Baked Ziti

This is one of my favorite dishes and sure to please a crowd. I've taken it as a covered dish and also served it family style at my own table. It comes in many variations and however you make it, I'm sure it will be popular. I have a friend that makes it with four kinds of cheese. My traditional recipe is not so complex or perhaps rich.

Ready to Bake before the Foil Covering is Added

Substitutions: You can really use whatever ingredients you have in the house and adjust the amounts as you see fit. While here I show this made with one pound of pasta and 1 1/2 pounds Italian sausage cut into small pieces, you can adjust it up or down as needed, and substitute ground beef and pork for the sausage. I've even made it with meatballs in place of the sausage. You can also go vegetarian (use more mushrooms and perhaps add some bell peppers) and it will still be delicious. Likewise, you don't really have to use ziti (hollow tubes which are also smooth in texture and have square-cut edges), as penne pasta or even rigatoni will work. But as ziti is thicker it will hold its texture better than other pasta shapes and is recommended. If you don't use ziti reduce the baking time.

Baked and Ready to Serve

Cheese: With regard to the cheese, I usually make baked ziti with fresh mozzarella sliced and layered between the pasta, or with the small mozzarella pearls. Fresh mozzarella is soft and melts easily.  However, if you happen to have some provolone on hand, feel free to use that too. Some people even enjoy dollops of ricotta cheese in this dish. Really any good soft cheese will do or combination thereof, although I do recommend some type of cheese that will become creamy when baked. I would not recommend the harder cheeses that become stringy or gritty when heated.

Ready to Assemble

Ingredients

1 to 1 1/2 pounds Italian sausage cut into bite-sized pieces

     Mild or hot sausage or substitute for bulk ground sausage, beef or pork

1 large sweet onion

1 cup or more of mushrooms, chopped or sliced (optional)

4-6 cloves fresh garlic, chopped

1 cup red wine

3 28-ounce cans of San Marzano whole peeled tomatoes

1 tablespoon each dry, chopped basil, oregano, rosemary and thyme

1 tablespoon granulated white sugar

1 cup Kalamata olives (optional)

1 to 1 1/2 pounds dry ziti pasta

8 ounces fresh mozzarella cheese (sliced or pearls)

4 ounces grated parmesan or shredded mozzarella for topping/serving 

Instructions

Wash, chop and measure the ingredients above.

Flavor Base: In a heavy pot or Dutch oven over medium-high heat, brown the meat on all sides. With a slotted spoon, remove it to a separate bowl and set aside. Sauté a chopped sweet onion in the drippings for 3-4 minutes stirring regularly. Add the optional mushrooms and let them start to release their juices, 3-4 minutes. Add 4-6 large cloves of chopped fresh garlic and cook for another minute. Deglaze any stuck bits in the pan with some red wine (about 1 cup) and let it reduce by half. Remove from heat while you make a traditional red sauce (below) or if pressed for time, add good canned pasta sauce. 

Sauce: To make homemade sauce (what the Italian Nona's called gravy) you can use canned tomato sauce or as I do, three 28-ounce cans of San Marzano whole peeled tomatoes for 1 to 1 1/2 pounds of dry pasta. Use a food processor to purée two cans (tomatoes plus juice in can). You can run it through a sieve to remove any solids like seeds if you prefer. Then use the processor to chop the remaining can (as I like the sauce a little chunky.) Add the tomato sauce to the pot with the flavor base. To the sauce add 1 tablespoon each of dry chopped basil, oregano, rosemary and thyme. Add 1 tablespoon sugar. Stir to combine. (Note: If you are in a hurry you can substitute pre-made pasta sauce like Rao's Marinara Sauce. If you do, buy two jars 15 - 16 ounces each. Add to pot fill each jar halfway with water and shake to get remaining sauce, and add to the pot. The jars of sauce will be too thick on their own.) The sauce may seem thin at this point, but it's going to cook for a long period and will reduce and thicken as it cooks.

Combine: Add the cooked meat into the sauce. Return to cooktop and simmer over low temperature for 4-6 hours covered, stirring occasionally. Remove from heat and let cool to room temperature and refrigerate over night for use a day or three later. If you wish, you can add pitted Kalamata olives at this stage. You can continue without refrigerating the sauce but at least a day of rest will help the flavors meld and improve.

Assemble: Rewarm the sauce over low heat when ready to proceed. Using a slotted spoon remove the sausage chunks to a bowl and set aside. (If using ground meat there is no need to try and remove it). 

Boil a large pot of salted water and cook the ziti, which should be cooked only until it is al dente (still a little firm, about 8-10 minutes and ensure not to overcook as it will continue cooking in the oven). Remove the pasta from the cooktop, drain and place in a large mixing bowl. Toss with sauce until the pasta is pretty well coated and is relatively wet. The ziti requires more sauce than you might normally apply because it will be going into the oven and as it continues to cook, it will absorb the sauce. If you do not start with a sufficiently wet pasta, it will be dry when it comes out of the oven.

In a large baking dish, start the assembly by coating the bottom of the dish with sauce. Begin layering the sauced ziti with the meat and fresh mozzarella cheese ending with the pasta and then adding more sauce on top. Make sure your dish isn't too full as it will expand somewhat as the ziti finishes cooking in the oven. Top the dish with shredded mozzarella, fresh mozzarella or grated Parmesan or any combination. 

Bake: Cover the ziti with foil and bake in a preheated 325F degree oven for about 1 hour. Your goal here is to let the pasta cook in the sauce to absorb flavors as well as to melt the cheese on the top of the dish. Uncover and cook for an additional 15-20 minutes for a little color and texture on the top. Alternatively 3-4 minutes under the broiler will work. Remove from oven and let sit for 20 minutes before serving. 

Make Ahead: If you want to make it ahead of time, you can cover it in foil just before the baking step and refrigerate for up to 24 hours or freeze it for up to a month.  If frozen, thaw in the refrigerator over night. Before baking let it sit at room temperature for 2 hours. Then bake it for 1-2 hours in a 350F to until it is hot all the way through and the cheeses have melted. Test with a instead read thermometer.