Baked Ziti
This is a “stick to your ribs” dish for sure. Lots of meat and yummy marinara topped two kinds of shredded cheese.
Equipment
- Deep lasagna pan
Ingredients
- 1 pound ziti pasta
- 1 pound Italian sausage, mild or hot, see Notes
- 1 pound ground beef
- 1 tablespoon oil
- 1 red onion, diced
- 4 garlic cloves, minced
- 1 tablespoon Italian seasoning,
- 2 24-ounce jars store-bought marinara, or homemade
- 1 15-ounce ricotta cheese, whole milk or part skim
- 2 tablespoons fresh parsley, chopped
- 3 tablespoons fresh basil, choppeed
- 1/2 teaspoon ground white pepper
- 16 ounces Mozzarella cheese, shredded
- 1/2 cup Parmesan or Asiago cheese, shredded
- kosher salt, to taste
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
- In a large stockpot, cook the pasta according to the directions on the package. Add a good pinch, about a tablespoon, of kosher salt to the water and allow to come to a rolling boil. Cook the pasta until “al dente,” having a little “bite” to it (not super-soft). Drain the pasta. Pour the pasta back into the stockpot and set aside. (*I try not to add oil to the cooking water because I’d like for the sauce to stick to the tubes of ziti.)
- In a medium bowl, mix the ricotta, parsley, basil, white pepper and ¼ teaspoon of kosher salt and set aside.
- Heat a large stock pot or Dutch oven over medium-high heat; add the sausage and ground beef. Allow the meat to brown, not stirring for about 2 minutes. Then break up the meat with a spoon and stir. Cook until no pink remains. Drain well and set aside.
- Add the oil to the pan. Add the chopped onion and stir to coat the onions in the oil. Cook until the onions are just softened. Add the garlic and stir for about 20 seconds. Turn the heat down if the garlic is beginning to burn.
- Add the marinara and Italian seasoning to the pan. Heat through and taste. Add salt and pepper as desired. Add the meat back to the pan, stir, and bring to a gentle simmer. Simmer for 20 to 30 minutes to allow the sauce's flavors to "marry."
- Pour the sauce over the noodles in the stockpot and stir to combine thoroughly.
- Grease a deep lasagna pan.
- Pour half of the noodles-meat mixture into the pan and spread evenly.
- “Dollop” the ricotta evenly across the mixture.
- Pour the remaining half of the noodles-meat mixture over the ricotta.
- Top with Parmesan and Mozzarella cheeses.
- Bake in the preheated oven for 40 minutes or until lightly browned and bubbling.
- Remove from the oven and allow to stand for about 10 minutes. Serve warm.
Notes
The nutrition chart is calculated with whole milk mozzarella cheese.
The nutrition chart doesn’t contain any extra added salt. Just what would be included in the marinara, ricotta, etc. Please, calculate the nutrition for yourself if needed. This is only an estimate.
Nutrition Facts
Baked Ziti
Amount per Serving
Calories
615.66
% Daily Value*
Fat
35.6
g
55
%
Saturated Fat
15.49
g
97
%
Trans Fat
0.64
g
Polyunsaturated Fat
3.94
g
Monounsaturated Fat
12.91
g
Cholesterol
124.69
mg
42
%
Sodium
1039.44
mg
45
%
Potassium
701.05
mg
20
%
Carbohydrates
41.74
g
14
%
Fiber
3.55
g
15
%
Sugar
7.19
g
8
%
Protein
31.89
g
64
%
Vitamin A
615.6
IU
12
%
Vitamin C
4.06
mg
5
%
Calcium
358.13
mg
36
%
Iron
3.93
mg
22
%
* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2000 calorie diet.
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