Baked Ziti
Cheesy Baked Ziti with pasta sauce and Italian sausage.
Equipment
- Deep pot
- 9x13 baking dish
- Bowls
- Spatula
- Chopping board
- knife
Ingredients
- 16 oz. Ziti, penne, or rigatoni pasta, uncooked
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 2 tablespoons butter
- 4 garlic cloves, minced
- 1 teaspoon sea salt
- 1/4 teaspoon red chili pepper flakes
- 1 tablespoon Italian seasoning
- 1/2 teaspoon fennel seeds
- 1 pound Italian sausage, casing removed
- 4 cup homemade or store-bought pasta sauce
- 1 tablespoon honey
- 1 cup ricotta cheese
- 1/2 cup Parmesan cheese
- 1 cup shredded mozzarella cheese
- 2 tablespoons chopped fresh basil, for garnish
Instructions
- Cook the pasta according to the package. Set it aside
- Heat a pot with oil, add the butter, and stir until the butter melts. Add the onion, and saute until tender or translucent. Add the garlic and continue sautéing until aromatic. Stir in the seasonings, salt, red chili flakes, Italian seasoning, and fennel seeds. Continue stirring until well combined.
- Add the Italian sausage, and cook until brown. Pour in the pasta sauce and honey, stir, lower the heat, cover and simmer for 5 minutes. Then add the cooked pasta, and stir until combined
- Preheat the oven to 375ºF. Meantime, in a bowl combine ricotta and Parmesan cheese. Layer the pasta mixture and the cheese mixture.
- In a 9x13 baking dish pan, spread half of the pasta at the bottom of the pan then layer the cheese mixture on top. Add the rest of the pasta and sprinkle the mozzarella cheese on top. Cover with foil.
- Bake for 20 minutes. Remove the foil and bake for additional 15 minutes or until golden brown. Garnish with chopped basil.
