Oven Baked Ziti
Ziti undercooked by 3 minutes, layered with browned Italian sausage marinara and ricotta, baked 25 minutes to a lace-brown cheese lid.
oven Timer
Set for 25 mins @ 400°F (204°C)
Ingredients
Base recipe calibrated for 8 adults.
Get to the Point
Boil 1 lb ziti 6 min (3 shy of al dente); drain, drizzle olive oil, set aside.
Brown 1 lb Italian sausage; add 24 oz marinara and simmer 5 min. Fold pasta into sauce.
Layer half in dish, dollop 15 oz ricotta, half mozzarella; repeat and top with cheese.
Cover foil, bake 15 min; uncover and bake 10 min to lace-brown the cheese lid.
Step-by-Step Guided Instructions
Bring 4 quarts of water with 2 tbsp kosher salt to a boil. Cook 1 lb ziti for 6 minutes only — 3 minutes short of the package al dente time. Drain, drizzle with 1 tbsp olive oil, and toss to prevent sticking.
Pasta finishes cooking in the oven while it absorbs sauce. Boiling to al dente up front gives you overcooked, mushy ziti every time.
Heat 1 tbsp olive oil in a 12-inch skillet over medium-high. Add 1 lb bulk hot Italian sausage and brown, breaking into 1/2-inch crumbles, for 6 minutes until no pink remains and edges are caramelized.
Break the sausage into rugged pieces, not a fine mince. A little size gives your ziti bite-sized meat surprises instead of a paste.
Reduce heat to medium. Add 4 minced garlic cloves and 1 tsp red pepper flakes; cook 30 seconds. Pour in 24 oz jarred marinara and 1/4 cup water (swirled in the jar). Simmer 5 minutes to marry.
The 1/4 cup of water is what the pasta drinks in the oven. Skip it and the top layer of ziti bakes to leather.
Fold the drained ziti directly into the skillet of sauce until every tube is coated. Kill the heat. In a small bowl, stir 15 oz whole-milk ricotta with 1 large egg, 1/2 cup grated parmesan, and 1/4 tsp black pepper.
One egg mixed into the ricotta sets the layer as it bakes so it slices cleanly instead of running out onto the plate.
Grease a 9x13 dish with 1 tbsp olive oil. Spread half the pasta in the bottom, dollop the ricotta mixture across in tablespoonfuls, and scatter 6 oz shredded mozzarella. Top with the remaining pasta and the last 6 oz mozzarella.
Dolloping ricotta beats spreading — spread ricotta becomes a dense, gluey layer, whereas pockets stay creamy.
Cover with foil and bake at 400°F for 15 minutes. Remove foil and bake 10 more minutes until the cheese is bubbled with deep golden lacy edges. Rest 10 minutes before scooping — the ziti sets during the rest.
The final 10 minutes uncovered is where the color comes from. Broil for 60 seconds at the end if your oven runs cool.
Reserve 1/2 cup of the salted pasta water before draining. If the sauce ever looks too thick when you're folding, a splash of pasta water loosens it AND helps it cling — plain tap water only thins.
For picky eaters, layer a plain-marinara section on one end without sausage and use ricotta only lightly. The dish is big enough to run two zones without changing the base recipe.
- Garlic bread or focaccia
- Simple arugula-and-parmesan salad
- Roasted broccoli with lemon
Scoop portions into a shallow dish, cover with foil, and bake 350°F for 18 minutes. A splash of marinara or water under the foil keeps the top layer from drying out during reheat.