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Baked Ziti

This was one of the Friday night pasta dishes we had in Miltimber. I made it in the large cast iron pot which went into the oven, making it an easy one pot meal (except for the pasta pot of course). Normally I made a vegetarian version with zucchini or other vegetables instead of the sausage. Always used frozen spinach as fresh was rarely available. 

Course Main Course

Ingredients

  • 1 pound ziti
  • 1 pound hot Italian sausage casing removed; or equivalent amount of frozen or fresh vegatables
  • 1 tablespoon medium onion chopped
  • 3 cloves garlic chopped
  • 2 teaspoons crushed red chili
  • 1 can diced tomatoes 28-ounce can
  • 6 ounces pesto
  • 15 ounces ricotta cheese
  • 1 9-ounce package washed spinach use frozen
  • Butter for baking dish
  • 2 cups shredded mozzarella plus more for topping
  • 1 1/2 cups grated Parmesan plus more for topping

Instructions

  1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees F.
  2. Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil over high heat. Add ziti and cook until al dente. Drain in a colander.

  3. In a large skillet over medium heat, saute turkey sausage. Add onion and garlic and saute until the sausage is cooked through. Use your spoon to break up the sausage while it cooks. Add the can of diced tomatoes, crushed red chili's and pesto and let simmer for 10 minutes. If using frozen spinach add it at this point.

  4. Add the ricotta cheese, spinach, Parmesan and mozzarella to a large bowl, and stir to combine.

  5. Butter/oil a 4-quart/liter baking dish, add the cooked pasta, then sausage mixture and cheese mixture. Top with a sprinkling of mozzarella and Parmesan.

  6. Bake until completely heated through and golden and crisp on top, about 20 minutes.

Recipe Notes

Inspired by the Neely's Baked Ziti recipe on the Foodnetwork site.