Baked Ziti

I found a really unbelievable model of baked ziti in 2017 once I began cooking from Colu Henry’s Again Pocket Pasta. Huge, hearty, family-style pastas are an ideal love of mine, however my baked ziti makes an attempt had been all the time simply so-so. I struggled with general cohesiveness, and the ricotta combination all the time tended to bake up a bit of drier than I hoped. Colu’s approach was a game-changer. She recommends a 50/50 mix of ricotta and creme fraîche in her recipe – it retains every thing silky and wealthy, and I’ve by no means seemed again. And yep, bitter cream may even work in a pinch.

What Makes Nice Baked Ziti?

If you wish to make the most effective baked ziti, concentrate on two issues: how lengthy you prepare dinner the pasta, and nailing an ideal sauce. The sauce is king right here. You wish to use good, flavorful tomatoes, and also you wish to let every thing simmer down right into a thick, chunky, vibrant purple sauce. A little bit of persistence is vital. See the sauce within the picture under? Maintain simmering. On the pasta entrance, keep away from over-cooking within the preliminary stage, the boil. The ziti will proceed cooking because the pasta bakes – you wish to arrive on the end line with good pasta. If you happen to overcook through the preliminary boil, the pasta will develop into too delicate and unstructured.

Baked Ziti: The Components

• Dried ziti pasta: Use a good-quality dried pasta right here. Ziti is the namesake form to make use of, however penne is a legit various and simpler to search out tbh. For a little bit of added vitamin, discover entire wheat pastas, or pasta made with lentils or chickpeas. As I’ve talked about in earlier pasta recipes, a without end favourite of mine is the Monograno Felicetti Farro Penne Rigate. You may even make baked ziti gluten-free by swapping in one of many GF pastas.
• Child spinach: One observe right here, in case your child spinach has lengthy thick stems, go forward and snap the largest offenders off. Except for that I don’t hassle chopping or fussing, however you’ll be able to in case you like.
• Canned tomatoes: Search for good-quality diced canned tomatoes. Observe that you simply’ll want each a 28-ounce *and* a 14-ounce can. I are inclined to seize fire-roasted for this recipe, however you don’t should!
  
  
• Sausage: I hardly ever purchase or prepare dinner with pretend meat, however that is one recipe the place I exploit Unimaginable sausage for the meat element. It simply helps verify all of the containers for an enormous, family-style baked ziti that everybody can get on board with. One other various is to make use of this mushroom ragù as your sauce, instead of the purple sauce with sausage posted under. 
• Cheeses: Three cheese are in play right here. Use recent mozzarella if potential. It’ll usually be in liquid, and any dimension is okay – you’ll be tearing it into smaller items. For the grated cheese Colu recommends Pecorino Romano, however in case you are inclined to preserve Parmesan available, go forward and use that – freshly grated. And the ricotta performs one other key roll right here, so use one you’d get pleasure from consuming straight – on a cracker or slice of toast.
  
  
• Creme fraîche: The wildcard on this baked ziti is the addition of creme fraîche. To make your personal, you’ll be able to add 1 tablespoon of cultured buttermilk or yogurt to a cup of heavy cream. Stir effectively, cowl with a clear dishtowel, and permit to sit down out in your counter for 12 hours or so, till it thickens. Refrigerate till prepared to make use of. Alternately, you should use bitter cream right here. It’s tangier, however in a great way!

Variations

Listed here are some favourite variations on this baked ziti that I’ve cooked through the years.

• Make it Spicy: To make this baked ziti feisty and spicy, add a little bit of spicy Calabrian pepper paste (the one I purchase most known as Bomba di Calabria) to the sauce after including the spinach. Go straightforward, a few of these pastes are wildly spicy. But in addition go stronger than you may in any other case as a result of the sauce will probably be reduce with all that dairy. Style and regulate.
• Make it Gluten Free: You can also make this recipe gluten-free through the use of GF pasta instead of conventional pasta. On the time I’m penning this the Unimaginable sausage is GF, however double verify – in case you’re utilizing one other model or their product adjustments.
• Baked Ziti with Mushrooms: I do a model of this baked ziti utilizing this mushroom ragù, and it’s equally unbelievable. Mainly, fill a 12-inch skillet to 1/2-inch or so under the rim, and stir within the 5 ounces or spinach. Then proceed with the recipe as written. Mainly, don’t skimp on the quantity of sauce you’re utilizing. 
• Toss in Some Wildcards: A whole lot of occasions when making baked ziti, I’ll toss elements in on a whim. No matter I’ve at hand. A couple of of the extra profitable additions embody the next: torn olives, numerous lemon or orange zest, additional spinach or herbs, deeply caramelized onions, goat cheese instead of half the mozzarella.

Baked Ziti: Make Forward Ideas

This recipe makes a giant pan of baked ziti. We usually eat half and freeze half leading to straightforward meals within the coming weeks. One of the best ways I’ve discovered to freeze baked ziti is to begin by refrigerating your baked ziti till it is rather chilly. This makes it straightforward to slice into exact, particular person parts. Organize the parts on a parchment-lined baking sheet and freeze till stable. Switch to freezer luggage for as much as 6 weeks. Reheat, coated in foil, on a baking sheet (or in baking pan), in a 375F oven till bubbly and sizzling all through.

Again Pocket Pasta & Colu

Colu’s archives are a gold-mine of low raise, fabulous meals. Within the years since Again Pocket Pasta was revealed, she additionally wrote Colu Cooks: Simple Fancy Meals. You want somebody like Colu Henry in your life. When Again Pocket Pasta was revealed, I wrote, “She’s a kind of trendy mates who will let you know the place to attain the prettiest attire, make it easier to e-book the most effective journey locations, and fortunately level you towards your subsequent good learn.” She’s the queen of bringing easy fashion to the weeknight dinner desk and her books are brimming with informal recipes achievable with little greater than a fairly stocked pantry and a little bit of seasonal aptitude. You may comply with her right here and right here.

Extra Pasta Recipes

101 Cookbooks Membership

Premium Advert-Free membership contains:
-Advert-free content material
-Print-friendly recipes
–Spice / Herb / Flower / Zest recipe assortment PDF
–Weeknight Specific recipe assortment PDF
-Shock bonuses all year long