Baked Ziti with Sausage
This baked ziti with sausage is family favorite. The sauce for this easy recipe is made with Italian sausage, it adds a ton of flavor so we can keep the rest of the ingredients to a minimum.
Servings 6
Calories 772kcal
Ingredients
- 1 tablespoon Olive Oil
- 1 Small Onion finely diced
- 3-5 Garlic Cloves minced
- 1 pound Mild Italian Sausage casings removed and torn into pieces or use bulk sausage
- 1 28 ounce Can Diced Tomatoes we used fire roasted tomatoes (you can also use canned whole tomatoes, chopped them using kitchen shears to make quick work of it)
- 1 24 ounce Jar Pasta Sauce (use your favorite brand and meatless variety)
- 1 pound Ziti cooked to package directions for al-dente
- 1 tablespoon Salt for the pasta water – we use kosher salt
- 2 cups Shredded Mozzarella Cheese
- ½ cup Grated Parmesan Cheese plus extra for serving
- Chopped Parsley for garnish, optional
- Crushed Red Pepper for serving, optional
Instructions
- Heat the olive oil in a large, heavy pot or large, deep skillet over medium heat. When the oil is hot, but not smoking, add the onions. Cook for 3 minutes, stirring frequently.
- Add the garlic; cook 1 minute, stirring frequently.
- Add the sausage to the pot; raise the heat to medium-high. Cook for 5-6 minutes until the meat is browned, stirring frequently and breaking any large pieces with a wooden spoon or a spatula.
- Add the tomatoes and pasta sauce the pot, stir well.
- Bring the sauce to a simmer, lower heat to medium-low and cover. Cook the sauce for 40-45 minutes, stirring occasionally. Keep the sauce at a simmer. Lower the heat if it’s boiling too vigorously.
- Preheat oven to 350°F
- While the sauce cooks, start the pasta.
- Bring a large pot of water to a full boil. Add 1 tablespoon salt and the pasta. Cook the ziti to package directions for al-dente.
- Drain the pasta well and set aside. (If desired, reserve about a cup of the pasta cooking water to loosen the sauce if needed.)
Build the ziti and sausage casserole
- Combine the ziti and the sauce in the larger of the two pots. Stir gently.
- Use a large, oven proof casserole dish or baking pan (9x13).
- Spoon about half of the ziti pasta mixture into the casserole dish.
- Sprinkle the top with half the mozzarella cheese and half the parmesan cheese.
- Add the remaining pasta and top with the remaining mozzarella and parmesan cheese.
- Place the casserole dish on a rimmed baking sheet, just in case it bubbles over. Bake the pasta for 15-20 minutes until the cheese is melted.
- Garnish with a little chopped parsley and serve with extra parmesan cheese and crushed red pepper, if desired.
Notes
If you feel that the sausage has rendered too much grease, drain some if desired. An easy way to do this is to take the pot off the heat, just slide it over to an empty burner. Mound the sausage to one side of the pot and gently tip it so that the excess oil pools on the other side of the sausage. Use a ladle or a large spoon to scoop out some of the excess oil.
Nutrition
Calories: 772kcal | Carbohydrates: 72g | Protein: 35g | Fat: 38g | Saturated Fat: 15g | Cholesterol: 94mg | Sodium: 1897mg | Potassium: 1063mg | Fiber: 6g | Sugar: 11g | Vitamin A: 1027IU | Vitamin C: 25mg | Calcium: 376mg | Iron: 5mg