There’s something about baked pasta dishes that reminds me of elderly Italian mamas feeding their families, a bit like in the old mafia movies don’t you think or his just me! anyway I’m here to tell you this classic Italian-American has all the coziness perfect for weeknight family meal to warm you up even on the coldest of nights.
Like every good baked pasta dish it starts with a good sofrito of onion, carrots, celery + garlic. We added chopped eggplant to bump up the veggies and the ground meat adds protein and body. It’s hearty, filling, with a balance of veggies and meat, and a little indulgent to be enjoyed family style.
Ingredient Highlights
- Vegetables: along with the classic sofrito veggies combo,d we’re adding eggplant to bump up the veggie factor. Other veggies that work well could be butternut, spinach, zucchini etc. The cooking may vary slightly.
- Meat: I kept it light and used high quality ground turkey. Choose your favorite ground meat or spicy Italian sausages.
- Sauce: canned whole tomatoes are best, simply crush the tomatoes over the cooked veggies.
- Seasonings: go with classic Italian seasoning blend for the best flavors, and a little heat from chili flakes.
- Pasta: Ziti is similar to rigatoni with smooth sides. Alternatively, penne would be the best substitute. I aim for 1 ½-2 oz pasta per person.
- Cheese: Shredded mozzarella cheese is best for baked pasta and Parmesan to sprinkle on top gives the best flavor and texture.
How to Make Baked Ziti
Baked ziti is an ideal pasta dish to make ahead hence perfect for entertaining. You prepare everything, place it in a casserole dish and keep it ready for baking. Just before you’re ready to eat pop it in the oven and serve hot out of the oven. Delicious, cheesy, full of indulgence, it’s comfort food at its best.
- Cook the pasta according to the package instructions, but a minute less or until it’s just al dente— it will finish cooking in the oven.
- Sauté the onions, garlic, carrots, eggplant, celery until soft and translucent.
- brown the ground meat along with the veggies.
- Pour in the marinara sauce, salt, Italian seasoning, chili flakes, and crushed fennel seeds.
- Add the al dente pasta and shredded mozzarella into the sauce
- Carefully spoon or ladle—the ziti mixture to a baking dish.
- Top the ziti with freshly shredded mozzarella and bake. serve garnished with parm and basil.
Baked Ziti
Equipment
- Approx 9*13 baking dish or casserole
Ingredients
- 1 lb ground turkey or meat of your choice, lean preferably or Italian sausage works well too
- 1-2 tbsp olive oil
- salt and black pepper as needed
- 1 medium onion, chopped
- 4 cloves garlic, about 1 teaspoon heaped
- 1 medium carrot finely chopped
- 2 sticks celery, finely chopped
- 1 medium eggplant, about 3 cups, diced into small cubes
- 1 28 oz can whole tomato, crushed or your favorite Marinara sauce
- 1 tbsp Italian seasoning or oregano
- 1 tsp chili flakes use less for milder flavor
- 1 tsp fennel seeds, crushed optional
- 1 lb ziti pasta
- 3 cups freshly grated mozzarella cheese about 8-10 oz
- 4 tbsp freshly grated Parmesan cheese
- basil or parsley for garnish
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 375°F.
- Cook the pasta al dente** in salted water cording to the package instructions but a minute or so less.(The pasta will finish cooking in the oven).
- In a large sauce pan, warm a little olive oil. Add the onions, eggplant, carrot, celery and garlic. Cook until soft and translucent. Add the ground meat and continue sautéing until the meat is browned.
- Add the crushed tomato sauce, salt if needed, Italian seasoning, chili flakes, crushed fennel seeds, stir well until combined.
- Cook for 6-8 minutes so all the veggies and meat is cooked and the sauce looks amazing.
- Drain the pasta well. Add the pasta and half the shredded mozzarella cheese into the pot with the sauce. Stir to combine well evenly.
- Transfer the pasta+ sauce mixture to a 9*13 baking dish. Sprinkle the remaining fresh mozzarella on the top of the pasta.
- Cover and bake for 20 minutes. Remove the cover and bake for another 5 minutes until the cheese is lightly golden in places and bubbling.
- Once clone, sprinkle with parm and serve garnished with basil and parm tableside.
Omg this looks so good, I’m going to make this recipe.