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Baked ziti with one serving removed in a baking dish.
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4.67 from 3 votes

Baked Ziti

Time for a little Italian comfort food: Easy Baked Ziti Recipe. In this recipe, the Italian sausage and a little fresh basil provide all the flavor you need for this simple one-pan dinner!
Prep Time5 minutes
Cook Time40 minutes
Total Time45 minutes
Course: Entree
Cuisine: Italian
Servings: 8
Author: Suzy Karadsheh

Ingredients

  • 1 pound ziti pasta
  • 1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
  • Kosher salt
  • 1 large yellow onion, finely chopped
  • 2 garlic cloves, chopped
  • 1 1/2 pounds Italian sausage with fennel, bulk sausage or casings removed
  • 2 14 oz cans diced tomatoes
  • 20 or more basil leaves, torn (divided)
  • 1 cup freshly grated parmesan
  • 8 ounces fresh mozzarella, sliced

Instructions

  • Get ready. Preheat your oven to 350°F.
  • Cook the pasta. Bring a large pot or Dutch oven of salted water to a boil, then add the pasta. Remove from the heat about 3 minutes before the time indicated on the pasta package. Drain.
  • Meanwhile, prepare the sauce. In a large skillet, heat the olive oil over medium-high heat. Add the onions and saute until translucent and slightly golden in color, about 5 minutes. Add the garlic and sausage and cook, stirring occasionally, until the sausage is fully browned. Now add the canned tomatoes and half the basil leaves. Reduce the heat to medium and cook for 10 minutes, or until the sauce thickens.
  • Layer. Return the cooked pasta to the pot, along with half of the parmesan and half of the sauce. Give things a good stir. If your skillet is not oven-safe, transfer the pasta to a large baking dish. Top with the remaining sauce and the mozzarella cheese slices.
  • Bake, finish, and serve. Bake in the hot oven for 20-25 minutes. Remove from the oven and add the remaining parmesan and basil. Enjoy!

Notes

  • Shop this recipe: Visit our shop to browse quality Mediterranean ingredients, including the olive oil used in this recipe.
  • Storage: 
    • Cool completely before storing.
    • Refrigerate in an airtight container up to 4 days.
    • Freeze up to 3 months; thaw overnight in the fridge.
    • Reheat covered at 350°F for 20–25 minutes, or microwave individual portions with a splash of water.
  • You can certainly replace the sausage with ground beef. Make sure you add your favorite Italian spices for flavor.
  • Grated bagged mozzarella will certainly work in place of fresh. Top the ziti with one cup of grated mozzarella (more or less to your liking).

Nutrition

Calories: 682.1kcal | Carbohydrates: 50.7g | Protein: 30.5g | Fat: 39.2g | Saturated Fat: 15.7g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 4.4g | Monounsaturated Fat: 16.3g | Cholesterol: 97.9mg | Sodium: 1169.3mg | Potassium: 605.4mg | Fiber: 3.1g | Sugar: 4.9g | Vitamin A: 473.1IU | Vitamin C: 12.7mg | Calcium: 319mg | Iron: 3mg

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