Savory Baked Ziti

Italian sausage is such a versatile ingredient, in or out of the casing. It has a distinctive flavor, and can be cooked so many ways. In this case, out of the casing, to make a savory baked ziti. Cooked with onions, peppers, garlic and chopped tomatoes, mixed into penne pasta with parmesan and mozzarella, baked in the oven. Till the cheese melts and the pasta has a little crisp on top. It is really delicious.

The baked ziti that most of us have come to know is a thick tomato based sauce with or without meat, mixed with ziti and cheese, then baked in the oven. Its a tradition that started in southern Italy, where precooked ingredients are mixed and then baked, the Italian word for it is Al Forno. The literal translation is “to the oven” or baked. Lasagna is another example. This recipe ditches the heavy tomato sauce for diced tomatoes cooked with the meat for a bit before adding to the pasta. It’s a little lighter, and just as delicious. So, all the flavors are there, just not the thick tomato sauce.

Baked ziti does not have to be made with meat, it can be meatless, but what fun is that. Lately I’ve been switching from beast to bird in the effort to eat healthier. OK, I will concede that baked ziti is not the healthiest dish, probably because of the cheese content, but you can’t reduce the cheese, so I try to make the meat part healthier. I have some bulk sweet turkey Italian sausage I’ll use. Sweet or hot, either works fine. The cheese portion is pretty simple too, two parts shredded Mozzarella to one part grated Parmesan, that definitely gives me the flavors I want. The spices are classic Italian, garlic powder, oregano, basil and parsley, with some ground red pepper flakes to add a little warmth.

I’ve found good dishes always start with a savory base. It’s a mirepoix, and, for those of you who read my posts, it’s onions, peppers and garlic. It’s pretty much in everything I cook. Sweat them down over medium heat with a little olive oil. Till the onions are soft and translucent, they become sweet. When you take a mouthful of this savory baked ziti you’ll have layers of flavor that just keep coming at you.

Now to put the whole thing together. Preheat the oven to 350, put up the water for the pasta, add salt when it boils. Now to the meat part as with a lot of my dishes, this one starts with onions, peppers and garlic, sweat down in a pan with some olive oil, salt and pepper. Once the onions are soft, add the sausage meat, breaking it up as it cooks, then add the herbs and spices, and the diced tomatoes. I use a can, low sodium, it works well. Remember to clean up after handling raw meat, please read my post about safe food prep.

Once everything is together, let it cook a few to settle. Moving on to the cheese part, well, a two to one ratio of mozzarella and parmesan works well. Parmesan is something you should not skimp on, don’t use the parmesan powder in the plastic container. Get a fresh chunk of it, grate a bit when you need it, so much better. You’ll thank me for this, as I’m thankful to my friend that told me to only use fresh. Mix the two cheeses, most of it I will mix with the meat and pasta, the rest will go on top.

I use parchment paper all the time, it’s non stick and makes clean up so much easier. Line a baking dish with the parchment paper. now mix the pasta, meat and 3/4 of the cheese really well. Pour into the baking dish, put in the oven for 20 minutes. This will allow the cheese to melt and the pasta to absorb the flavors around it. Also, the top will be a little crispy, that’s good. Now add the rest of the cheese on top of the savory baked ziti, put back in the oven for 10 mins, just enough time for the cheese to melt. Remove from the oven, allow to rest for 5 mins or so. This part is important. Now serve and enjoy