Italian Restaurant Baked Ziti Food

ITALIAN BAKED ZITI (AUTHENTIC)

Steps:

• Add tomato sauce,rosemary,oregano,chili peppers,sugar and basil to a pot.
• Bring to boil and simmer one hour. Remove chili peppers.
• Cook pasta to al dente (little chewy). You don't want to overcook it as it cooks in the baking also.
• Remove sausage from casing and cook in 1/2 cup olive oil over medium high till browned.
• Add cooked sausage and all the oil (don't drain)to the tomato sauce and mix.
• Add cooked pasta into a 9x13 baking pan.
• Add the sausage and sauce over top and toss.
• Add parmesan on top and then cover with shredded mozzarella.
• Cover with foil and bake 30 minutes at 350°F (put toothpicks so cheese doesn't stick).
• Remover foil and continue to bake 10 minutes (watch cheese so it doesn't burn).
• Remove from oven and let set 10 minutes before serving to allow it to set.

ITALIAN RESTAURANT BAKED ZITI

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.
• Cook ziti in a large pot of boiling salted water until
• tender but still firm, 10 to 12 minutes.
• Drain and rinse under cold running water;
• drain well.
• In a medium bowl, combine
• ricotta cheese, eggs, 1/2 cup Parmesan
• cheese, salt, pepper, and parsley. Mix to
• blend well.
• Toss cooked ziti with 2 cups
• marinara sauce.
• Place half the pasta in an
• 9 x 13 inch baking dish.
• Top with ricotta
• mixture and half the mozzarella cubes.
• Top with remaining ziti, marinara sauce,
• mozzarella, and Parmesan cheese.
• Bake until casserole is heated through and cheese is
• bubbly and lightly browned on top, 30 to 35
• minutes.

BAKED ZITI

Steps:

• Heat the olive oil in a pot over medium heat. Add the garlic and onions and saute until starting to soften, 3 to 4 minutes. Add the ground beef and sausage and cook until browned. Drain off almost all of the fat, leaving a bit behind for flavor and moisture. Add the tomato sauce, tomatoes, Italian seasoning, red pepper flakes and some salt and pepper. Stir, bring to a simmer and simmer for 25 to 30 minutes. Remove 3 to 4 cups of the cooked sauce to a bowl to cool down.
• Bring a large pot of water to a boil and add some salt. Cook the ziti until not quite al dente.
• Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F.
• In a bowl, mix 2 cups of the grated mozzarella, the ricotta, Parmesan, parsley, eggs and some salt and pepper. Stir together just a couple of times (do not mix completely).
• Drain the pasta and rinse under cool water to stop the cooking and cool it down. Pour it into the bowl with the cheese mixture and toss to slightly combine (there should still be large lumps). Add the cooled reserved meat sauce and toss to combine.
• Add half the coated pasta to a large casserole dish or lasagna dish. Spoon half of the remaining sauce over the top, then top with half the remaining mozzarella. Repeat with another layer of the coated pasta and the remaining sauce and mozzarella.
• Bake until bubbling, about 20 minutes. Let stand 5 minutes before sprinkling with chopped parsley to serve.

BAKED ZITI WITH ITALIAN SAUSAGE

Steps:

• Cook sausage links according to package directions; drain, cut into ¼-inch slices.
• In a large bowl, combine sausage slices, pasta, pasta sauce, water, basil, garlic, Parmesan cheese, pepper and mix well.
• Spoon mixture into a greased 9-in. x 13-in. x 2-in. baking dish.
• Arrange garlic bread slices on top of meat mixture.
• Sprinkle evenly with mozzarella cheese.
• In a small bowl, dip tomato slices into olive oil.
• Place one slice of tomato on each piece of bread.
• Bake uncovered, at 400°F for 25-30 minutes or until heated through. Remove from oven and let rest for 5 minutes before serving.
• Garnish with basil leaves. Serve.

BAKED ZITI

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F.
• Bring a large pot of water to a boil, salt generously and boil the pasta until al dente (tender but still slightly firm). Drain.
• Toss the cooked pasta with the quick tomato sauce, cubed mozzarella, half the Parmesan, all of the black pepper and crushed red pepper in a large bowl. Transfer the pasta to the prepared baking dish. Cover the top of the pasta with the sliced mozzarella and sprinkle with the remaining Parmesan. Bake until lightly browned and hot, about 30 minutes. Serve immediately.
• Heat the oil in a medium saucepan over medium-high heat. Cook the sausage until beginning to brown, about 3 minutes. Add the onion and garlic, stirring, until lightly browned, about 3 minutes more. Add the tomatoes and the herb sprigs and bring to a boil. Lower the heat and simmer, covered, for 10 minutes.
• Remove and discard the herb sprigs. Stir in 2 teaspoons salt and season with pepper. Use now or store covered in the refrigerator for up to 3 days or freeze for up to 2 months.

DELICIOUS BAKED ZITI!

Steps:

• Simmer the pasta sauce and sausage in a small saucepan on the lowest heat possible for simmering.
• In the meantime, cook the pasta according to package directions.
• While pasta is cooking, whip together ricotta, mushroom, egg, and parsley in a medium bowl.
• When pasta is done, drain.
• In a 9 by 9-ish deep casserole, spread about 1/2 cup of the pasta sauce/sausage mixture.
• Layer on half of the ziti.
• Put about 5 or 6 evenly spaced spoonfulls of ricotta on top of the ziti.
• put on half remaining sauce.
• Sprinkle 1 cup of the mozzarella on the sauce.
• Layer on remaining ziti.
• Put remaining ricotta on as directed above.
• Put on the rest of the sauce, and top off with the remaining mozzarella cheese.
• Bake at 375 for 30-40 minutes, or until cheese is browned and casserole is heated through.
• Let stand a few minutes before serving, if you can!

NICOLE'S BEST BAKED ZITI

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F (190 degrees C). Lightly grease a 9x13-inch baking dish.
• Bring a large pot of water to a boil. Add 1 tablespoon kosher salt to the boiling water and stir in pasta. Cook until just about tender to the bite, about 8 minutes (or 1 to 2 minutes less than package instructions).
• At the same time, heat a large, deep skillet or saucepan over medium-high heat. Add sausage and beef and cook, crumbling with the back of a spoon, until browned, about 5 minutes. Add onion, garlic, 3/4 teaspoon salt, 1/2 teaspoon pepper, and pepper flakes; cook until onion is translucent and softened, 3 to 5 minutes.
• Drain pasta and return to the pot. Add about 1/2 cup marinara; toss to coat and let sit until needed.
• Add remaining marinara sauce to the browned meat mixture. Pour 1/4 cup water into each jar, shake to release any leftover sauce in the jar, and pour into the skillet. Stir and bring to a simmer. Reduce heat to medium-low and cook, stirring occasionally, for 10 minutes.
• Stir ricotta cheese, 1/2 cup Parmesan cheese, egg, parsley, basil, and remaining 1/4 teaspoon each salt and pepper together in a bowl.
• Add 2 cups meat sauce to the pasta; toss to coat.
• Spread 1/2 cup meat sauce into the bottom of the prepared baking dish. Add ½ of the pasta mixture and top with 2 cups meat sauce. Lightly dollop and spread ricotta mixture over the top and sprinkle evenly with 1 1/2 cups mozzarella cheese. Add remaining pasta mixture, remaining meat sauce, and remaining mozzarella on top. Sprinkle evenly with remaining 1/4 cup Parmesan.
• Bake in the preheated oven until golden and bubbly, 25 to 30 minutes. Let stand 10 minutes before serving.

ITALIAN BAKED ZITI

Steps:

• In a large saucepan, cook beef and onion over medium heat until meat is no longer pink. Add garlic; cook 1 minute longer. Drain. , Stir in the spaghetti sauce, tomatoes, tomato paste, water, parsley, Worcestershire sauce, basil and 1/2 teaspoon oregano. Cover and simmer for 3 hours, stirring occasionally. , Cook pasta according to package directions; drain. In a large bowl, combine the ricotta, mozzarella, 2 tablespoons Parmesan, egg, salt and pepper., Spread 1 cup meat sauce into a greased 13x9-in. baking dish. Layer with half of the pasta, a third of the meat sauce and half of the cheese mixture. Repeat layers. Top with remaining sauce. Sprinkle with remaining Parmesan and oregano. , Cover and bake at 350° for 1 hour or until heated through.

BAKED ZITI

Steps:

• To make the Sauce:.
• In a large pot, brown Italian sausage over medium high heat until cooked through. About 5 minute.
• Reduce heat to medium, add onion and garlic. Cook until opaque. About 3-4 minute.
• Combine tomatoes, Italian seasoning, red pepper flakes, and salt/pepper with onion, garlic, meat mixture and bring to a boil.
• Reduce heat to a simmer and cook covered for about 10 minutes, stirring occasionally.
• Baked Ziti:.
• Cook pasta according to package, generally about 9-11 minutes for al dente.
• Halve the mozzarella. Cut half the portion into cubes, and the other half into thin slices (should look like discs, which will go on top of the pasta).
• Combine drained pasta with sauce, cubed mozzarella, 1/2 the parmesan cheese, and a pinch of red pepper.
• Place the combined pasta/sauce/cheese into a buttered 9x13 pan (I like to use my Le Crueset, presents better at the table).
• Top with remaining mozzarella slices and parmesan cheese.
• Bake in a 400°F oven for 45 minutes until the pasta is bubbly and the cheese is golden brown.

THE BEST BAKED ZITI

Steps:

• Cut down the length of each sausage with a sharp knife. Remove and discard casings.
• Heat olive oil in a large saucepan set over high heat. Add sausages and onion. Cook, stirring occasionally and breaking up with a spatula, until the sausage begins to brown, and the onion turns translucent, 5 to 7 minutes. Add oregano, thyme, and rosemary and cook for 1 minute more. Pour in marinara sauce. Pour 1 cup water into each jar to rinse out remaining sauce; add to the saucepan. Stir together and bring sauce to a simmer.
• Reduce the heat to medium-low, and let simmer, stirring occasionally, for 1 hour. Taste for seasoning and adjust if needed. Turn off heat and reserve until needed. Before using, skim any excess fat that rises to the surface.
• While sauce simmers, bring a large pot of generously salted water to a boil. Add ziti and cook, stirring occasionally, for 1 or 2 minutes less than the directions on the package call for, about 8 minutes. Drain well and transfer into a large mixing bowl.
• Carefully add the meat sauce and stir until thoroughly combined. Let rest for 5 minutes.
• Meanwhile, preheat the oven to 375 degrees F (190 degrees C). Grease a large 9x15-inch or 9x13-inch casserole dish with a drizzle of olive oil.
• Use a slotted spoon to transfer half of the pasta and sauce mixture to the prepared dish, then use a spatula to even out into a uniform layer. Top with 1/2 of the ricotta cheese, 1/2 of the mozzarella cheese, and then 1/2 of the grated Pecorino Romano cheese, being sure to distribute evenly. Top with the rest of the pasta and sauce mixture and give the pan a little shake to settle the sauce. Repeat the cheese application.
• Bake in the center of the preheated oven until the cheese is melted and the casserole is piping hot, 30 to 35 minutes. Remove from the oven and let cool 10 to 15 minutes before serving. Top with parsley.

OTORO'S ULTIMATE BAKED ZITI

Steps:

• To make the sauce: heat 2 tablespoons olive oil over medium-high heat in a 5 quart pot. Add onions and mushrooms, season with salt and pepper and cook 3-5 minutes.
• Add garlic (reserve 1 teaspoon) and ground round and season with salt and pepper, continue to cook until meat is cooked through. Drain off excess fat if desired.
• Add all your tomato products, wine, parsley stems and bay leaf. Bring to a boil then turn down to simmer. Taste the sauce, if it seems too sour add a bit of sugar. Stir occasionally.
• To make the meatballs: in a nonreactive bowl mix the remaining pound of meat with 2 T. parsley, breadcrumbs, 2 eggs, 1 t. garlic, 1/2 cup Parmesan/Romano cheese, 1 t. salt, pepper to taste, and 2 T. olive oil.
• Shape into balls about the size of a cherry tomato, brown in a skillet with a little bit of olive oil. Drain on paper towels. They don't need to be cooked through, they will finish cooking in the sauce.
• Add the meatballs to the sauce along with the remaining herbs, simmer 30-45 minutes longer.
• Cook the ziti in boiling water slightly firmer than al dente. Drain.
• In the pasta cooking pot, add the pasta along with several ladles of sauce, meatballs, half the remaining Parmesan and half the mozzarella, stir to combine.
• Mix the ricotta with the egg until smooth.
• In a large baking dish, add a couple ladles of sauce to the bottom of the dish. Add half the pasta mixture, then spread all the ricotta in one even layer. Then a layer of mozzarella and Parmesan. Repeat with remaining pasta, then cheeses. I usually have a little pasta left that won't fit in the dish so don't worry, it makes a nice little snack while you wait.
• Cover with foil and bake at 350ºF for 45 minutes, then uncovered for an additional 15-30 minutes until bubbly.
• Let sit 10 minutes before serving with a big spoon. Bon Appetito.