Baked Ziti With Ricotta Cheese Recipes

DELICIOUSLY CHEESY BAKED ZITI

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 350 degrees fahrenheit.
• Cook ziti according to package directions; drain; set aside.
• Mix ricotta, egg, parsley, 1-1/2 cups of the mozarella cheese, and parmesan cheese in a large bowl.
• Mix cooked sausage and pasta in with ricotta mixture.
• Mix in 3/4 jar of sauce.
• Transfer mixture into a 2 quart casserole dish.
• Top with the rest of the sauce and mozarella cheese.
• Bake for 30 to 35 minutes, or until hot and bubbly.
• To freeze: Cover dish with foil and freeze. When frozen you can pop it out of the container and put in a freezer bag if desired.
• To heat: Thaw. Preheat oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit. Cover and bake for 20 minutes. Uncover and bake for 10-15 minutes more.

EASY ZITI BAKE

Steps:

• Cook pasta according to package directions. , Meanwhile, preheat oven to 350°. In a large skillet, cook beef over medium heat until no longer pink; drain. Stir in spaghetti sauce. , In a large bowl, combine eggs, ricotta cheese, 1-1/2 cups mozzarella cheese and the Parmesan cheese. Drain pasta; add to cheese mixture and stir until blended., Spoon a third of the meat sauce into a greased 13x9-in. baking dish; top with half of the pasta mixture. Repeat layers. Top with remaining meat sauce., Cover and bake 40 minutes or until a thermometer reads 160°. Uncover; sprinkle with remaining mozzarella cheese. Bake 5-10 minutes longer or until cheese is melted. Let stand 15 minutes before serving.

BAKED ZITI

Steps:

• Heat olive oil in a pot over medium heat. Add onions and garlic and saute for several minutes, or until starting to soften. Add Italian sausage and ground beef and cook until browned. Drain off fat, leaving a bit behind for flavor and moisture.
• Add tomatoes, tomato juice, salt, pepper, Italian seasoning, and red pepper flakes. Stir and simmer for 25 to 30 minutes. After that time, remove 3 to 4 cups of the sauce to a different bowl to cool down.
• Preheat oven to 375˚. In a separate bowl, mix together the ricotta cheese, 2 cups of the grated mozzarella, Parmesan, egg, and 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 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 cheese. Repeat with another layer of the coated pasta, the sauce, and the mozzarella. Bake for 20 minutes, or until bubbling. Remove from oven and let stand 5 minutes before serving. (Sprinkle chopped parsley over the pasta before serving!)

BAKED ZITI WITH RICOTTA

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 350°.
• Make Sauce: Heat olive oil, over medium-high heat, in a large, high sided skillet. Add onion and saute until translucent, about 5-7 minutes. Moderate heat so as not to brown onion. Turn heat to medium-low and add minced garlic and cook until fragrant, 1-2 minutes.
• Add beef, salt, and black pepper to skillet and cook, over medium heat, until no longer pink; drain as needed. Stir in spaghetti sauce and add Italian seasoning.
• Make Ricotta Filling: In a large bowl, combine ricotta cheese, eggs, nutmeg, Italian seasoning, mozzarella cheese, and Parmesan.
• Pasta: Cook pasta according to package directions. Drain well.
• Assembly: Add 1/2 cup of sauce to the bottom of a 13x9-inch baking dish and swirl to cover bottom. Spread 1/2 of cooked pasta in baking dish, then spoon a 1/2 of the meat sauce, then dollop 1/2 ricotta mixture-spreading it into an even layer with an offset spatula. Repeat with remaining layers, ending with meat sauce.Place on a rimmed cookie sheet.
• Cover and bake about 40 minutes or until a thermometer reads 160°. Uncover; sprinkle with remaining 2 cups mozzarella cheese. Bake 10 minutes longer or until cheese is melted. Let stand 15 minutes before serving.

BAKED ZITI CASSEROLE

Steps:

• Bring a large pot of lightly salted water to a boil. Cook ziti in boiling water until cooked through but firm to the bite, about 13 minutes; drain. Rinse ziti with cold water until cool; drain.
• Preheat oven to 375 degrees F (190 degrees C).
• Mix ziti, ricotta cheese, 1 1/2 cups tomato sauce, mozzarella cheese, egg, salt, and pepper in a large bowl.
• Spread 1/2 cup tomato sauce into the bottom of a 2 1/2-quart shallow baking dish. Pour ziti mixture into the dish. Top with remaining 1 1/2 cup tomato sauce and Parmesan cheese.
• Bake in preheated oven until sauce and cheese layer is bubbly and lightly browned, about 30 minutes. Let cool 10 minutes before serving.

EXTRA CHEESY BAKED ZITI

Steps:

• Combine canned tomatoes and their juices, basil, garlic, salt, pepper and the mascarpone cheese in a blender or food processor. (A food mill will also work.) Blend until the basil and garlic are chopped into tiny bits and the sauce is well mixed. Taste and adjust with additional salt as needed. Set aside.
• Heat the oven to 425 degrees Fahrenheit (if your oven runs hot, reduce this to 400 degrees Fahrenheit.)
• Bring a large pot of salted water to the boil, add the pasta, and then cook for about half of the recommended cook time on the package (5 or 6 minutes). Save 1/2 cup of the pasta water, drain the pasta, and then place it back into the pot. Undercooking the pasta makes sure that it does not overcook when baked with the sauce in the oven.
• In a medium bowl, toss the mozzarella, Fontina and Pecorino Romano cheese together.
• Add the sauce, 1/4 cup of the reserved pasta water and three-quarters of the shredded cheese mix to the pot with pasta. Stir well. The mixture should look a bit thin, if it seems thick, add a splash more of the reserved pasta water.
• Transfer the ziti mixture to a large baking dish and top with the remaining shredded cheese mix. Bake 10 to 15 minutes or until the sauce is bubbling and the cheese is melted and golden brown on top. Allow the baked ziti to cool for 5 minutes before serving.

BAKED ZITI RECIPE (WITH RICOTTA)

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 350°F.
• Cook the pasta according to package instructions. Drain and set aside.
• In a skillet, brown the ground beef with the finely chopped onion on medium heat. Mix and break apart the meat with a meat chopper while cooking.
• Once the meat is cooked add in the minced garlic, Italian seasoning, salt, and black pepper and mix until combined.
• Add in the marinara sauce and crushed tomatoes to the meat and bring to a light simmer. Add the pasta into the meat mixture and mix until fully combined.
• In a 9x13 casserole dish add a layer of the pasta mixture and top with half of the ricotta cheese by spreading all over the pasta. Then top with half of the mozzarella cheese and half of the parmesan cheese.
• Repeat again with second layer of the pasta mixture and cheeses.
• Cover the baking sheet with foil and bake at 350°F for 20-25 minutes covered. Remove the foil and bake an additional 10-15 minutes uncovered, until the cheese is bubbly.
• Enjoy.

EASY BAKED ZITI

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 350F. Cook pasta according to box directions with a generous pinch of salt. Drain pasta and reserve 1/2 cup of pasta water.
• Add pasta and pasta water back into pot and stir in 3/4 cup Italian cheese blend, 1 cup of tomato sauce, and all of herbs (basil, thyme, and oregano). Pasta should have a creamy and cheesy consistency.
• Transfer pasta to a 13x9 baking dish. Layer with rest of tomato sauce, mozzarella, and 1/4 cup Italian cheese blend over top.
• Bake covered with foil for 20 minutes until cheese is bubbling and browned. Garnish with fresh herbs and enjoy!

BAKED ZITI II

Steps:

• Bring a large pot of lightly salted water to a boil. Add ziti and cook for 8 to 10 minutes or until al dente; drain and rinse.
• In a medium bowl, mix ziti, ricotta cheese, mozzarella cheese, egg and 1 1/2 cups spaghetti sauce.
• Preheat oven to 375 degrees F (190 degrees C).
• Lightly grease a 9x13 inch baking dish and spoon in ziti mixture. Top with remaining spaghetti sauce, followed by Parmesan cheese.
• Bake in preheated oven for 30 minutes; let stand for 15 minutes before serving.

BAKED ZITI WITH MEAT SAUCE

Steps:

• Set the oven rack to the middle position. Preheat oven to 375°F (190ºC).
• In a large dutch oven or pot bring water and salt to a boil. Add in the ziti, cook according to package directions until al dente, about 9 to 10 minutes. Drain the noodles in a colander, and rinse with cool water for about 30 seconds to stop the cooking. Separate the noodles with a spoon so they do not stick together, leaving some excess water on the surface and set aside.
• Heat olive oil in the dutch oven or pot over medium heat. Add the sausage and cook until browned, breaking up the meat into smaller pieces, about 4 to 5 minutes.
• Reduce the heat to medium-low and add the onion, garlic, and 1 teaspoon Italian seasonings, sauté until onions are translucent, about 3 minutes.
• Add the tomato paste and cook for 1 minute.
• Add the crushed tomatoes, diced tomatoes, 1 teaspoon salt, and ¼ teaspoon black pepper. Stir and simmer for 10 minutes. Season tomato sauce with more salt and pepper to taste. Reserve 2 cups of meat sauce.
• Add the ziti pasta to the meat sauce in the dutch oven or pot, stir to combine.
• In a medium-sized bowl stir together ricotta cheese, 1 cup mozzarella cheese, ¼ cup parmesan cheese, 1 teaspoon Italian seasoning, ½ teaspoon salt, ¼ teaspoon pepper, parsley, and egg.
• In a 13-inch by 9-inch baking dish add half of the pasta. Evenly dollop half of the ricotta cheese mixture on top of the pasta. Spread half of the reserved meat sauce on top.
• Spread the remaining pasta on top, followed by the ricotta cheese mixture, and the remaining meat sauce.
• Evenly sprinkle 1 cup of mozzarella cheese and ¼ cup of parmesan cheese on top of the ziti casserole.
• Loosely cover the baking dish with foil so that it does not touch the pasta.
• Bake for 30 minutes. Remove the foil and bake until the cheese is melted and lightly golden brown, 15 minutes.
• Garnish with chopped parsley and parmesan cheese.