Baked Ziti
Super cheesy with a nice bold flavor, this Baked Ziti is comfort food to the max! It’s a great casserole recipe that everyone will love!
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.