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There are infinite variations of baked ziti, all splendidly delicious. Some are lined in a generous layer of cheese and moistened by a tomato-based sauce with flooring beef, nonetheless others are made with out meat and with totally different variations on the sauce, like pesto or bitter cream. Each cook dinner dinner has a favorite combination, the correct ratio of cheeses, and their preferred sauce. However it is sincere to say that every one baked zitis make an beautiful and easy weeknight dinner, as you can nearly put in it one thing you need that you have at hand. Our ziti casserole is a flavorful combination of seasoned tomato sauce with flooring beef, baked to perfection with a melty mozzarella cheese topping.
Traditionally served in Southern Italy once more inside the day when the bride, the zita, needed to present her new husband a lunch, ziti comes from the slang time interval that referred to such youthful girls. Baked ziti was moreover part of the nuptial meal. The Americanized mannequin has added and subtracted parts, nonetheless nowadays one thing and all of the issues can go in such a casserole and there is not any one standard recipe.
Use any fast pasta, nonetheless go for tubular pasta as a result of it best soaks up the sauce. Simple to prepare, assemble the night time time sooner than, cowl and refrigerate, and simply pop inside the oven when it’s time to eat. Serve with a inexperienced salad and some garlic bread.
Make Ahead
This is usually a good dish for a make-ahead dinner. Assemble the casserole and wrap it tightly in foil. Refrigerate in a single day and allow the dish to rest at room temperature for half-hour sooner than baking as directed.
“A conventional comfort recipe in quite a few households, baked ziti benefits from being thrown together with a lot of kitchen staples. Nonetheless don’t underestimate it. It’s a standard for a trigger!” —Noah Velush-Rogers
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1 teaspoon unsalted butter
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1 1/2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
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1 pound lean flooring beef, flooring chuck, or flooring spherical
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1/2 cup coarsely chopped onion
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1/2 cup coarsely chopped inexperienced bell pepper
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1 (14.5-ounce) can diced tomatoes, undrained
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1 (8-ounce) can tomato sauce
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1/2 teaspoon dried basil
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1/2 teaspoon dried oregano
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1/2 teaspoon garlic powder, or 1 small minced clove garlic
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1/4 teaspoon freshly flooring black pepper, further to fashion
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3/4 teaspoon salt, further as needed
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8 ounces dry ziti pasta
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2 cups shredded mozzarella cheese, divided
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Acquire the parts.
The Spruce Eats / Emily Baker
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Place a rack inside the center of the oven and heat to 350 F. With 1 teaspoon unsalted butter, frivolously butter a 2 1/2-quart baking dish. Ship an enormous pot of well-salted water to a boil.
The Spruce Eats / Emily Baker
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Drizzle 1 1/2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil in an enormous skillet or sauté pan and place it over medium heat. When the oil is scorching, add 1 pound lean flooring beef, 1/2 cup coarsely chopped onion, and 1/2 cup coarsely chopped inexperienced bell pepper. Prepare dinner dinner, stirring often, breaking up the meat with a picket spoon until the meat is no longer pink and the greens are tender.
The Spruce Eats / Emily Baker
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Drain off the excess fat. Add 1 (14.5-ounce) can diced tomatoes (undrained), 1 (8-ounce) can tomato sauce, 1/2 teaspoon dried basil, 1/2 teaspoon dried oregano, 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder, 1/4 teaspoon freshly flooring black pepper, and 3/4 teaspoon salt. Ship to a boil, then cut back to a simmer.
The Spruce Eats / Emily Baker
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Whereas the meat is simmering, cook dinner dinner 8 ounces dry ziti pasta inside the boiling salted water until merely al dente. The pasta should nonetheless have some chew because it ought to proceed cooking inside the oven. Put apart. Drain the pasta and return it to the pot with the meat mixture and 1 cup shredded mozzarella cheese. Stir to combine.
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Swap the mixture to the prepared baking dish.
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Excessive the casserole with the remaining half of the mozzarella cheese.
The Spruce Eats / Emily Baker
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Bake the ziti until the cheese melts and begins to bubble and brown, 25 to half-hour.
The Spruce Eats / Emily Baker
How To Freeze Baked Ziti
For freezing, assemble the casserole in a freezer-safe dish nonetheless do not bake. Cowl tightly with foil or plastic wrap and maintain for as a lot as 3 months. Allow the dish to thaw in a single day sooner than baking it as directed. Add further mozzarella cheese and a drizzle of olive oil if needed.
Feeling Adventurous? Attempt This:
There are as many recipes for ziti as there are cooks to make them. Listed under are a number of of our favorite takes on this dish:
- Make it saucy – Add an extra 8-ounce can of tomato sauce for a saucier casserole or 1 cup of heavy cream. In each case, alter the seasoning accordingly.
- No flooring beef, no draw back – Change the underside beef with 1 pound of bulk Italian sausage, flooring turkey, flooring hen, or flooring venison. Brown as directed with the onion and bell pepper.
- Use a mixture of cheeses – Change the mozzarella cheese with a pizza cheese combine, an Italian cheese combine, or cheddar and mozzarella. For a cheesier mannequin, sprinkle 1/4 cup of Parmesan on excessive of the casserole sooner than together with the final word mozzarella layer.
- Add veggies – Add 2 cups of steamed broccoli or cauliflower florets into the mixture. Alternatively, add 3 cups of kid spinach to the pan concurrently you’re together with the tomato sauce.
| Weight loss plan Info (per serving) | |
|---|---|
| 383 | Vitality |
| 21g | Fat |
| 17g | Carbs |
| 32g | Protein |
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| Weight loss plan Info | |
|---|---|
| Servings: 6 | |
| Amount per serving | |
| Vitality | 383 |
| % Every single day Price* | |
| 21g | 27% |
| Saturated Fat 8g | 42% |
| 94mg | 31% |
| 1057mg | 46% |
| 17g | 6% |
| Dietary Fiber 3g | 11% |
| Full Sugars 7g | |
| 32g | |
| Vitamin C 25mg | 126% |
| Calcium 286mg | 22% |
| Iron 4mg | 22% |
| Potassium 811mg | 17% |
| *The % Every single day Price (DV) tells you methods rather a lot a nutrient in a meals serving contributes to a each day consuming routine. 2,000 power a day is used for fundamental weight loss plan advice. | |
(Weight loss plan knowledge is calculated using an ingredient database and have to be considered an estimate.)
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