My Baked Ziti recipe gets down for reals! I love to pack mine with a mix of sausage and ground beef for extra flavor, plus I make a homemade sauce then top the whole thing in melted cheese. It plays no games! Serve along with my bomb caesar salad and garlic bread, and get your whole life.
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They’re Lovin’ It! Here’s what They’re Sayin’:
“Loved the Ziti! Husband and I stuffed ourselves and still only ate a little more than a quarter of it. Favorite part is there was plenty of sauce with the pasta. I’m used to mine always coming out dry. Thank you so much!”
—STAR
Ingredient Notes
- Extra Virgin Olive Oil: Or any neutral oil like vegetable or canola.
- Italian Sausage: You can use turkey sausage, chicken sausage or even a spicy chorizo to give a totally different vibe.
- Ground Beef: Replace with ground chicken or ground pork if you want.
- Chicken Stock: Sub in chicken broth, beef broth or even vegetable broth.
- Wine: You can use white wine instead or replace with more chicken stock if you want to leave the wine out all together.
- Pasta: Swap out the ziti with another pasta like rigatoni or penne.
- Cheese: A blend of Italian cheeses, provolone or fontina are good to go boos.
How to make Baked Ziti
Make the Sauce
Step 1: Add ground turkey, Italian sausage, onion, green pepper and salt and pepper to a large sized pot with olive oil over medium high heat. Brown until cooked up. Then add garlic and cook for 1 minute.
Step 2: Toss in crushed tomatoes, tomato sauce, chicken stock, red wine, Italian seasoning, sugar, and red pepper flakes. Continue to simmer until the sauce has thickened (about 15-20 minutes) then remove from heat.
Assemble and Bake
Step 3: Stir cooked pasta into the sauce.
Step 4: Add pasta and sauce to a greased baking dish.
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Step 5: Top with cheese.
Step 6: Bake until the cheese is melty and browned (about 10-20 minutes). You can also broil the top if you want.
Baked Ziti Recipe
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Equipment
Ingredients
- 1 1/2 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
- 1/2 lb ground beef or ground turkey
- 1/2 lb Italian sausage
- 1/2 cup finely chopped onions
- 1/4 cup finely chopped green peppers
- salt to taste I used seasoned salt
- 1/8 tsp black pepper
- 1 1/2 tsp minced garlic
- 28 oz crushed tomatoes
- 10 oz tomato sauce
- 2 tbsp chicken stock
- 1 tbsp red wine
- 1 1/2 tbsp Italian seasoning can make it homemade
- 1 tbsp granulated sugar
- pinch of red pepper flakes if desired
- 8 oz zit pasta cooked al dente and drained
- 1 1/2 cups shredded mozzarella cheese up to 2 cups
- parsley for garnish
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 375 degrees.
- Add olive oil to a medium large sized pot over medium high heat on the stove.
- Add ground beef, Italian sausage, onion, green pepper and salt and pepper. Brown until cooked.
- Next add garlic and cook for 1 minute.
- Then add in crushed tomatoes, tomato sauce, chicken stock, red wine, Italian seasoning, sugar, and red pepper flakes. Continue to simmer until the sauce has thickened about 15-20 minutes then remove from heat.
- Stir in cooked ziti pasta then add pasta and sauce to a greased baking dish, top with cheese then cover with foil and add to the oven and allow the cheese to become melty and bake for about 15-20 minutes.
- Once the cheese has fully melted, remove the foil and let the top brown for about 5 minutes. You can also speed this up by adding under a broiler and browning but KEEP A WATCH ON IT. Cool for 10-15 minutes then sprinkle with parsley and serve it up.
Notes
How to store & reheat
Let your ziti cool down to room temp, then either transfer to an airtight container or cover tightly with plastic wrap. You can reheat in the oven by covering with foil and baking at 350 degrees for about 30 minutes or until warmed through. The microwave is also fine too boos. Cover and cook for 1 ½ minutes then check to see if it is warm. If it ain’t warm yet, continue to heat in 15-second increments but don’t overdo it or the pasta will dry out.How long will this baked ziti recipe last in the fridge?
It will last about 3-5 days in the fridge.Can I freeze?
Yep boos, it can stay frozen for up to 3 months. To reheat, cover with aluminum foil and pop in a 350 degrees F oven for 1 hour.Nutrition
Recipe Tips
- Don’t Overcook Your Pasta: It’s best to cook your pasta until al dente so it stands up to the bake and doesn’t get all mushy.
- Cover and Bake: Start with foil over your ziti so it doesn’t dry out. Once that cheese has melted, take off the foil and let the top brown up and bubble.
- Broil for More Color: For more color, broil for just a few seconds.
- Chill Out: Let it rest at least 10 minutes after you remove from the oven. It will give it structure so you can serve it easily.
Recipe help
You sure can boos. Just assemble the whole thing and store in the fridge for up to a day. You can set it out for about 30 minutes to let it get back to room temp then add to your oven and bake off.
If ya gotta make this even more fuss free, you can replace the homemade sauce with your fave store-bought sauce. I would still add some sautéed onions, garlic, herbs, or a splash of red wine to give it those homemade vibes.
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Hello I love to know because I went out and got various sized pans with labels would 9×13 work for this