We’ve been looking for a great baked ziti recipe for some time – years in fact – and then we came across this one from Alison Roman. The trick here is to both undercook the pasta before baking it (it continues to cook during the baking process) and making sure that the overall consistency of the mixture isn’t too wet or too dry (use the pasta water to adjust this). We used rigatoni because that’s all out local market had, but ziti, penne, etc all work fine. This is a great Sunday afternoon dish as it makes the whole house smell pretty great.
For this you’ll need: 1 medium onion (finely chopped), 4 cloves garlic (chopped), diced tomatoes (28 oz can), pureed tomatoes (28 oz can), 2 Tbsp tomato paste, 1/2 cup white wine, 1 Tbsp basil, 1 Tbsp oregano, 1/2-1 tsp crushed red pepper, ricotta (16 oz), parmesan (1 to 1.5 cups grated), mozzarella (16 oz cut into 1/2″ pieces), 1/2 cup heavy cream, 1 lb pasta (rigatoni, penne, ziti), olive oil, salt, pepper.
First make the sauce. Place about 1/4 cup of olive oil in a dutch oven or heavy pot over medium heat. Add the onion and garlic and cook until just softening but not yet browned – about 6-8 mins. Add the wine and increase the heat. Cook until the wine has almost fully reduced – about 2-3 mins. Reduce the heat again and add the tomato paste and stir with a wooden spoon to combine with the onions and garlic. Cook until the color is a rich orange – about 2-3 mins.
Add the tomatoes (diced and pureed), basil, oregano, crushed red pepper and some salt and stir well. Reduce the heat so that the sauce just simmers and cook for about 30 mins.
Meanwhile make the cheese mixture by combining the ricotta, heavy cream and 1/2 cup grated parmesan in a large bowl. Season with salt and pepper and set aside.
Preheat the oven to 425 and start the pasta water on to boil.
Boil the pasta for 2 mins less than the al dente instructions on the package – this is generally around 10 mins. Drain the pasta holding on to about 1-2 cups of the water. Place the pasta in a large bowl and add about 2 cups of your sauce. Stir the sauce and pasta together using a little of your pasta water to ensure that the tubes are covered inside and out. Don’t use too much water, but enough to ensure good, even coverage – about 1/4 to 3/4 cup.
In a large baking dish dish or dutch oven assemble the layers – start with about 1 cup of sauce at the bottom, then 1/3 of your pasta, then 1/2 of your ricotta mixture, 1/3 of your diced mozzarella and repeat for a second layer. Finish with a final layer of pasta and sauce and top with the remaining mozzarella and 1/2 cup of parmesan.
Bake until cooked through and browned on top – about 35 mins. Allow it to rest and cool for about 15-20 mins before serving.
Dinner at Our Place 