Mother’s Baked Ziti Recipe

Mother’s baked ziti recipe options al dente pasta with meat sauce, ricotta cheese, and shredded mozzarella cheese. Make pasta sauce a couple of days prematurely or wrap in foil and freeze for two months. The sauce and cheese make it heaven in baking dish and ideal for serving a crowd! Scrumptious with Caesar salad, garlic bread or garlic knots.

On the lookout for a crowd-pleasing recipe that’s hearty, flavorful, and makes you appear to be a celebrity chef? Baked ziti to the rescue! Aka al dente noodles layered with ricotta cheese, meat sauce, and Italian cheeses. Like lasagna… with out the fussy meeting and layering! 

Good for household gatherings or any evening you’re craving Italian-inspired consolation meals. You may simply feed 8 folks with one pan of baked ziti. Leftovers? It pairs nice with an Italian chopped salad and a few heat garlic knots or garlic bread! 

Or you possibly can freeze baked ziti! Simply wrap the entire pan in foil and freeze for as much as 2 months. Then deliver the baked ziti out of the freezer the evening earlier than you propose on cooking it!

How one can Make Baked Ziti… BETTER? 

We’ve been passing this recipe round my household for years… it’s a tried-and true-staple! And loads of 5-star critiques promise you’ll adore it, too! Right here’s what makes this recipe higher than the remaining:

• Al dente pasta… as a result of soggy noodles are a sin!!!
• Flavorful ricotta cheese combination: my secret mix is clean and so delish!
• Goodbye boring tomato sauce, hi there hearty meat sauce! Which is additional flavorsome because of floor beef and Italian sausage.
• Make days prematurely – retailer within the fridge or freezer! Or make the tomato sauce and ricotta cheese combination the day earlier than making.

Baked Ziti Recipe: The Elements 

• Olive Oil: Use no matter you might have available, no must be fancy.
• Onion: Provides tons of taste to the tomato sauce. In a pinch, use white onion and even pink onion within the pasta sauce recipe.
• Garlic: Contemporary garlic provides taste to the meat sauce, so don’t sub dried garlic powder!
• Crimson Pepper Flakes: In case you’re utilizing spicy Italian sausage, you possibly can omit the pink pepper flakes.
• Meat: Lean floor beef and Italian sausage.
• Tomato: Tomato paste and crushed tomatoes give the tomato sauce loads of tomato taste.
• Crimson Wine: In a pinch white wine or beef broth are good subs.
• Dried Spices: Italian seasoning, salt, black pepper, and granulated sugar add taste.
• Contemporary Herbs: Basil and parsley add a pop of contemporary taste the ricotta cheese and tomato sauce. 
• Cheese: This options ricotta cheese, parmesan cheese, fontina cheese, and shredded mozzarella cheese. I don’t counsel subbing cottage cheese for the ricotta cheese.
• Eggs: An egg and an egg yolk thicken the ricotta cheese combination. 
• Pasta: The most effective pasta for baked ziti is penne ziti noodles. 

Let’s Make The BEST Baked Ziti!

1. Pour a cup of meat sauce on the underside of a baking dish. Add half the ricotta cheese combination, dropping it in dots over the underside of the baking dish.
2. Pour pasta on prime, then prime with remaining tomato sauce. Dot the remaining ricotta cheese, then sprinkle with shredded cheese combination and the cheese cubes.

Place baking dish within the oven and bake till cheese combination is effervescent and golden brown. To go previous the evenly browned section, you possibly can pop on the broiler for a minute or so. However hold an in depth eye.

Al Dente Noodles for Baked Ziti 

1. Carry a big pot of salted water to a boil. Add pasta and cook dinner for precisely 4 minutes and never a second longer – set a timer to maintain observe of time. 
2. Drain pasta and run it below chilly water to cease it from cooking. Then use as directed!

Your ziti noodles will nonetheless be exhausting when drained. Additional al dente noodles are greatest so that they take up the liquid from the tomato sauce.

Floor Beef + Italian Sausage Tomato Sauce

• This sauce is a bit additional effort, however you can also make it prematurely. Retailer within the fridge for 3 days or freeze for two months! 
• Floor beef and Italian sausage make additional hearty meat sauce! Candy Italian sausage or spicy Italian sausage work. 
• Tomato sauce and tomato paste make sure the meat sauce is thick and has wealthy tomato taste! 
• Contemporary basil and contemporary parsley wake add a pop of freshness to the pasta sauce. 

Ricotta Cheese Combination 

• Like most baked ziti recipes, this one options ricotta cheese, parmesan cheese, and mozzarella cheese. 
• I add Fontina cheese, which tastes scrumptious and melts superbly. In case you should, sub an equal quantity of low-moisture mozzarella.
• The ricotta cheese combination contains egg, egg yolk, basil, parsley, parmesan cheese, fontina cheese, salt, and pepper.

How lengthy to Bake Baked Ziti

1. Bake till the cheese is golden and effervescent. Time varies relying in your oven and baking dish. 
2. Glass dishes conduct warmth sooner than ceramic dishes. Utilizing a thick ceramic baking dish? Add 10 to fifteen minutes.
3. Don’t bake coated; masking with aluminum foil prevents the cheese from getting evenly browned. It’ll additionally traps steam, which might trigger soggy noodles! So remember to bake uncovered. 

Make Baked Ziti Days in Advance

1. Assemble as directed, then the wrap the baking dish tightly in plastic wrap. Retailer within the fridge for as much as 48 hours. 
2. Time to bake? Take away from the fridge and let it sit at room temperature for 20 minutes to half-hour.
3. Take away plastic wrap (don’t bake coated!) and bake as directed. You may add 10 to fifteen minutes onto bake time because you’re baking it from a relaxing state. As soon as the cheese evenly browns and bubbles, you possibly can probably think about it prepared!

How one can Freeze Baked Ziti?

Freezing baked ziti is a good thought, particularly in case you have a life occasion developing like having a child or shifting! Right here’s methods to freeze baked ziti like a professional:

1. Bake as directed, then cool utterly. This will take a number of hours, however is a vital step. Or, assemble the baked ziti as much as the bake step, and freeze unbaked. 
2. Cowl the pan with aluminum foil to stop freezer burn. 
3. Label with the date. Place within the freezer and freeze for as much as 2 months.