Description
This Baked Ziti with Sausage and Ricotta is the ultimate cozy weeknight dinner. It brings comforting, rich flavors right to your table. You will love how simple this hearty pasta bake is to put together.
Ingredients
Scale
- 1 pound Ziti pasta
- 1 pound Italian sausage, casings removed
- 1 (24 ounce) jar marinara sauce
- 1 (15 ounce) container ricotta cheese
- 1 large egg
- 1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese, plus more for topping
- 1/4 cup chopped fresh parsley
- 1 teaspoon dried oregano
- Salt and black pepper to taste
- 2 cups shredded mozzarella cheese
Instructions
- Preheat your oven to 375 degrees F (190 degrees C). Lightly grease a 9×13 inch baking dish.
- Cook the ziti according to package directions until al dente. Drain well.
- While the pasta cooks, brown the Italian sausage in a large skillet over medium heat, breaking it up with a spoon. Drain off any excess grease.
- Stir the marinara sauce into the cooked sausage. Simmer for 5 minutes.
- In a medium bowl, combine the ricotta cheese, egg, 1/2 cup Parmesan cheese, parsley, and oregano. Season with salt and pepper. Mix until just combined.
- Spread half of the sausage-marinara sauce mixture in the bottom of the prepared baking dish.
- Layer half of the cooked ziti over the sauce.
- Spread the entire ricotta mixture evenly over the layer of pasta.
- Top the ricotta layer with half of the mozzarella cheese.
- Layer the remaining ziti over the mozzarella.
- Pour the remaining sausage-marinara sauce over the top of the ziti.
- Sprinkle the remaining mozzarella cheese and extra Parmesan cheese on top.
- Bake for 25 to 30 minutes, or until the cheese is bubbly and lightly browned. Let it rest for 10 minutes before serving.
Notes
- For a richer flavor, use sweet or hot Italian sausage based on your preference.
- If you prefer a less watery ricotta layer, drain the ricotta in a fine-mesh sieve for 30 minutes before mixing.
- You can prepare the entire dish a day ahead and refrigerate it before baking. Add 10-15 minutes to the baking time if baking straight from the refrigerator.
- Prep Time: 15 minutes
- Cook Time: 40 minutes
- Category: Main Dish
- Method: Baking
- Cuisine: Italian-American
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1 slice
- Calories: Approx. 550
- Sugar: Approx. 10g
- Sodium: Approx. 850mg
- Fat: Approx. 30g
- Saturated Fat: Approx. 14g
- Unsaturated Fat: Approx. 16g
- Trans Fat: Approx. 0.5g
- Carbohydrates: Approx. 45g
- Fiber: Approx. 4g
- Protein: Approx. 30g
- Cholesterol: Approx. 90mg