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Baked Ziti

Recipe: Baked Ziti

Ingredients

  • 1 lb. ziti pasta, cooked
  • 2-3 Tbl Romano cheese, for sprinkling
  • Extra-virgin olive oil, to drizzle on top before baking
  • Marinara sauce (see recipe below), prepare at least one hour in advance.
  • Ricotta filling mixture (see recipe below).

Sauce:

  • Water
  • 3 Tbl extra-virgin olive oil
  • 2 large Vidalia onions, thinly sliced
  • 3 large cloves garlic, peeled
  • 1 lb Italian sausage
  • 1 red bell pepper, chopped and seeded
  • ¼ tsp hot red pepper flakes
  • ½ tsp basil
  • ½ tsp oregano
  • 2-3 Tbl red wine vinegar
  • 1 (24-28 oz) can whole peeled tomatoes
  • 1 (24-28 oz) can tomato sauce
  • Salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste
  • 1 tsp garlic salt

Ricotta Filling Mixture:

  • ½ c fresh parsley, minced
  • ½ c freshly grated Parmesan cheese
  • ½ lb shredded full milk mozzarella
  • 1 lb full milk Ricotta
  • ¼ tsp ground nutmeg (optional)

Instructions

  1. Cover the bottom of a large skillet with water, about 1 ½ inches deep. Over low/medium heat, cover and cook sausage until all water evaporates. Remove lid and sauté Italian sausage until browned on all sides. In a separate smaller skillet, use olive oil to sauté onions and garlic until they are very lightly browned. Add the chopped bell pepper, then stir in the hot pepper, basil and oregano; sauté until the vegetables are softened. Pour ingredients from both skillets into a large saucepan and then stir in vinegar. Add the can of diced tomatoes, salt, pepper and garlic salt. Don’t allow the sauce to boil; just simmer over low heat. After 30 minutes, add the can of tomato sauce. Adjust seasonings to taste. Simmer 15 more minutes or until sauce thickens as desired. Add water to thin sauce or cook longer to thicken further.
  • Ricotta Filling Mixture:
  1. In a bowl, mix thoroughly the Ricotta, shredded mozzarella, Parmesan cheese and minced parsley. Add freshly and coarsely ground black pepper and nutmeg.
  2. Preheat oven to 400 degrees F.
  3. Cook ziti according to directions on package. Drain pasta and return to pan. Add sauce to ziti in pan, continuing to stir and adding additional sauce as needed to coat well.
  4. Butter the bottom of an ovenproof casserole (or a lasagna dish) and spread cooked ziti in buttered casserole.
  5. Spread a layer of the ziti in the bottom of the casserole dish, then cover with a layer of the Ricotta filling. Stir the rest of the filling in with the remaining pasta, stirring very lightly, leaving chunks here and there.
  6. Spread the pasta mixture in the casserole dish and top with sauce, enough to cover. Sprinkle with Parmesan or Romano cheese, and then drizzle with a tablespoon of olive oil.
  7. Bake in preheated oven for 10 to 15 minutes, or until cheese is bubbly.

Meal type: dinner

Culinary tradition: Italian