I love you, dear reader, I really do, and because I love you so, I have a gift. Below is a Baked Ziti as good as any on The Sopranos, but in a crazy easy one-dish pasta version. I’d appreciate it if you didn’t rat me out. It’s a week before Christmas as I write this, and I’m pretty sure we all need a festive, fast, affordable dinner or two this holiday season that the whole crowd will eat without complaint. Bonus feature: you can make it ahead! Second bonus feature: marinara is a vegetable! Third: no joke, you make the whole thing right in the casserole dish! This delicious Baked Ziti is family-friendly and company-worthy. Gorgeous, too. YOU.ARE.WELCOME.
This Baked Ziti calls for regular dry pasta, prepared marinara, and three cheeses. (So far, so good, no?) You can tweak the recipe of course, but remember that unboiled pasta recipes rely heavily on the liquid to solids ratio to work right, and this one is no exception. Take care to make any adjustments thoughtfully. My friend Jamie tested it with cooked ground beef and an extra cup of sauce to account for the extra volume. She said it was outstanding! I added a pinch of red pepper flakes to the sauce, and rinsed the marinara jar with a big splash of red wine and added that. Mine was zippy and saucy, exactly the way I like it. Next time I make it, I may also throw a couple of hot Italian sausages–sliced and sautéed–and another half cup or so of sauce in there just for fun.
Also, the recipe calls for fresh mozzarella. When I went to the grocery store, there was absolutely no fresh mozzarella there. Yes, that’s unusual. No, I didn’t drive all over the county looking for some. I bought some regular mozzarella in a big block, cubed it up, and used that instead. It was lovely.
This Baked Ziti is designed to make a lot, and as written it serves eight easily. I cut the recipe in half to try it, and that worked out just fine. So remember, when you look at my photos you’re looking at a half batch. It freezes well after baking, so feel free to make the whole batch and put it in two pans if you want to freeze one of them.
Baked Ziti
Ingredients
- 1 lb. dry ziti or similar pasta, uncooked
- 2 24 oz. jars marinara sauce
- 1 lb. fresh mozzerella, in about 1/2-inch cubes
- 1 cup grated parmesan
- 16 oz. ricotta or cottage cheese
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 400°. Spray a 9 X 13 casserole with non-stick spray.
- Put pasta, sauce, mozzerella, and most of the parmesan into the prepared dish and combine well. Add the ricotta or cottage cheese in dollops on top. Smooth around a bit with a spoon, and sprinkle the rest of the parmesan on top of that.
- Spray a sheet of foil with cooking spray so the cheese won't stick to it, and cover the casserole tightly. Bake for 40 minutes, uncover and bake another 20 minutes. Allow ziti to sit for ten minutes before serving.
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