Ingredients

  • 1 lb. Italian sausage (mild, hot, or garlic)
  • 1 yellow onion
  • 3 oz. tomato paste
  • 1 28oz. can crushed tomatoes
  • 1 Tbsp Italian seasoning blend
  • 1/2 cup water
  • 1 lb. ziti
  • 15 oz. ricotta
  • 1 cup Italian cheese blend (mix of mozzarella and parmesan)
  • 2 cups shredded mozzarella

Directions

  1. Preheat oven to 350F and put a pot of water with salt on to boil.
  2. Brown the sausage in a large skillet or pot over medium heat.
  3. Finely dice the onion and add it to the skillet once the sausage has browned, and continue to saute over medium heat until the onion is soft and translucent.
  4. Add the tomato paste, crushed tomatoes, Italian seasoning, and 1/2 cup water to the skillet with the sausage and stir to combine. Place a lid on the skillet and allow it to come up to a simmer. Once simmering, reduce heat and continue to simmer while ziti is cooked. Stir occasionally.
  5. Add the ziti to the boiling water. Once cooked, drain the ziti in a colander and shake out as much water from the pasta as possible
  6. Add the ricotta, Italian cheese blend, and some freshly cracked black pepper to a bowl and stir to combine. Begin to preheat the oven to 350F.
  7. After draining the ziti, return it to the pot and add 1 cup of the red sauce. Stir to coat the cooked pasta in sauce.
  8. Pour half of the ziti to a 9x13 baking dish. Add half of the ricotta mixture on top of the ziti in small dollops. Finally, spoon half of the red sauce and sausage over the pasta and ricotta. It’s okay if the ingredients don’t cover in a solid layer. Repeat these layers with the second half of the pasta, ricotta mixture, and sauce. Finally, top with 2 cups shredded mozzarella.
  9. Cover the baking dish with foil, making sure it’s slightly tented so that it doesn’t touch or stick to the melted cheese. Transfer the covered casserole to the oven and bake for 20 minutes.
  10. After baking for 20 minutes, remove the foil, and turn the oven on to broil (keep the casserole on the middle rack, about 10-12 inches from the broiler). Broil for 5 minutes, or just until the cheese is slightly browned. Keep a close eye on the baked ziti as it broils, because broilers can vary in intensity. Top with chopped parsley, if desired, then serve.

Easy Baked Ziti

#pasta #madeit