Cheesy Baked Ziti
620 kcal per serving · 34g protein
Ziti pasta tossed in rich tomato-beef sauce, layered with ricotta and melted mozzarella. Pure Italian-American comfort.
Open in Mixit →Ingredients
- 400 g Ziti pasta
- 400 g Ground beef
- Onion × 1
- 8 cloves Garlic
- 800 ml Tomato passata
- 4 tsp Tomato paste
- 40 ml Olive oil
- 8 g Italian herbs
- 8 g Salt
- 4 g Black pepper
- 4 g Sugar
- 300 g Ricotta
- 240 g Mozzarella
- 80 g Parmesan
- 12 g Fresh Basil
Method
-
Bring a large pot
Bring a large pot of well-salted water to a boil.
-
Cook ziti
Cook ziti for 2 minutes less than package instructions — it should still be very firm because it will finish cooking in the oven.
-
Drain straight
Drain straight into a colander (don't rinse — the starch clinging to the pasta helps the sauce grip).
-
Heat olive oil
Heat olive oil in a pan over medium-high.
-
Add diced onion
Add diced onion, cook 3 minutes.
-
Brown the beef
Add ground beef and break up, cooking 6-7 minutes until browned.
-
Stir in garlic
Stir in garlic, Italian herbs, and tomato paste for 1 minute.
-
Simmer the Sauce
Pour in passata, season with salt and pepper, and simmer uncovered for 10 minutes until thickened. Taste and balance with a pinch of sugar if needed.
-
Preheat oven
Preheat oven to 190°C.
-
Toss cooked ziti
Toss cooked ziti with the meat sauce.
-
Transfer half to a baking
Transfer half the ziti and sauce to a baking dish. Dollop with half the ricotta.
-
Add remaining pasta
Add remaining pasta, top with remaining ricotta dollops, then shower with mozzarella and parmesan.
-
Bake
Bake uncovered for 25-30 minutes until bubbling at the edges and the cheese is deeply golden on top.
-
Rest 10 minutes before serving
Rest 10 minutes before serving — this lets the layers set.
-
Shower with torn fresh basil
Shower with torn fresh basil.
-
Serve with garlic bread
Serve with garlic bread and a simple salad.