of the ziti. Finally, top the pasta and ricotta with half of the red sauce and sausage. It’s fine if the ingredients don’t completely cover the surface. Reverse the layers with the remaining pasta, ricotta mixture, and sauce. Finally, add 2 cups of shredded mozzarella to the top.
  8. Cover the baking dish with foil, tented slightly to avoid touching or sticking to the melted cheese. Bake for 20 minutes with the covered casserole in the oven.
  9. Remove the foil after 20 minutes of baking and switch the oven to broil (keep the casserole on the middle rack, about 10-12 inches from the broiler). Broil for 5 minutes, or until the cheese begins to color slightly. Because broilers vary in intensity, keep a close check on the baked ziti as it broils. If preferred, garnish with chopped parsley before serving.

NOTES

*You can use mozzarella and Parmesan for the Italian cheese mixture.

NUTRITION

  • Serving: 1 Serving
  • Calories: 570.03 kcal
  • Carbohydrates: 39.15 g
  • Protein: 34.04 g
  • Fat: 30.3 g
  • Sodium: 1730.49 mg
  • Fiber: 4.85 g

STEP BY STEP INSTRUCTIONS FOR MAKING BAKED ZITI

TASTY BAKED ZITI CLASSIC
Food: TASTY BAKED ZITI CLASSIC
Source: FeedFeed
  1. In a skillet, cook 1 pound of Italian sausage until it is brown and crispy around the edges. I didn’t add any additional fat to the skillet because pork sausage already has a lot of it.
  2. Finely dice a yellow onion while the sausage is cooking. Continue to sauté for a few minutes more, or until the onion is tender and translucent, in the skillet with the browned sausage.
  3. 3 oz. tomato paste (half of a 6 oz. can), 1 tbsp. Italian seasoning blend, one 28 oz. can of crushed tomatoes, and 1/2 cup water Stir everything together, cover the skillet, and bring it up to a simmer. Once it has reached a simmer, reduce the heat to low and continue to cook, stirring regularly, while you prepare the ziti.
  4. Begin cooking the ziti once the sauce has simmered for a while. Bring a big saucepan of water to a boil over high heat with 1/2 teaspoon salt. 1 pound ziti, once boiling Boil the ziti until they are soft, then drain in a strainer. Shake the colander to get the extra water out.
  5. Make the ricotta cheese blend while the ziti is boiling and the sauce is simmering. In a mixing bowl, combine 15 oz. ricotta, 1 cup Italian cheese blend, and freshly cracked black pepper. Stir everything together. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit at the same time.
  6. Return the ziti to the pot after draining it and add 1 cup of the red sauce. Toss the ziti in the sauce to coat them.
  7. Fill a 9×13′′ casserole dish halfway with the sauce-coated ziti. Half of the ricotta mixture should be placed on top of the ziti in small dollops, followed by half of the red sauce. Don’t worry if the layers don’t completely cover each other. It doesn’t need to be flawless!
  8. Rep with the second layer of pasta, ricotta mixture, and sauce, then 2 cups shredded mozzarella over top.
  9. Bake for 20 minutes with the casserole covered in foil. Make sure the foil is slightly tented to prevent it from touching the cheese and sticking when it melts.
  10. Remove the foil after 20 minutes of baking, turn the heat to broil, and return the casserole to the oven (keep it on the middle rack, about 10-12 inches from the broiler). Broil for 5 minutes, or until the top of the cheese is browned. Broilers vary in intensity, so keep an eye on them as it cooks.

If preferred, garnish with chopped parsley before serving!