Baked Ziti (From Food Network)

A community recipe by ilana78

Not tested or verified by Nigella.com

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Introduction

Typical baked ziti recipe from the US for Sopranos fans.

Ingredients

Serves: 4

For the Pasta

1 pound ziti pasta
kosher salt (coarse cooking salt)
3½ cups tomato-based pasta sauce
18 ounces mozzarella (half cut into 1/2 inch cubes and half sliced)
¾ cup grated Parmesan cheese
½ teaspoon freshly ground pepper
1 pinch of red pepper flakes

For the Quick Tomato Sauce

2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
18 ounces Italian sausages (sweet and or spicey, with skin removed and crumbled)
¼ medium diced onion
3 cloves chopped garlic
3½ cups roughly chopped tinned tomatoes (plum tomatoes)
1 sprig fresh thyme
2 teaspoons kosher salt
1 freshly ground pepper
1 sprig fresh basil

Method

Baked Ziti (From Food Network) is a community recipe submitted by ilana78 and has not been tested by Nigella.com so we are not able to answer questions regarding this recipe.

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F. (200 degrees C.)

Bring a large pot of water to a boil, salt generously, and boil the pasta until al dente, tender but still slightly firm. Drain.

Toss the cooked pasta with the marinara sauce, cubed mozzarella, half the Parmesan cheese, black pepper, and pepper flakes.

Transfer the pasta to an oiled 9 by 13-inch(22cm by 33cm) baking dish. Cover the top of the pasta with the sliced mozzarella, and sprinkle with the remaining Parmesan.

Bake until lightly browned and hot, about 30 minutes. Serve immediately.

Quick Tomato Sauce

Heat the oil in a medium saucepan over medium-high heat. Cook the sausage until beginning to brown, about 3 minutes. Add the onion and garlic, stirring, until lightly browned, about 3 minutes more. Add the tomatoes and the herb sprigs and bring to a boil.

Lower the heat and simmer, covered, for 10 minutes. Remove and discard the herb sprigs. Stir in the salt and season with pepper, to taste. U

se now or store covered in the refrigerator for up to 3 days, or freeze for up to 2 months.

Additional Information

Copyright 2004 Television Food Network, G.P. All rights reserved Yield: about 5 cups (You can use any recipe for tomato sauce you like. The above is just a suggestion.) Prep Time: 8 minutes Cook Time: 20 minutes