This is a great, comforting dinner option and tastes great served with a side salad (I like serving it with broccoli salad or caprese salad) and a warm homemade biscuit. Today’s recipe includes a how-to video.
I swore over the weekend that it was going to be nothing but spinach salads and lean protein for me from then on out. The weather in Florida was 75 degrees and sunny and it was easy to promise myself a future of leafy green dinners. Then, I flew home. I arrived to a car covered in 6 inches of snow, an icy driveway, and threats of even more snow this upcoming weekend and I can’t get my comfort food/baked ziti cravings out of my head. If I’m being honest, I’m sure I’ll be eating baked ziti in the summer, too. Even when it’s 75 degrees here and my shorts are (still) begging me to go green with my diet. But there’s something about chilly winter weather and meteorologists throwing around words like “polar vortex” and “punishing winter weather” that has me craving carb-y comfort food. And this baked ziti checks all the boxes when it comes to comfort food. It’s cheesy and saucy and you’re going to want a crusty piece of bread for sopping up your plate (spoiler alert! Garlic knots coming Friday for this very purpose!).
There are a lot of different components that make this baked ziti the best I’ve ever had. That gooey, melty, bubbly cheese, the creamy layer of thick ricotta… but what really makes this ziti next-level good is the sauce. We’re not using just any old jar of marinara sauce here. Today we’re making our marinara sauce from scratch (this is very similar to the sauce I use for my stuffed shells). Only one pan is needed to make the sauce and the flavor is worth all 45 seconds it will take for clean-up (and then some).
How to make sauce
We start by cooking our finely diced onion and garlic before adding and browning Italian sausage. You can use sweet or mild Italian sausage depending on your preference, and I’ve been meaning to try it with hot Italian as well. Add your spices before the meat is totally browned, stirring well as you crumble and cook the sausage. Adding the spices at this point will help to really develop the flavor of the sauce (I use a similar technique with my favorite chili). Add tomato sauce and diced tomatoes; fire roasted are a big plus and definitely worth traveling to a second grocery store for if your regular grocery store is out (at least that’s what I told Zach). We’ll also add a Tablespoon of sugar at this point. Not because I’m a demonstrable sugar addict, but because this will help to cut the acidity from the tomatoes as well as develop the flavor of the sauce. Cook everything at a simmer until your sauce is thickened then remove from heat and stir in a handful of thinly sliced basil leaves. Voila, a robust and fully-flavored sauce ready for layering in the best baked ziti ever.
Can You Prepare Ahead of Time?
Yes! Prep, assemble, cover tightly with plastic wrap and this baked ziti will keep in the fridge for up to two days prior to baking. More time in the oven will likely be required when you are ready to bake, and I recommend letting the ziti sit on the counter while your oven preheats.
Ingredients
Classic and simple, mostly. The fresher the better (my mom likes to make her own homemade pasta noodles, maybe someday I’ll be as ambitious). To be more specific, you’ll need:
Ziti noodles (see below for substitutes) Bulk Italian sausage (sweet or mild, depending on your own preference) Diced onion & minced garlic Tomato sauce and fire roasted diced tomatoes Fresh basil Ricotta, Mozzarella, and Parmesan cheeses
Can I Use Penne Instead of Ziti?
If you can’t find ziti noodles, penne ones will work just as well! Look, there are plenty of ingredients worth being snobbish about, but using ziti vs penne in baked “ziti” is not one of them. In fact, just about any shape of pasta will work well with this recipe if you can’t find ziti noodles. Enjoy!
Other Hearty Recipes You Might Enjoy:
Baked Mac & Cheese Potato Soup Lasagna Soup Buffalo Chicken Mac & Cheese
