Baked Ziti

Baked Ziti

Ingredients

• 1 lb ziti pasta
• 1 lb Italian sausage (mild or hot), casings removed
• 1 medium yellow onion, diced
• 3 cloves garlic, minced
• 1 jar (24 oz) marinara sauce
• 1 can (14.5 oz) crushed tomatoes
• 1 tsp dried Italian seasoning
• ½ tsp crushed red pepper flakes (optional)
• 15 oz whole-milk ricotta cheese
• 1 large egg
• ¼ cup fresh parsley, chopped (or 1 tbsp dried)
• 2 cups shredded mozzarella, divided
• ½ cup grated Parmesan cheese, divided
• Salt and pepper to taste

Directions

1. Preheat your oven to 375°F. Grease a 9x13-inch baking dish and set aside.
2. Cook the ziti in a large pot of salted boiling water for 2 minutes less than the package directions — you want it al dente since it'll keep cooking in the oven. Drain and set aside.
3. In a large skillet over medium heat, brown the Italian sausage, breaking it up as it cooks. Add the diced onion and cook together until the sausage is cooked through and the onion is soft, about 8 minutes. Add garlic and cook 1 minute more. Drain off any excess grease.
4. Stir the marinara sauce, crushed tomatoes, Italian seasoning, and red pepper flakes into the sausage mixture. Let simmer for 5 minutes. Season with salt and pepper.
5. In a medium bowl, stir together the ricotta, egg, parsley, 1 cup of the mozzarella, and ¼ cup of the Parmesan until combined.
6. Add the drained pasta to the meat sauce and toss to coat everything well.
7. Spread half the pasta mixture into the prepared baking dish. Dollop all the ricotta mixture evenly over the top in big spoonfuls. Layer the remaining pasta mixture on top.
8. Sprinkle the remaining 1 cup mozzarella and ¼ cup Parmesan evenly over the top. Cover tightly with foil and bake for 25 minutes. Remove the foil and bake another 15–20 minutes until the cheese is golden and bubbling. Let rest 10 minutes before serving. 💛