Description
Cheesy Baked Ziti is a comforting, flavorful dish made with ziti pasta, Italian sausage, marinara sauce, and a delightful cheese blend. Perfect for busy nights!
Ingredients
Scale
- 1 pound ziti pasta
- 1 pound italian sausage, ground
- 1 cup diced yellow onion
- 4 garlic cloves, roughly chopped
- 1 (24-ounce) jar marinara sauce, or homemade
- 1 (15-ounce) can tomato sauce
- 1 teaspoon sea salt
- 1 tablespoon italian seasoning
- ½ cup heavy cream
- 2 cups shredded mozzarella cheese
- 8 ounces fresh mozzarella, thinly sliced
- ¼ cup grated parmesan cheese
- ¼ teaspoon red chili flakes, for serving
- 2 tablespoons minced fresh basil
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 375°F with a rack in the center position.
- Bring a large pot of water to a boil, adding salt. Cook the ziti until al dente according to the package instructions. Drain the pasta.
- In a large Dutch oven over medium-high heat, cook the sausage, onion, and garlic, breaking apart the meat until browned and onions are softened, about 8 minutes. Drain excess fat.
- Stir in the marinara sauce, tomato sauce, salt, Italian seasoning, and heavy cream until combined. Add the cooked ziti and 1½ cups of shredded mozzarella.
- Transfer the mixture to a 9×13 baking dish.
- Layer the top with fresh mozzarella slices and the remaining ½ cup of shredded mozzarella. Cover with foil and bake for 20 minutes until the pasta is tender. Remove the foil, sprinkle with Parmesan and return to bake uncovered for about 5 minutes, until cheese is melted and the sauce is bubbling.
- Serve with a sprinkle of chili flakes and fresh basil.
Notes
Feel free to add more vegetables like bell peppers or mushrooms for added flavor.
This dish can be prepared ahead of time and reheated before serving.
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1 serving
- Calories: 450
- Sugar: 5g
- Sodium: 800mg
- Fat: 23g
- Saturated Fat: 12g
- Unsaturated Fat: 8g
- Trans Fat: 0g
- Carbohydrates: 36g
- Fiber: 2g
- Protein: 24g
- Cholesterol: 70mg