If real Italian, real fast is the theme you have been searching for, well, search no more! Italian Sausage Baked Ziti is a wonderful way to serve a large, hungry group, or just a small group and then have leftovers. Oodles of ziti noodles, spicy Italian sausage, tomato pasta sauce, and loads of melted mozzarella cheese is the theme you will love to smell, taste, and hear about. So, if real and fast is on the menu, Italian Sausage Baked Ziti will fit the bill. Once you try it, you will want it again and again. Mmmm, così buono (so good)!
Ingredients
- 1 (16-ounce) package ziti
- 1 pound mild Italian sausage
- 1 (15-ounce) container ricotta cheese
- 1 large yellow onion, minced
- 1 large egg
- 2 teaspoons garlic, minced
- 1 teaspoon dried oregano
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper
- 1 1/2 (26-ounce) jars spaghetti sauce, divided
- 1 (8-ounce) package Italian cheese blend, shredded
- 1 teaspoon dried basil, optional
Directions
Step 1 –Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.
Step 2 –Grease a 9×13-inch baking dish.
Step 3 –In a large pot of salted boiling water, cook the ziti pasta to al dente, according to the package directions. Drain the pasta.
Step 4 –While the ziti is cooking, in a large skillet over medium-high heat, add the Italian sausage and cook, while crumbling, until it is no longer pink, about 10 minutes. Drain the excess grease.
Step 5 –In a large bowl, add the ricotta cheese, the onion, the egg, the garlic, and the oregano and stir until well-combined.
Step 6 –In the same bowl, add the cooked ziti, the cooked sausage, the salt, the black pepper, and the 1/2 jar of spaghetti sauce and mix well.
Step 7 –Add 1/3 of the remaining spaghetti sauce to the bottom of the prepared baking dish.
Step 8 –Add 1/2 of the ziti mixture on top of the spaghetti sauce layer.
Step 9 –Add 1/2 of the remaining spaghetti sauce over the top of the ziti mixture.
Step 10 –Add 1/2 of the shredded cheese on top of the spaghetti sauce layer.
Step 11 –Repeat the layers once, starting with the remaining ziti mixture, followed by the remaining spaghetti sauce, and finished with the remaining shredded cheese.
Step 12 –Evenly sprinkle the basil over the shredded cheese layer, then cover the baking dish tightly with aluminum foil.
Step 13 –Bake the ziti until heated through, about 20 minutes.
Step 14 –Uncover and bake the baked ziti until the cheese is melted, about 5-10 minutes.
