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Baked Ziti with Sausage

By America's Test Kitchen

Published on October 28, 2011

Yield

Serves 4 to 6

Baked Ziti with Sausage

Ingredients

2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil 1 pound Italian sausage, cut into ½-inch pieces2 medium cloves garlic, minced1 (28-ounce) can crushed tomatoes 1 (14.5-ounce) can diced tomatoes Table salt 1 pound ziti or penne 2 cups shredded mozzarella cheese ¼ cup grated Parmesan cheese 2 tablespoons minced fresh parsley leaves

Before You Begin

Make this family favorite with sweet or hot sausage.

Instructions

  1. Adjust oven rack to middle position and heat oven to 400 degrees. Brush 13 by 9-inch baking dish with 1 tablespoon oil. Cook sausage in large skillet over medium heat until browned, 5 to 6 minutes. Transfer sausage to bowl.
  2. Drain all but 1 tablespoon fat from skillet, add remaining 1 tablespoon oil and garlic, and cook until fragrant but not brown, about 1 minute. Add crushed and diced tomatoes, return sausage to skillet, and simmer until thickened, 15 to 18 minutes. Season with salt to taste.
  3. Meanwhile, bring 4 quarts water to boil in large pot. Add 1 tablespoon salt and pasta. Cook until slightly underdone. Reserve 1/4 cup cooking water, drain pasta, and return to pot along with reserved water. Stir in tomato sauce.
  4. Pour half of pasta into prepared baking dish. Sprinkle with half of each cheese. Pour remaining pasta into dish, sprinkle with remaining cheeses, and sprinkle with parsley. Bake until golden brown, about 20 minutes. Remove from oven and let rest for 5 minutes. Serve.
Baked Ziti with Sausage

Baked Ziti with Sausage

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By America's Test Kitchen
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Yield

Serves 4 to 6

Ingredients

2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
1 pound Italian sausage, cut into ½-inch pieces
2 medium cloves garlic, minced
1 (28-ounce) can crushed tomatoes
1 (14.5-ounce) can diced tomatoes
Table salt
1 pound ziti or penne
2 cups shredded mozzarella cheese
¼ cup grated Parmesan cheese
2 tablespoons minced fresh parsley leaves

Ingredients

2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
1 pound Italian sausage, cut into ½-inch pieces
2 medium cloves garlic, minced
1 (28-ounce) can crushed tomatoes
1 (14.5-ounce) can diced tomatoes
Table salt
1 pound ziti or penne
2 cups shredded mozzarella cheese
¼ cup grated Parmesan cheese
2 tablespoons minced fresh parsley leaves

Ingredients

2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
1 pound Italian sausage, cut into ½-inch pieces
2 medium cloves garlic, minced
1 (28-ounce) can crushed tomatoes
1 (14.5-ounce) can diced tomatoes
Table salt
1 pound ziti or penne
2 cups shredded mozzarella cheese
¼ cup grated Parmesan cheese
2 tablespoons minced fresh parsley leaves

Why This Recipe Works

For our Baked Ziti with Sausage recipe, we cooked the sauce in the same skillet in which we browned the sausage—the browned bits of meat, or fond, stuck to the pan added a lot of flavor once released by the liquid ingredients in the sauce. And for the richest, most complex flavor for our Baked Ziti with Sausage, we sprinkled the dish with freshly grated Parmesan cheese.

Before You Begin

Make this family favorite with sweet or hot sausage.

Instructions

  1. Adjust oven rack to middle position and heat oven to 400 degrees. Brush 13 by 9-inch baking dish with 1 tablespoon oil. Cook sausage in large skillet over medium heat until browned, 5 to 6 minutes. Transfer sausage to bowl.
  2. Drain all but 1 tablespoon fat from skillet, add remaining 1 tablespoon oil and garlic, and cook until fragrant but not brown, about 1 minute. Add crushed and diced tomatoes, return sausage to skillet, and simmer until thickened, 15 to 18 minutes. Season with salt to taste.
  3. Meanwhile, bring 4 quarts water to boil in large pot. Add 1 tablespoon salt and pasta. Cook until slightly underdone. Reserve 1/4 cup cooking water, drain pasta, and return to pot along with reserved water. Stir in tomato sauce.
  4. Pour half of pasta into prepared baking dish. Sprinkle with half of each cheese. Pour remaining pasta into dish, sprinkle with remaining cheeses, and sprinkle with parsley. Bake until golden brown, about 20 minutes. Remove from oven and let rest for 5 minutes. Serve.

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