Baked Ziti is an easy and popular Italian dish that you can make at home yourself. All you have to do is follow the basic recipe listed below.
The Sauce
While you could use jarred marinara sauce of the baked ziti if you are really pressed for time, the dish will be so much better if you make it yourself. Mastering marinara sauce is not that difficult, and it provides you with a base for numerous pasta recipes, including baked ziti.
To make marinara sauce, you will first need to get the following ingredients:
o 1/4 cup of olive oil
o 4 garlic cloves, halved
o A 35 ounce can of imported Italian tomatoes (can be substituted with fresh tomatoes if you prefer)
o 3 basil leaves, washed and chopped
o Salt
o Pepper
Pour the olive oil into a large sauce pan and add the garlic. Turn the heat to medium and cook until the garlic is soft and slightly browned. While it is cooking, crush the tomatoes, saving the juices.
Add to the garlic. Add in the basil and salt and pepper to taste. Bring the entire mixture to a boil, and then lower the heat so that it simmers. Cook the sauce for about 20 minutes or until thickened.
Baked Ziti
Once you have your sauce prepared you are ready to make your baked ziti. There is some debate as to whether the dish should contain ricotta cheese. Baked ziti does not. However, a very similar dish, Ziti Sorrentino, does have the ricotta added in. So you can choose to add it into this recipe or leave it out as you prefer.
To prepare baked ziti, you will need the following ingredients:
o One pound of ziti pasta
o 4 cups of marinara sauce, either jarred or from the recipe listed above
o 8 ounces of fresh shredded mozzarella
o 1/2 cup of fresh grated Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese
o Optional: 1 pound of ricotta cheese
Start by cooking the pasta. You will need to bring a large pot of water to a boil, and then add in the ziti. Cook until it is almost al dente, but remains somewhat undercooked - it will continue to cook while baking. Strain the pasta.
Preheat the oven to 375 degrees Fahrenheit. Pour the strained pasta into a large baking dish. Add in half of the sauce, half of the mozzarella cheese, and half of the Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese.
If you are using ricotta, add in all of it now. Toss with the pasta until it is well mixed. Top the mixture with the remaining sauce, and the sprinkle on the remaining cheese. Bake the baked ziti for 15 to 20 minutes, or until the cheese is melted and lightly browned. Serve immediately or freeze for a future meal. You can serve your baked ziti alongside a traditional Italian salad and some garlic bread.
To finish the meal, consider adding in a glass of fine Italian wine and even a slice of tiramisu or a bowl of gelato. This meal is so easy to prepare and so delicious you will look for excuses to cook.
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