Classic Baked Ziti with a Twist – From Scratch
- Prep Time: 15 minutes
- Cook Time: 1 hour 20 minutes
- Total Time: 1 hour 35 minutes
- Yield: 6 servings
- Category: Italian, Pasta, Sunday Dinner
- Cuisine: Dinner
Description
Sunday dinner and it’s pasta night in our house! And, to be honest, I generally am not a huge fan of baked ziti. Not that I dislike it, but that I just generally find it rather bland. Most recipes call for jarred sauce or a simple tomato sauce made from canned tomatoes, and not much else. It’s all just sort of blah.
But, alternatively, I love baked ziti pizza, so I figured, let’s make some baked ziti so I can make baked ziti pizza with the leftovers! Not wanting the bland dish I normally experience, I decided to approach this like I do all of my tomato sauces… from scratch of course!
I roasted more tomatoes than I normally do to ensure a very saucy dish. And I added a ton of garlic! Don’t shrink from the amount of garlic. It really does not overwhelm the dish. I mean, obviously, if you aren’t a big garlic person, ignore everything I’m saying. But if you like garlic, trust me when I say that this sounds like a lot but it really works! You will not be thinking: “good god woman, what were you thinking??”
So, roasted tomatoes, lots of garlic, and a large handful of herbs (removed from the stems!). Then, on the stove, I make the other half of the sauce with sautéed onion, ground beef, and hot Italian sausage! When the meat is done cooking, I like to drain off the excess grease. It’s just too much and I don’t find that it adds any value to the sauce. That’s me… you do you! I then add wine, canned diced tomatoes, and a little bit of balsamic vinegar. When the roasted tomatoes are done, they get blended then mixed in with the stovetop sauce. And YUM!
I was not feeling simple ricotta and Parmesan or even mozzarella. I opted instead for Asiago and Gruyere, which give a nice strong flavor to the casserole. Instead of normal ricotta, I used ricotta salata, which is basically aged ricotta. It’s not nearly as wet as ricotta and it crumbs.
This was such a nice change of pace for a baked ziti casserole! And such an epic Sunday dinner! If you want to take your baked ziti to a whole new level, give this recipe a go!
Enjoy!
Ingredients
Tomato Sauce
20 tomatoes, halved
20 garlic cloves
handful of basil, oregano, and thyme
1 lb ground beef
½ lb hot Italian sausage
1 large onion, diced
1½ cups red wine
2 TB balsamic vinegar
1 can (14.5 oz) diced tomatoes
1 TB olive oil
salt and pepper
Ziti
8 oz Asiago, shredded
8 oz Gruyere, shredded
8 oz ricotta salata, crumbled (or ricotta)
2 eggs
16 oz ziti, cooked until el dente
Instructions
Preheat the oven to 375°
Spread the halved tomatoes across the baking pan, cut side up. Lightly sprinkle with salt and pepper. Spread the garlic across the tray and throw the basil, oregano, and thyme on top. Bake for 1 hour.
Meanwhile, in a large saucepan, heat the olive oil over medium heat. When hot, add the onions, lightly sprinkling with sauce. Cook, stirring often, until they start to soften ~ about 5 minutes. Add the ground beef and hot sausage, using the spatula to break up the sausage. Cook until the meat is mostly browned. Drain off the oil in a large colander and then return the meat and onions to the sauce pan.
Add the canned diced tomatoes, wine, and balsamic vinegar. Turn the heat to low, stirring occasionally.
Cook the ziti according to the package until el dente. Rinse with cold water to stop it from cooking further.
In a large bowl, mix together half of the the Asiago and Gruyere with the ricotta salata and 2 eggs. Add the pasta, stirring to combine ~ it’s okay if there are large chunks of cheese mix.
When the tomatoes are done baking, add them to a blender or food processor and blend until finely processed (keep the oven at 375°). Pour into the saucepan and mix until well combined. Season to taste with salt and pepper.
Spoon half of the sauce into the bowl and stir to coat the pasta well. Pour half of the pasta into a large, oven proof casserole dish (about 16”x10”x2”). Pour half of the remaining sauce on top. Then spoon the remaining pasta into the casserole dish. Top with the remaining sauce and the remaining half of Asiago and Gruyere. Bake for 20 minutes, or until bubbly and the cheese is melted.
Serve!
Keywords: Baked Ziti, Sunday Dinner, Pasta
