Meaty Baked Ziti

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Recipe Summary Meaty Baked Ziti

This baked ziti recipe takes a little time to make, but it's worth it in the end! This meat sauce is way better than a jar sauce, and I use it for other Italian recipes as well. You can also make the sauce ahead of time and store it in the fridge for a few days until you are ready to eat it.

Ingredients | Ground Italian Sausage Pasta Recipes

1 pound bulk mild Italian sausage

1 pound ground beef

2 (14.5 ounce) cans tomato sauce

1 (28 ounce) can whole peeled tomatoes with juice

½ cup diced white onion

3 cloves garlic, minced

2 teaspoons Italian seasoning

1 teaspoon dried basil

1 teaspoon white sugar

½ teaspoon red pepper flakes

1 (16 ounce) package ziti pasta

1 (15 ounce) container whole-milk ricotta cheese

4 cups shredded mozzarella cheese, divided

½ cup grated Parmesan cheese

1 large egg, beaten

2 tablespoons chopped flat-leaf (Italian) parsley, or to taste

½ teaspoon ground black pepper

12 slices provolone cheese

Directions

Heat a large pot over medium-high heat. Cook and stir sausage and ground beef in the hot skillet until browned and crumbly, 5 to 7 minutes. Add tomato sauce, whole tomatoes with juice, onion, garlic, Italian seasoning, basil, sugar, and red pepper flakes; bring to a simmer. Reduce heat to medium-low and simmer for 30 minutes to 1 hour. Turn off the heat. Transfer 3 cups sauce to a bowl and leave remaining sauce in the pot; allow to cool while you prepare ziti.

Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F (190 degrees C).

Bring a large pot of lightly salted water to a boil. Add ziti and cook, stirring occasionally, until tender yet firm to the bite, about 11 minutes. Drain ziti and rinse under cool water to stop it from cooking.

Combine ricotta, 2 cups mozzarella, Parmesan, egg, 2 tablespoon parsley, and pepper in a bowl; stir together with a few turns but do not mix completely. Pour drained ziti into the bowl and toss until slightly combined with large lumps. Add the reserved 3 cups meat sauce and toss to combine.

Place 1/2 of the pasta mixture into a 9x13-inch casserole dish. Spoon 1/2 of the remaining sauce over top, layer with 6 slices of provolone and 1 cup mozzarella. Repeat layers: pasta mixture, remaining sauce, 6 slices provolone, and 1 cup mozzarella. Cover with foil.

Place on a baking sheet and bake in the preheated oven until bubbling, 30 to 40 minutes. Remove foil and bake until cheese is fully melted and slightly browned, 5 to 10 more minutes. Remove from the oven and sprinkle with parsley. Let stand 5 minutes before serving.

Info | Ground Italian Sausage Pasta Recipes

prep: 25 mins cook: 1 hr 35 mins additional: 5 mins total: 2 hrs 5 mins Servings: 12 Yield: 12 servings

TAG : Meaty Baked Ziti