Baked Ziti - 2 Versions (Andrea and Marjorie)

.  When I followed this recipe, it was the best Baked Ziti I ever made.  Usually mine always came dry.

 

Baked Ziti
Ziti al Forno

serves: 6-8

Ingredients
kosher salt
1 pound ziti (I like the ziti rigatti  (the one with lines).  Holds the sauce better.
1 pound fresh ricotta , drained
9 fresh basil leaves
1 pound low-moisture mozzarella, cut in 1-inch cubes (not fresh)
1 cup shredded provola (provolone)
5 cups Marinara sauce (See online recipe)

directions

Preheat oven to 400 degrees F. Bring a large pot of salted water to boil and add ziti. Cook the ziti until just al dente, about 10 to 12 minutes, and drain.  (I usually cook at least 2 minutes less than box instructions).

Meanwhile, bring the marinara sauce to simmer in a large skillet. Stir in the ricotta and basil leaves.

Spread ½ cup of the sauce in the bottom of a 15-by-10-inch Pyrex baking dish. Layer half of the ziti on top of the sauce. Sprinkle with half the mozzarella cubes and half of the provola. Pour 2 cups of the sauce over the cheese, and spread in an even layer. Top with the rest of the pasta, and spread 2 cups sauce over that layer of pasta. Sprinkle with the remaining cheeses, and dollop with the remaining ½ cup of sauce.

Place the dish in the oven and bake, uncovered, until browned and bubbly, about 30 minutes. Let rest 5 minutes before cutting. (If you want to assemble this ahead of time, bake for 15 minutes covered with foil, then, when ready to serve, uncover and bake for an additional 20 minutes.)

 

As always, Bon Appetite!!!

 

This is basically the one that I follow.  As for the meatballs, I vary it. My husband is not a great fan of broken up meat in lasagna or baked ziti, so sometimes I do break up the meat (mostly for a large crowd) and sometimes I make it without the meat and serve the meatballs/sausage on the side.  I have used marinara sauce when I don't have any of my regular sauce made.  And because my husband likes it cheesy, I use 1 1/2 lbs ricotta per pound of mac.  Here goes:

 

1 pound ziti

1 container (1 lb) ricotta

1/4 pound mozzarella, diced (make it small or shred)

1/2 cup grated Parmesan or Romano cheese

1 egg

3/4 tsp salt

1/4 teaspoon sauce (I use only homemade)

 

1. Cook ziti and drain

2. While ziti is cooking, combine ricotta, mozzarella, Parmesan/Romano, egg, salt, and pepper

3. Layer ziti, filling, and sauce in 13x9x2 baking dish, starting and ending with meat sauce

4. Bake in moderate over (350) 40 minutes till hot and bubbly.

 

All that being said, let it be known that I am basically a lazy bitch and will take faster means.  After I mix the cheese, etc. and drain the macaroni, I run cold water over the macaroni.  I cook it in a big pot because I need the room at this point to begin adding some of the cheese mixture (broken meat if using) and some sauce. I stir it gently, then add more cheese mixture and sauce, continuing till it's all combined.  Then I just dump it into the baking dish, sometimes adding a bit more sauce as I go along.  I finish with sauce on the top and some extra mozzarella.  For my OCD mine, it's easier than trying to be sure I have the same amount of the cheese mixture between layers.  I never make only one pound; if I'm going to do it I just double everything and freeze some. I bake what I need for the day/occasion and freeze the rest unbaked.  It might not sound possible, but I have served a LOT of people using 3 times the recipe.  You'll be surprised.

 

Enjoy!

xoxo

Andrea