Baked Ziti With Sausage

4.9
(7)
7 Reviews

A classic pasta bake for busy weeknights.

By
Southern Living Test Kitchen
Southern Living Test Kitchen
Southern Living Test Kitchen

The Southern Living Test Kitchen has been publishing recipes since 1970, four years after the first issue of Southern Living Magazine appeared on newsstands. The Southern Living Test Kitchen team includes a team of professionals with deep expertise in recipe development, from pastry chefs and grilling experts to nutritionists and dietitians. Together, the team tests and retests, produces, styles, and photographs thousands of recipes each year in the state-of-the-art test kitchen facility located in Birmingham, Alabama.

Southern Living's editorial guidelines
Updated on September 28, 2023
Hands On Time:
30 mins
Total Time:
55 mins
Yield:
8 servings

A classic pasta bake for busy weeknights, our Baked Ziti with Sausage is a guaranteed crowd-pleaser. This easy, cheesy dish uses three cheeses—ricotta, mozzarella, and Parmesan—to create the perfect counterpart to our tomato-based meat sauce with ground sausage.

And, trust us, it's this homemade sausage meat sauce that really packs in the flavor. The addition of pancetta, or cured pork belly, makes this mid-week casserole a meat lover's dream. If you haven't used pancetta before, it's the same thing as bacon just without the smoke. You can easily find it in the deli at most supermarkets.

Serve this satisfying Baked Ziti with Sausage just once, and your kids are sure to request it again and again. Good thing it's ready in under an hour. 

baked ziti with sausage

Southern Living

Ingredients

  • 12 oz. uncooked ziti pasta

  • 4 oz. pancetta or bacon, diced

  • 1 large onion, chopped

  • 3 garlic cloves, chopped

  • 1 (1-lb.) package ground Italian sausage

  • 1 cup dry red wine

  • 1 (28-oz.) can crushed tomatoes

  • 1/2 cup firmly packed torn fresh basil

  • 1/2 tsp. kosher salt

  • 1/2 tsp. dried crushed red pepper

  • 1 cup ricotta cheese

  • 1 (8-oz.) pkg. shredded mozzarella cheese, divided

  • Vegetable cooking spray

  • 1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese

Directions

  1. Preheat oven to 350°F. Prepare ziti according to package directions for al dente.

  2. Meanwhile, cook pancetta in a large skillet over medium-high heat 3 minutes. Add onion and garlic, and sauté 3 minutes or until onion is tender. Add sausage, and sauté 5 minutes or until meat is no longer pink. Add wine, and cook 3 minutes. Stir in tomatoes and next 3 ingredients. Reduce heat to low, and cook, stirring occasionally, 3 minutes.

  3. Stir ricotta and 1 cup mozzarella cheese into hot cooked pasta. Lightly grease a 13- x 9-inch baking dish with cooking spray. Transfer pasta mixture to prepared dish, and top with sausage mixture. Sprinkle with Parmesan cheese and remaining 1 cup mozzarella cheese.

  4. Bake at 350°F for 25 to 30 minutes or until bubbly.

Source

Andrew Michael Italian Kitchen and Hog & Hominy, East Memphis, TN

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