Heartbreak Baked Ziti

Ever have that type of day when you kinda feel down in the dumps? What about those days when you get stuck in a nostalgia state and suddenly think about that person from your past? You know, the one you really shouldn’t be thinking about? Yea. I know that feeling too. Let me fill you in on a little secret…baked ziti helps. When I am feeling out of my element and need to get back to my typical and cheery state, baked ziti whips me back into shape. After all,  pasta is widely known as comfort food. Add in cheese, homemade sauce, and a nice glass of wine and noone can resist the happy place you mentally travel to. I honestly should’ve called this, UN- Heartbreak Baked Ziti, but I am not exactly sure that’s a real word.

Baked ziti is a layered pasta dish. Assembly involves a layer of noodles, then meat sauce, then cheese. This will be repeated to make two delicious layers of cheesy goodness. Like many casseroles, this recipe calls for cooking all ingredients fully before assembling into layers in your casserole dish. I use both ground beef and ground Italian sausage. If you are unable to find ground Italian sausage, feel free to buy fresh Italian sausage links. Be sure to remove them from their casing before cooking. This dish is heavy with vegetables so allot 10-15 minutes for chopping veggies. The cheeses used in this recipe are ricotta, shredded mozzarella, and your choice of Italian cheese blend. I used a parmesan, romano, & asiago cheese blend , and it did not disappoint. Feel free to substitute with your favorite cheeses, but I would say that parmesan should definitely be included.

One of the things that I love about this dish is that it can be assembled the day before, stored in the fridge, and then all set for baking the next day. This dish also freezes rather well. To freeze, cook and assemble all ingredients but instead of baking, just wrap tightly with aluminum foil and plastic wrap. Frozen baked ziti will last for 1-2 months. When ready to eat, thaw in the fridge overnight then pop in the oven for the time and temp. recommended in the recipe. You can certainly bake your baked ziti from frozen, without thawing, but it takes a lot longer to cook. Anticipate baking for at least 90 minutes if baking from frozen.

The recipe below is for a large family-sized meal. If you are making for a smaller party, feel free to make the recipe as listed below but instead of assembling into one large casserole dish, divide into two smaller casserole dishes. I tend to bake one the day of and then freeze the other dish for an easy meal in the future.

I paired this recipe with a nice bottle of Cabernet Sauvignon. The Italian sausage, parmesan cheese and onions pair nicely with this wine. The medium acidity of the wine and acidity of the tomatoes will create a pairing that will amaze you at how hard it is to put your fork down!
Servings: 8 yield(s)
Prep Time: 20 mins
Cook Time: 30 mins
Total Time: 50 mins
Ingredients
    Main Ingredients
  • 1/2 lb ground beef
  • 1/2 lb ground italian sausage
  • 16 oz ziti noodles
  • 15 oz ricotta
  • 1 cup italian cheese blend (( I used parmesan, romano, & asiago cheese blend)
  • 2 cup shredded mozzarella
  • 6 oz tomato paste
  • 3 garlic cloves (minced )
  • 1 onion (diced )
  • 1 bell pepper (diced )
  • 28 oz diced tomatoes
  • 1/2 cup pasta water
    • Seasonings
  • 1 tbsp italian seasoning
  • 1/2 tbsp seasoning salt
  • 1/2 tsp garlic powder
  • 1/2 tsp basil
  • 1/2 tsp parsley
  • 1/2 tsp black pepper
  • 1/2 tsp onion powder
  • 1/4 tsp cayenne pepper
  • 2 pinch nutmeg
  • 2 pinch red crushed pepper
  • 1-2 dash black pepper (for cheese mix )
Instructions
  1. Preheat oven to 375. Begin to bring water to a boil for pasta.
  2. In a deep skillet or pot, cook ground beef and Italian sausage over medium heat.
  3. Once the meat begins to brown, add onions, garlic, and bell pepper. Continue to cook until onions translucent and meat is no longer pink.
  4. Add 3 oz tomato paste, canned tomatoes, seasonings, and pasta water to the meat mixture. Let sauce continue to simmer covered on low heat. Pasta should be also boiling at this time.
  5. Once pasta is cooked al dente, drain, and add the remaining tomato paste and 1 cup of the meat sauce to the pasta. Stir until pasta shells are covered.
  6. In a small bowl, mix ricotta, Italian cheese blend, and a few pinches of black pepper. Stir.
    7. Assemble Layers
  7. In a casserole dish, pour half of the sauce-covered ziti noodles and spread into one even layer.
  8. Top with half of the meat sauce, distribute into a even layer over the pasta.
  9. Top with distributed spoon sized dollops of half of the ricotta mixture. There will be some areas that will not be covered in dollops and that is ok.
  10. Sprinkle with 1 cup of shredded mozzarella cheese.
  11. Repeat steps 1-10 to create final layers using the remainder of the pasta, meat sauce, ricotta cheese mixture, and mozzarella cheese.
  12. Bake uncovered for 30 minutes or until edges are bubbling and cheese is browned to your preference. Let cool slightly before eating. Enjoy! Serves apprx. 8
Recipe Notes

Essential Tools:

1 large pot

1 deep skillet

Casserole dish (9x13)

Large spoon

Cutting board

Knife

Small bowl