Description
This baked ziti recipe is a mouthwatering Italian American favorite that has pasta and Italian sausage in tomato sauce along with three kinds of cheese! It’s a crowd-pleasing pasta bake that you can easily make ahead of time.
Ingredients
Scale
- 1 pound uncooked ziti or penne pasta
- 1 pound beef or turkey Italian sausage
- 1 medium onion (chopped)
- 4–5 cloves garlic (minced)
- 1/2 teaspoon Italian seasoning
- 1/4 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes (optional)
- 1 (28 ounce) can crushed tomatoes
- 1 cup heavy/whipping cream
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- Pepper (to taste)
- 1 teaspoon white sugar
- 8 ounces ricotta cheese
- 1 cup freshly grated parmesan cheese
- 2 cups shredded mozzarella
- chopped fresh parsley and/or basil (optional)
Instructions
- Preheat: Preheat your oven to 375F and move the rack to the top third of the oven. Boil a salted pot of water and cook the ziti for 2-3 minutes less than package directions indicate. Drain and set aside once it’s done.
- Brown: Meanwhile, add the sausage meat and onion to another pot and cook until browned (about 7-10 minutes), stirring occasionally.
- Sauté: Add the garlic, Italian seasoning, and red pepper flakes to the pot and cook for about a minute.
- Simmer: Stir in the crushed tomatoes, cream, salt & pepper, and sugar. Let it heat through (about 5 minutes).
- Combine: Drain the pasta, add it to the pot with the sauce, and toss.
- Layer: Add half the pasta mixture to a 9×13 casserole dish (spread it out evenly to create your bottom layer).
- Fill: Spoon the ricotta over the pasta for the cheesy middle layer.
- Top: Spoon the remaining pasta into the casserole dish to create an even top layer.
- Cheese: Sprinkle the parmesan and mozzarella over top.
- Bake: Bake, uncovered, for 20 minutes (or until hot & bubbly), and then broil (watch it closely) to brown the cheese.
- Serve: Serve with some fresh basil and/or parsley if desired.
Notes
Use either ground sausage meat or buy sausages and take the meat out of the casings. The sugar helps enhance the sweetness of the canned tomatoes. If you need to sub the cream, use a cup of crushed tomatoes, tomato sauce, or marinara.
- Prep Time: 15 minutes
- Cook Time: 45 minutes
- Category: Main Course
- Method: Baking
- Cuisine: American
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1 serving
- Calories: 738 kcal
- Sugar: 7 g
- Sodium: 1098 mg
- Fat: 43 g
- Saturated Fat: 22 g
- Unsaturated Fat: 19 g
- Trans Fat: 0 g
- Carbohydrates: 55 g
- Fiber: 4 g
- Protein: 32 g
- Cholesterol: 131 mg
Keywords: baked ziti, pasta bake, Italian American, cheesy pasta