Ultimate Baked Ziti

This is my crowd-pleasing, restaurant-quality ultimate baked ziti and I make it all the time for my family and friends alike. It travels well, feeds a hungry crowd and everyone always comes back for more. This is a great make-ahead versatile recipe that also freezes well (baked or unbaked). I always set aside a little extra sauce and freeze it for a quick weeknight meal. You can easily adapt it according to personal preferences or available ingredients. As Ina Garten would say, it’s foolproof!

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INGREDIENTS
Olive oil, mild sweet sausage, onion, garlic, Italian seasonings, oregano, red pepper flakes, sugar, basil, red wine, vodka, marinara sauce, San Marzano whole tomatoes, goat or cream cheese, shaved Italian cheese blend and/or mozzarella cheese, and parsley.
Note: If you don’t have any goat cheese or cream cheese, you can use 1/2 – 3/4 cup of heavy whipping cream. Always use the best ingredients you can source and use a good table wine you would drink that doesn’t break the bank.

HERE’S HOW I MADE IT
Coat the bottom of a large stock pot with a little olive oil. Remove the casings from the sausage and cook the sausage over medium to high heat. Use a wooden spoon to break up the links into small bitesize pieces. When most of the sausage is no longer pink, add a diced medium onion, 3 finely diced or mashed garlic cloves, 1 1/2 teaspoons of dry Italian seasonings, 1/2 teaspoon of dry oregano and 1/2 a teaspoon of crushed red pepper flakes. Stir and cook over medium heat until the sausage is fully cooked and the onions are transparent. Your kitchen will smell amazing at this point.
Note: You can substitute the Italian sausage with any ground meat of your choice or combination of meat.

Add a 24.5 oz jar of marinara sauce to the pot. Pour 1/2 cup red wine into the marinara jar and swirl it around to combine before pouring the wine into the pot. Add 1 1/2 teaspoons of granulated sugar to the sauce and stir. Pour a 28 oz can of San Marzano whole peeled tomatoes into a Pyrex bowl and crush the tomatoes with your hands before adding to the pot. Remember to remove the core as it may not be enjoyable to eat. Add 1/2 cup of unflavored vodka to the Pyrex bowl and swirl around to combine and add the vodka to the pot. Add 2-3 Tablespoons of fresh basil or basil paste. I didn’t measure, I just added a good amount. Stir to ensure all the ingredients are well combined.

Add cubed goat cheese or cream cheese to the sauce and stir until the cheese has melded into the tomato sauce. This will take a few minutes so be patient. I use the wooden spoon to press the cheese against the side of the pot and stir back into the sauce. I do this a few times to move the process along. Taste and reseason the sauce, if needed.
Note: Having the cheese at room temperature helps the cheese blend in faster. If you don’t have either cheese, you can substitute with 1/2 cup of heavy whipping cream.

Cover the pot and allow the sauce to simmer on low while you cook the pasta al dente in a separate pot. Bring the water to a boil and season with a good pinch of kosher salt, then follow the packaging instructions for cooking times. While the pasta cooks, butter your baking dish and preheat your oven to 350 degrees.
Note: I used a ceramic 8 3/4 X 10 1/2 baking dish and it yields enough for 8-10 servings.

If the sauce has thickened by the time the pasta has cooked, add a little pasta water, about 1/4 – 1/3 cup, to loosen it up. I like reserve 2-3 cups of sauce in case I don’t need all the sauce. This allows me the flexibility to add more sauce to a pasta dish or freeze the extra sauce for a quick weeknight meal.

Use a kitchen spider to scoop and drain the pasta before adding it to the pot. Repeat this step until all the cooked pasta has been added to the sauce. Combine well and determine the sauce to pasta ratio is to your liking – if you want it saucier, add from the reserved sauce. If it’s fine, start assembling your dish and freeze any reserved sauce in a freezer save container or Ziploc bag.
Note: I freeze any leftover sauce in a freezer Ziploc bag in 1 cup portions for quick and easy meals.

When it comes to assembling the dish, I like to layer my ziti like a lasagna to ensure there is cheese throughout the dish. I add a few ladles of pasta into the baking dish and top it with some Italian cheese. I use a blend of three shaved Italian cheeses from the grocery store (Parmesan, Romano and Asiago), and some mozzarella, if I have any. If I don’t have any mozzarella, I don’t add it. I normally use the cheese I have in the fridge since I always stock Italian cheeses. Add the remaining pasta as your second layer. If at this point you want to add more sauce, pour as much reserved sauce as you like over the pasta and top with extra cheese. You can’t go wrong! Sometimes I end up adding all the reserved sauce and sometimes I don’t.

Bake in a 350 degree oven for 30-35 minutes or until the top is golden and the cheese has melted. Remove from the oven and tent with foil for 15 minutes. Sprinkle with minced parsley for a pop of color and serve. This pasta pairs well with a wedge salad, an Italian tossed green salad or a Caprese salad (shown below). Don’t forget the crusty bread and a good glass of wine. Buon appetito!

Caprese Salad – mozzarella slices, tomato, fresh basil leaves, olive oil, balsamic glaze, kosher salt and black pepper.

I hope you enjoy my family’s favorite ziti. Please a comment below and let me know if you made it!