Baked ziti
Serves 6 - 8
Easy
Prep:
Cook:
Make this beloved American dish with sausagemeat, homemade marinara sauce and plenty of mozzarella, then serve for dinner with a crisp green salad
Skip to ingredients
Units:
- 4 tbsp unsalted butterplus extra for the dish
- 75ml extra virgin olive oil
- 500g Italian-style sausagesmeat squeezed from the skins (if you can't find Italian-style sausage, add 1½ tbsp toasted, crushed fennel seeds to the meat during cooking)
- 1 tsp dried oregano
- ½ tsp chilli flakes
- 2 tbsp tomato purée
- 8 garlic clovesfinely chopped
- 4 x 400g cans whole tomatoes(preferably San Marzano)
- 500g ricotta
- 120g crème fraîche
- 50g parmesangrated
- 500g dried ziti or penne pasta
- 500g grated mozzarella
- handful of chopped parsleyto serve (optional)
Method
step 1
Heat the oven to 190C/170C fan/gas 5. Lightly butter a 22 x 33cm baking or casserole dish. Heat 1 tbsp of the olive oil in a large saucepan over a medium-high heat and cook the sausagemeat for 8-10 mins, breaking it up into bite-size pieces using a wooden spoon as you go, until cooked through and starting to brown. Transfer to a bowl and set aside. If the sausagemeat has released a lot of fat, spoon off and discard the excess; alternatively, leave the fat in the pan and slightly reduce the amount of oil used in step two.
step 2
Heat 60ml olive oil and the butter in the pan over a low heat until the butter has melted. Add the oregano, chilli flakes and tomato purée, and stir to combine. Cook for 1 min, or until the tomato purée has darkened. Stir in the garlic and cook for 30 seconds-1 min more until fragrant.
step 3
Stir in the tomatoes and 1 tsp salt using a wooden spoon, and gently break up the tomatoes while stirring – you can leave them a bit chunky, or squash them completely. If you like, use a hand blender for a very smooth sauce.
step 4
Turn the heat up to high and bring the sauce to the boil. Reduce the heat to low, return the sausagemeat to the pan, stir well and simmer for 20-30 mins, stirring occasionally to prevent the sauce from sticking. Season to taste.
step 5
Meanwhile, combine the ricotta, crème fraîche, parmesan, ½ tsp salt and some black pepper in a medium bowl and set aside. Cook the pasta in a pan of boiling salted water for about 3 mins less than the pack instructions for al dente (don't worry if it seems firm; it will cook further in the oven). Drain the pasta and return it to the pan. Add half the tomato sauce to the pan of pasta, and stir to mix well. Set the rest of the sauce aside. Gently fold the ricotta mixture into the pasta mixture to just combine.
step 6
Spread a thin layer of the reserved tomato sauce over the bottom of the prepared dish. Spoon over half the pasta mixture, spreading it out into an even layer. Top with half the mozzarella. Repeat, layering up the rest of the pasta and sauce, and finishing with a layer of mozzarella.
step 7
Bake for 20-30 mins, or until the top is golden and the edges are bubbling. Let stand for 10-15 mins, then top with some chopped parsley before serving.
