Baked Ziti Easy
Baked Ziti Easy is full of flavor and combination of the Italian sausage, and a light tomato cream sauce is delicious. Baked Ziti easy is a great weeknightdish that can be prepped ahead of time for those busy moms out there! It isalso great for potlucks and entertaining guests.
Equipment
- casserole dish
- 6 quart pot
- large skillet
Ingredients
- 1 lb ziti noodles
- 1.5 lbs sweet italian sausage
- 1/2 cup diced onion
- 10 cloves garlic minced
- 1-28 oz crushed tomatoes can
- 1 1/2 teaspoons sugar
- 1/4 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes
- 2 teaspoons dried basil
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
- 1 cup heavy cream
- 1/2 cup Pecorino Romano cheese shredded
- 2 1/2 cups mozzarella cheese shredded
Instructions
- Pre-heat oven to 425 F
- Bring a large pot of to a boil and bake the Ziti according to the package instructions. However, you will want to go on the short end of the cook time to ensure the pasta is very al dente (around 7 minutes). The pasta will continue to cook in the oven.
- Heat a large sauté pan (preferably nonstick) over medium heat. Begin cooking the sausage and crumble it apart as it cooks. Once the sausage is browned moved to the next step.
- Add the garlic and onions cook for about 3-5 minutes until soft.
- Add the crushed tomatoes, dried basil salt, sugar, and red pepper flakes and simmer for 10 minutes.
- Add the heavy cream, 1/2 cup of the mozzarella, to the pan; stir until combined. Pour the contents of the pan into the large pot with the pasta and mix together.
- Spoon half of the mixture into a 9 x 13-inch baking dish. Sprinkle with half of the shredded mozzarella and half of Pecorino Romano. Spoon the remaining pasta mixture on top and sprinkle with the remaining cheese.
- Place the casserole dish uncovered in the oven until the cheese begins to brown (about 10-15 minutes).