Italian-American Baked Ziti

Cuisine

Italian-American

Servings

8

Total time

1 hr 5 min

Prep

20 min

Cook

45 min

Difficulty

hard

Ingredients

• 1 Pound ziti pasta - 1 lb (454 g), Metric equivalent provided as 454 g.
• 4 Cup marinara sauce - 4 cups (960 ml), Metric equivalent provided as 960 ml.
• 15 Ounce whole-milk ricotta cheese - 15 oz (425 g), Metric equivalent provided as 425 g.
• 3 Cup whole-milk mozzarella cheese, shredded - 3 cups (340 g), Metric equivalent provided as 340 g.
• 0.75 Cup vegetarian Parmesan cheese, grated - 3/4 cup (75 g), Metric equivalent provided as 75 g.
• 0.5 Cup fresh basil, chopped - 1/2 cup (20 g), Metric equivalent provided as 20 g.
• 1 Each large egg - 1 (50 g), Metric equivalent provided as 50 g.
• 1 Tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil - 1 tbsp (15 ml), divided: 1 tsp for the baking dish and 2 tsp for the garlic, Divided: 1 tsp for the baking dish and 2 tsp for the garlic. Metric equivalent provided as 15 ml.
• 3 Count garlic, minced - 3 cloves, minced
• 2 Teaspoon fine salt - 2 tsp (12 g), Metric equivalent provided as 12 g.
• 0.5 Teaspoon black pepper, ground - 1/2 tsp (1 g), Metric equivalent provided as 1 g.

Instructions

1. Preheat and prep

   1. *Preheat the oven to 375°F* and lightly oil the baking dish with *1 tsp extra-virgin olive oil*; chop the basil, mince the garlic, and have the cheeses ready.

2. Boil the pasta

   2. Bring a large pot of water to a boil, add *fine salt*, and cook the *ziti pasta* until *2 minutes shy of al dente*; drain well.

3. Warm the sauce

   3. In a large skillet, warm the remaining *2 tsp olive oil* over medium heat, cook the *minced garlic* for *30 seconds*, then stir in the *marinara sauce* and simmer for *5 minutes*.

4. Mix the ricotta filling

   4. In a mixing bowl, combine *ricotta cheese*, the *large egg*, 1/2 cup Parmesan, 1 cup mozzarella, black pepper, and half of the basil until *evenly mixed*.

5. Sauce the pasta

   5. Stir the drained *ziti* with *3 cups of the warm marinara sauce* until the pasta is *well coated*.

6. Build the first layer

   6. Spread *1/2 cup marinara* in the baking dish, add half of the *sauced ziti*, dollop with half of the *ricotta mixture*, and sprinkle with *1 cup mozzarella*.

7. Finish layering

   7. Repeat the layers with the remaining *sauced ziti* and *ricotta mixture*, then top with the remaining *marinara, mozzarella, and Parmesan*.

8. Bake covered, then uncovered

   8. Cover tightly with foil and bake for *20 minutes*, then uncover and bake for *15 to 20 minutes* until the sauce is *bubbling* and the cheese is *lightly golden*.

9. Rest and garnish

   9. Let the baked ziti rest for *10 minutes* before serving, then finish with the remaining *fresh basil*.