¼cuppasta wateror just regular water if you're making it in advance
Baked Ziti
1lb.zitipenne, or rigatoni
2tablespoonolive oildivided
2garlic clovesminced
1lb.ground turkeyor beef or plant-based ground meat
Sprinkleoregano
Pinchsalt and pepper
Arrabbiata Saucefrom above
16ozricotta cheese
¾cupparmesanshredded
1egg
½cupbasil leaveschopped
¼cupparsleychopped
8ozshredded mozzarella cheese
Extra parmesanoptional
Extra basiloptional
Instructions
Arrabbiata Sauce
Heat olive oil in a sauté pan over medium. Add in onion and stir until slightly translucent, about 6-8 minutes.
Add in red pepper flakes and garlic. Let toast for about 2-3 minutes, still occasionally and be sure to watch so it doesn't burn.
Add in Mutti® Finely Chopped Tomatoes, Mutti® Tomato Puree, and Mutti® Double Concentrated Tomato Paste.
Stir and add in Italian seasoning and salt and pepper.
Cover and let simmer on low for 25-30 minutes, stir occasionally.
Baked Ziti
Cook pasta per package instructions. Drain and toss in 1 tablespoon olive oil.
In a large sauté pan add 1 tablespoon of olive oil and in your garlic and cook until it starts to brown.
Then add your ground meat, top with your oregano, salt and pepper. Brown and stir until cooked through. Add in sauce and let simmer.
Preheat oven to 350° F and prepare a 13x9 casserole dish lightly with olive oil or spray.
In a medium bowl mix ricotta cheese, parmesan, and 1 egg. Then add basil and parsley and mix thoroughly.
In a large bowl mix your pasta and all but about ⅓ cup of pasta sauce together, make sure to coat your noodles well.
Pour about half of the noodle and sauce mixture into your prepared casserole dish. Then dollop in small spoonfuls of the ricotta mixture, using up half of the mixture. Roughly smooth over the cheese across the pasta as best you can. Repeat with remaining pasta and sauce, then ricotta mixture. Top with remaining ⅓ cup of sauce. Finish off by topping with mozzarella.
Cover and place in the oven for 20 minutes. Remove the cover and cook for another 18-22 minutes until cheese is golden.
Remove from oven and let rest for 10 minutes. Top with freshly grated parmesan and basil. Serve and enjoy!
Notes
- Sauce consistency: Now, if you are like my and want to use your favorite rigatoni, you definitely want to make sure your sauce is a little extra saucy, which the recipe below does make, but if your onion was a little bigger or your meat larger, you might want to add a little extra puree. A rigatoni needs a little extra sauce to fill in the holes.- Pasta: Baked ziti can be made with ziti or penne. However, I personally love rigatoni noodles, so I used those here. They are larger meaning they need a better toss in the sauce than ziti or penne might, but a tubular pasta is definitely needed here.