Baked Ziti
Recently, after posting my Turkey Pasta Casserole on social media, a subscriber of mine and I were chatting about not having pasta every week. We both came to the conclusion that we would have serious withdrawal symptoms 🤯.
I love pasta… plain and simple! I find it versatile because there is a wide selection of noodles, sauces and combinations that can be combined to create a delicious meal! Do I have a favorite dish? Let’s see 🤔… nope! I can’t pick any as I like them all depending on my mood and the season…
On the website, there are over 4 dozen pasta recipes 🍝 and they keep coming! I have an assortment of flavors to please everyone like Meat Manicotti, Fettuccine alle Vongole, Mac and Cheese, Orzo alla Milanese, Italian Stuffed Pasta Shells, Pastitsio, Spaghetti Aglio e Olio, etc.
With this array of recipes, here’s another one… my Baked Ziti! Super cheesy 🧀 (I’m not kidding you) with a nice bold flavor, this pasta dish is comfort food to the max! It’s loaded with yumminess! This warm, flavorful casserole is the perfect meal to enjoy anytime!
As for the base of this recipe, I use a mix of ground beef and hot Italian sausage. The combination is so tasty 😋. Can you use mild? I don’t recommend it. The dish needs a little bite to it and the hot sausage balances it out nicely. To make it from scratch, click on this link… Hot Italian Sausage
There’s some dry red wine 🍷 that goes in the mixture along with marinara and passata sauce. People are familiar with Marinara Sauce but not so much when it comes to Passata which is a purée from ripe tomatoes. They’re passed through a fine sieve giving a beautiful flavor of raw tomatoes 🍅 without seeds and skins.
This Baked Ziti has a lot of different cheeses in it. I use ricotta, Fontina and Grana Padano although the last one can be substituted with Parmesan cheese. I prefer Fontina over Mozzarella because the flavor is far superior 🥇. It’s a lovely cheese and if you’ve never had Fontina before, you’ll understand after trying it.
When it comes to seasonings, I’m pretty conservative with this recipe. There’s just salt 🧂, pepper and Italian seasoning which you can make this blend from scratch by clicking on this link… Italian Seasoning • Homemade Blend. I add some parsley and that’s it. I really want the flavor of the cheeses and the meat to shine through.
Obviously, ziti is the pasta choice. I find it’s the best fit for meat sauce and cheeses. On the other hand, penne rigate or rigatoni both have ridges on the noodles and are delicious alternatives! They’re all cylindrical, hollow pastas trapping all the goodness in every bite 😍!
If you’re looking for a hearty, bold and tasty casserole, don’t look any further. Packed with deliciousness, this Baked Ziti is an amazing dish to serve during the fall and winter! It’s a lovely casserole recipe that you and your family will love 💖!
Bon Appétit!🍽
Check out these other flavorful pasta recipes…😀
– Creamy Shrimp Linguine
– Meat Lasagna
– Zucchini Pork Penne
– Turkey Tetrazzini
– Spicy Sausage Penne all’Arrabbiata
– Tuna Casserole
– Pappardelle with Pancetta & Mushrooms
and for even more pasta recipes 🍝, click on this link… Recipe Category • Pasta & Pizza
Don’t forget to subscribe to our YouTube channel 📽 by clicking on this link… Club Foody YouTube
Baked Ziti
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Ingredients
- 2 tbsp. olive oil tips & tricks
- 2 cups yellow onions, chopped
- 4 large cloves garlic, pressed
- 1 lb. lean ground beef
- 1 lb. hot Italian sausage, casings removed see Recipe
- 1 tsp. ground Himalayan pink salt
- 1 tsp. freshly ground black pepper (I always use mixed peppercorns)
- 1/2 cup dry red wine
- 3 cups (22 oz.) marinara sauce see Recipe
- 1 jar (680 ml.) Passata Rustica
- 1/2 cup low-sodium beef broth
- 1 tbsp. Italian seasoning see Recipe
- 1 lb. (16 oz.) ziti (substitute rigatoni or penne rigate), cooked minus 2 minutes
- 2 cups ricotta cheese
- 1 large free-range egg, beaten
- 2 tbsp. fresh parsley, chopped and divided tips & tricks
- 2 cups Fontina cheese, grated
- 2 cups Grana Padano cheese, grated
Directions
- In a Dutch oven over medium-high heat, add oil and when it starts shimmering, add onions; sauté until translucent, about 2 ½ to 3 minutes.
- Add garlic and sauté for 30 seconds.
- Add ground beef and Italian sausage; season with salt and pepper. Cook until no longer pink, breaking into small pieces, 5 to 6 minutes.
- Add red wine and cook until liquid is reduced by half, 3 to 4 minutes.
- Add marinara sauce and passata; rinse jar with beef broth.
- Season with Italian seasoning, stir well, reduce heat to medium-low and simmer gently for 30 minutes; taste and adjust seasonings.
- Meanwhile, in a mixing bowl, combine ricotta, beaten egg and 1 tbsp. chopped parsley. Stir to blend and set aside.
- Preheat oven to 375ºF and grease a 5-quart baking dish with cooking spray; set aside.
- Remove the sauce from the heat and add cooked pasta; stir well. Transfer half the mixture to the prepared baking dish and level it out.
- Spoon half ricotta mixture and spread it out evenly. Sprinkle on ¾ cup Fontina cheese and ¾ cup Grana Padano cheese.
- Add the remaining pasta mixture and repeat the same steps; ricotta, Fontina and Grana Padano.
- Cover loosely with foil and transfer to the preheated oven. Bake for 20 minutes before removing the foil.
- Turn the broiler on “low” and bake for 10 minutes or until the cheese is golden brown.
- Remove from the heat and let it sit for 10 minutes before sprinkling on the remaining 1 tbsp. chopped parsley.
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