Baked Ziti with Sausage: Italian Comfort Food at its Best

Baked Ziti with Sausage is a classic Italian dish that brings comfort to your dinner table with plenty of cheese, savory Italian sausage, tomato sauce, and tender pasta. It has the perfect flavor and textural combination of creamy and soft, with a crisp topping and savory, umami-rich flavors from sausage, tomato, and cheese.

Make the dish by boiling a bit batch of ziti pasta, smothering it in rich tomato sauce with crumbled sausage, plenty of garlic, and crushed red pepper flakes. Bake the pasta in the oven, covered in cheese for a crisp, melted top.

Ingredients for Baked Ziti with Italian Sausage

Here are the simple and tasty ingredients you need to make baked ziti:

Pasta, in this case ziti, though another short noodle would also work, such as rigatoni or even shells Italian sausage, which can be either sweet or spicy for this recipe, depending on your preference Sugar, which adds a touch of sweetness to the dish that brings out the other deeply savory flavors Heavy cream, which helps build the creamy tomato sauce Grated parmesan cheese, which melts to add umami and delicious texture Mozzarella cheese, which also adds to the wonderful melted texture and flavor of baked ziti

Equipment do you need to cook Baked Ziti

To make this pasta dish, you’ll need a few important pieces of kitchen equipment:

A large pot to boil the water and cook the pasta in Tongs or a long-handled spoon to stir the pasta and mix everything together A colander to drain the cooked pasta A baking dish for baking the pasta, sauce, sausage and cheese to perfection

How to make Baked Ziti with Sausage

Here are the steps to make delicious baked ziti with sausage for dinner tonight:

Preheat the oven to 425°F. First, bring a large pot of salted water to a boil for the pasta. Cook the noodles until al dente according to the package directions. Drain the pasta and return to the pot. Drizzle with olive oil to prevent sticking. Meanwhile, heat a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add the Italian sausage and cook, breaking it up into smaller pieces with a wooden spoon. When the sausage is browned and cooked through, remove it to a plate and set it aside. Drain out most of the sausage fat left in the skillet. Add the garlic and red pepper flakes to the skillet and cook, stirring, for 1 minute, or until very fragrant. Add the canned tomatoes, salt, and sugar and bring to a simmer. Simmer the sauce for 10 minutes, until slightly thickened. Stir in the cooked sausage, cream, and parmesan cheese and cook over low heat until the cheese is fully melted and the sauce is smooth and creamy. Toss the sauce with the pasta in the large pasta pot until well coated. Transfer the pasta to a baking dish and cover with more grated cheese. Bake the dish for 20 to 25 minutes, until the top is golden and bubbly.

How to store and freeze

To store this dish, let it cool fully to room temperature, cover

Can you make baked ziti a day ahead?

Yes, you can make this delicious recipe also ahead of time.

METHOD

Preheat the oven to 425°F.

Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil for the pasta. Cook the noodles until al dente according to the package directions. Drain the pasta and return to the pot. Drizzle with olive oil to prevent sticking.

Meanwhile, heat a large skillet over medium-high heat.

Add the Italian sausage and cook, breaking it up into smaller pieces with a wooden spoon. When the sausage is browned and cooked through, remove it to a plate and set it aside. Drain out most of the sausage fat left in the skillet.

Add the garlic and red pepper flakes to the skillet and cook, stirring, for 1 minute, or until very fragrant. Add the canned tomatoes, salt, and sugar and bring to a simmer. Simmer the sauce for 10 minutes, until slightly thickened.

Stir in the cooked sausage, cream, and parmesan cheese and cook over low heat until the cheese is fully melted and the sauce is smooth and creamy.

Toss the sauce with the pasta in the large pasta pot until well coated.

Transfer the pasta to a baking dish and cover with more grated cheese.

Bake the dish for 20 to 25 minutes, until the top is golden and bubbly.