Baked Ziti

Baked Ziti is classic comfort food that’s filling and satisfying. Loaded with tomato sauce, creamy ricotta and mozzarella cheeses, fresh basil and noodle pasta.

Course Main Course

Cuisine American, Italian

Prep Time 10

Cook Time 40

Total Time 50

Servings

Calories 599kcal

Author Toni Dash

Ingredients

1 pound ziti noodles (regular or gluten-free) penne may be substituted
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 pound italian sausage loose or bulk (not links)
1 medium yellow onion chopped
1 tablespoon Italian seasoning
1 25-ounce jar pasta sauce
16 ounces ricotta cheese
1 cup mozzarella cheese shredded
1/4 cup grated parmesan
1/4 cup fresh basil chopped

Instructions

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.
Cook the pasta according to package instructions until al dente. Drain (and rinse depending on package instructions). Toss the noodles with a drizzle of olive oil (to prevent them from sticking together).
As the pasta cooks, add 1 tablespoon of olive oil to a large skillet over medium high heat. Add the sausage and cook breaking the sausage into small pieces until lightly browned, cooking for about 5 - 6 minutes.
Add the onion to the skillet and stir. Cook for 3 - 4 minutes, until the onion is translucent.
Stir the Italian seasoning into the sausage and onion mixture. Cook for 1 minute more.
Pour in the tomato sauce, stir to combine and bring the skillet to a simmer.
Spray a 9-inch by 13-inch baking dish with nonstick cooking spray.
Add a thin layer of the sauce mixture to the bottom of the dish.
LAYER 1:
1. Add half of the pasta noodles into the bottom of the baking pan.
2. Top with half of the remaining sauce.
3. Add half of the ricotta in large spoonful-sized dollops. Spread lightly with the back of a spoon.
4. Sprinkle with half of the mozzarella cheese and half of the chopped basil.
LAYER 2:
Repeat the layering steps from Layer 1.
Bake in the oven, uncovered, for 15 minutes.
Sprinkle the Parmesan cheese over the top and continue to bake 5-10 minutes longer until the top is lightly golden brown and the cheese begins to bubble.
Serve hot with additional fresh basil for garnish.

Notes

Tips For The Recipe
● Substitute penne pasta: if you’re having trouble tracking down ziti pasta, you can substitute penne pasta. Any medium-sized noodle pasta would also work.

● Substitute ground beef: another popular substitution is ground beef in place of sausage. This is a tasty switch that you can make if you prefer.

● Cook the noodles al dente: be sure to cook your noodles al dente (so that they still have some firmness). This will prevent them from overcooking when they go into the oven.

Nutrition