Cheesy Baked Ziti (Print Version)
# Ingredients:
→ Pasta & Meat
01 -
1 pound ziti pasta
02 -
1½ pounds Italian sausage (hot or mild), with casings taken off when needed
→ Sauce Base
03 -
4 cloves garlic, chopped small
04 -
1 can (28 oz) smashed tomatoes
05 -
1 teaspoon salt
06 -
1½ teaspoons sugar
07 -
¼ teaspoon chili flakes
08 -
1 cup heavy cream
→ Cheese & Herbs
09 -
8 ounces full-fat mozzarella, grated (roughly 2 cups)
10 -
⅓ cup plus 3 tablespoons grated Romano or Parmesan cheese, split up
11 -
⅓ cup chopped fresh basil, with extra for topping
# Instructions:
01 -
Fill a big pot with water, add plenty of salt and bring to a boil. Cook ziti for about 7 minutes until slightly firm. It'll finish cooking when it goes in the oven. Drain water and put pasta back in pot.
02 -
Turn your oven on to 425°F. Make sure you've got the rack sitting in the middle.
03 -
Using a big pan over medium-high heat, cook sausage until brown, breaking chunks apart as you go for about 5-6 minutes. Put cooked meat on a plate. Keep just a spoon of fat in the pan or add olive oil if needed. Toss in garlic and cook until you can smell it. Pour in tomatoes and mix in salt, sugar and chili flakes. Let bubble without a lid for 10 minutes.
04 -
Add cream, ⅓ cup Romano, cooked meat and basil to your sauce. Pour this mix over your ziti and stir everything carefully. Add half to a 9x13 dish, scatter half the mozzarella and Romano on top, then do another layer with what's left.
05 -
Cook without covering until cheese melts and turns golden brown, around 15-20 minutes. Sprinkle fresh basil on top before you serve it up.
# Notes:
01 -
You can make this up to 2 days early and keep it in the fridge with a cover. When you're ready to eat, bake it with a cover at 425°F for 25 minutes, then take the cover off for another 10-15 minutes.
02 -
This dish freezes well for up to 3 months. Just let it thaw in your fridge overnight before you bake it.