Italian-American · Free recipe
Bubbling Baked Ziti
Ziti gets folded with a sausage and tomato sauce and pockets of creamy ricotta, then buried under mozzarella and baked until the cheese browns and the edges crisp. It is the kind of forgiving, feeds-a-crowd casserole that tastes even better reheated the next day.
- Prep
- 20 min
- Cook
- 55 min
- Total
- 1 hr 15 min
- Serves
- 8
- Level
- Easy
Method
-
Heat the oven to 375F. Boil the ziti in salted water for 3 minutes less than the package time, since it will keep cooking in the oven, then drain.
-
Heat the oil in a large pot over medium-high heat and brown the sausage for 6 to 7 minutes, breaking it into small pieces; add the onion and cook 5 minutes until soft, then the garlic for 1 minute.
-
Stir in the crushed tomatoes, tomato sauce, oregano, pepper flakes and 1/2 teaspoon salt and simmer for 10 minutes until slightly thickened.
-
Mix the ricotta, egg, half the Parmesan, the basil and a pinch of salt and pepper.
-
Toss the drained ziti with the sauce and half the mozzarella, then spread half into a 9x13-inch baking dish, dollop the ricotta mixture over it, and cover with the remaining pasta.
-
Top with the remaining mozzarella and Parmesan, cover with foil, and bake for 20 minutes; uncover and bake 15 to 20 minutes more until the cheese is bubbling and browned in spots.
-
Let it rest for 10 minutes before scooping so the sauce settles.
Zest note from the test kitchen
For extra-crispy edges, run the uncovered dish under the broiler for the final 2 minutes, watching closely so the cheese blisters without burning.
