Baked Ziti

Slow simmered sauce and lots of cheese make for the most wonderful baked pasta dish!

Something can be said for a slow-simmered red meat sauce and a cheesy pasta dish baked in the oven. I personally adore baked ziti but don't make it a lot because for me, it's very much a weekend recipe and we usually have pasta dishes on Mondays. I had been craving ziti for so long, so I decided to vary our weekly meal plan and fit this recipe in there. I did change some of the recipe up and omitted ricotta cheese because none of us really care for it and we didn't want it to taste like lasagna. I knew this would be a keeper because it's a Pioneer Woman recipe and I think I have only made one recipe of hers that I didn't like. Just one. And that's a far better track record than any other recipe creator.

(Print)
What you need:

• 2 Tbsp. olive oil
• 3 cloves minced garlic
• 1 large onion, diced
• 1 lb. Italian sausage
• 1 lb. ground beef
• 1 can (28 oz.) diced tomatoes
• 2 cans (14.5 oz. each) tomato sauce
• 2 tsp. Italian seasoning
• 1/2 tsp. red pepper flakes
• Salt and pepper, to taste
• 15 oz. ziti, cooked not quite al dente, rinsed with cold water
• 24 oz. shredded mozzarella
• 1/2 cup Parmesan cheese
• 1 whole egg
• Fresh chopped parsley

Directions:

1. Heat olive oil in a large saucepan over medium heat. Add onion and garlic until onions soften.
2. Add Italian sausage and ground beef. Crumble and cook until browned. Drain, if needed.
3. Add tomatoes, tomato juice, salt, pepper, Italian seasoning, and red pepper flakes. Stir and simmer for 25 to 30 minutes.
4. Remove 3 to 4 cups to a bowl to cool.
5. In a large bowl, combine 2 cups mozzarella, Parmesan, egg, and salt and pepper and stir a few times, not completely mixed.
6. Add pasta to cheese mixture and toss to combine a little. Add cooled meat sauce and toss to combine.
7. Add half the pasta mixture into a large casserole dish.
8. Top with half the remaining sauce and then half the remaining mozzarella cheese.
9. Then do another layer of pasta, sauce, and mozzarella.
10. Bake in a preheated 375 degree oven for 20 minutes or until bubbling.
11. Remove from oven and let stand for 5 minutes. Sprinkle with parsley and serve.

Recipe adapted from Pioneer Woman

Baked ziti doesn't have to be strictly red sauce and red meat! This Chicken Baked Alfredo Ziti from Gimme Some Oven is also wonderful, especially if you don't care for red meat or like tomato-based sauces! This Roasted Red Bell and Sausage Pasta recipe is not a baked pasta dish, but it's still really wonderful and is a one pot dish (even better).

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