Classic Oven Bake Ziti
Baked ziti is one of the most requested dinners in my household. Once I figured out a tasty shortcut to making tomato sauce from scratch, it became a super easy way to make a hearty and flavorful dinner (with plenty of leftovers).
Ingredients
- 1 lb Ziti pasta (or other similarly shaped pasta)
- 1 tbsp Olive oil
- 1 lb Ground beef
- 1 Sweet onion diced
- 3 cloves Garlic minced
- 1/4 cup Red wine optional
- 2 tbsp Tomato paste
- 2 cups Diced tomatoes fresh or canned
- 1/4 tsp Crushed red pepper flakes
- 1/8 tsp Ground clove
- 1 tsp Dried basil
- 2 cups Ricotta cheese
- 2 cups Mozzarella cheese grated
- 1/2 cup Parmesan grated
- salt and pepper to taste
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 425°F.
- Cook pasta according to package instructions but be sure to salt the pasta water. Reserve one cup of salted pasta water, then strain the pasta and set aside.
- Add olive oil to a large saucepan over medium heat. Crumble in the ground meat and cook until the meat starts to brown. Add in the diced onion, minced garlic, tomato paste, and red cooking wine (optional), and continue to sauté until the meat is cooked through and the onions are slightly translucent.
- Stir in the diced tomatoes and add the crushed red pepper flakes and dried basil. Cook while stirring occasionally for 5 minutes or so, or until the sauce thickens and the flavors have a chance to meld.
- Slowly add the reserved pasta water to the sauce one tablespoon at a time until the sauce becomes the desired consistency. Season with salt and pepper to taste.
- Pour the cooked pasta into the sauce and stir until all of the noodles are coated. Layer your components in a large casserole dish like so:- Half of the pasta and sauce- Half of the ricotta (one cup)- Half of the grated mozzarella (one cup)- Repeat layers- Top with grated parmesan
- Bake in 425° oven for 25 minutes, or until the cheese is golden-brown and bubbly.