BAKED ZITI

 

Baked ziti is just one of those dishes. I grew up eating my share of ziti. It’s just one of those pasta dishes that just exudes the feels of a classic family Sunday dinner at home. In a way, it’s kind of like a lazy lasagna. This pasta casserole of sauce, meat, noodles, and various cheeses just hits all the right spots.

For my baked ziti, I use ground pork instead of ground sausage, since my son prefers it that way. I do add a number od sausage spices to the ground pork to add a little of that sausage flavor, but the pork is definitely the flavor in the forefront. 

Other than that, it’s a pretty straightforward dish. I use my tomato sauce as the base for the dish, so I typically make this when I have a jar or two available in the freezer. It usually lasts more than one meal as well, which is always a plus. Here’s my personal recipe.

Ingredients

1 ½ lbs ground pork

1 tsp ground anise

1 tsp dried basil

2 tbsp plus 1 ¼ tsp salt, divided

¾ tsp black pepper, divided

½ tsp dried oregano

½ tsp dried thyme

¼ tsp nutmeg

1 onion, chopped

4 cloves garlic, minced 

4-5 cups tomato sauce

2 cups shredded mozzarella 

1 lb ziti pasta 

15 oz Ricotta cheese

2 eggs

¼ cup chopped parsley, plus additional for garnish

½ cup grated parmesan

Let’s begin by mixing the spices to flavor the ground pork for the sauce. Mix the ground anise, dried basil, dried oregano, dried thyme, nutmeg, 1 tsp of salt, and ½ tsp of black pepper together in a small bowl. Add the ground pork to a bowl and add the spice blend to the pork. Use your hands to work the spice blend fully throughout the ground pork.

 

Preheat the oven to 375°F.

 

Add 5 cups of the tomato sauce to a pot and place it over low-medium heat. Allow the sauce to fully warm up.

Now let’s make the ziti noodles. Fill a medium sized stock pot ½ to ⅔ of the way full with water. Bring to a simmer and then add 2 tablespoons of salt. Stir the water to make sure the salt is dissolved and then add in the dried ziti. Cook the ziti for about 10-12 minutes, until it is al dente. Once the ziti is Al dente, drain the pasta through a colander.

 

Place a pan over medium high heat. Once warm, add a tablespoon or two of olive oil and then add the onion. Saute the onion for about 5 minutes, until soft and translucent. Add the garlic and saute for 1 minute, until fragrant. Now add the ground meat. Use a spatula or spoon to break up the ground pork while it cooks, spreading it around the pan and blending the onion and garlic into the meat. Saute the ground pork until it is fully browned, approximately 5-7 minutes. Remove the pan from the heat and reserve the ground pork.

 

Add the ricotta cheese to large bowl. Add in the two eggs, chopped parsley, grated parmesan, ¼ tsp of salt and ¼ tsp of black pepper. Stir the contents of the bowl together until everything is fully blended.

 

Add the ground pork, drained ziti noodles, and 2 cups of tomato sauce to the bowl with the ricotta mixture. Mix all of the ingredients together until they are completely blended together.

 

Spray a 9 x 13 casserole dish with cooking spray. Pour the ziti mixture into the casserole dish, spreading it evenly across the dish and leveling it out. Spread the remaining 2+ cups of tomato sauce across the top of the ziti with a spoon or spatula. Spread the two cups of shredded mozzarella evenly across the top of the tomato sauce layer, fully covering the ziti with the cheese.

 

Place the ziti into the preheated oven. Allow it to bake for 15-20 minutes, until the ziti is bubbling and cheese on top has melted. Remove the ziti from the oven, and allow it to cool for about 10 minutes before serving. Garnish the top with additional chopped parsley. Use a knife or metal spatula to cut slices of the baked ziti for service. Enjoy!