Baked Ziti

I brought this to a friend’s house for dinner last night. It was DEVOURED by not only four adults, but also two picky toddlers! I used lentils instead of sausage to make it vegetarian. It was also so easy to make. Definitely adding this into my rotation. Yum!

Great recipe! My kids loved it as well. Makes plenty.

There are some amateur moves in this recipe. The most glaring faux pas is adding the garlic with the onion. Garlic burns in 30 secs to 1min. Onion takes 3-5 minutes to soften, longer to properly caramelize.

Here’s how to make it better:

1. Don’t use Marina sauce. Use 1 28oz can crushed san marzano style tomatoes, 1 6oz can tomato paste, and 1 cup beef broth. (Homemade broth is best, low sodium boxed is fine, one bullion cube dissolved in a cup of simmering water is acceptable)

2. Use full mirepoix for a more complex flavor to your final dish. (1 cup onion diced ½ cup celery & ½ cup carrots finely diced) add onions first, caramelize till they start to turn from light to dark brown (5-7 min), then add the celery and carrots. Sweat the celery and carrots for 2 to 3 minutes, then add your garlic. When garlic becomes fragrant (about 30 seconds) deglaze with red wine if using (highly suggested) then add the beef broth and crushed tomatoes.

A lot of people just don’t like onions. And even those who do like things other than onions. Using a full mirepoix will mask the oniony flavor for those who do not like it, while adding savory and sweet notes to it for those who do.
There’s a reason why mirepoix is the base for basically every French dish.

3. Season as you cook your vegetables. Add a few pinches of salt to the onions to help draw the moisture out so they cook quicker, and add your Italian seasoning and spices along with the carrots and celery so they infuse with your olive oil as it cooks to enhance their flavor.

Infused oils are delicious. They are sold at specialty stores at very high prices. But you can easily make them while you’re cooking, by seasoning at the beginning.

4. You should be using a Dutch oven or sauce pot to make your sauce, use a skillet to brown your meat. (This is crucial)

If you’re worried about dishes, and time, a non-stick skillet basically wipes clean with a little soap and water, and a fully trashed stainless steel skillet takes less than 30 seconds to clean with a few dashes of bar keepers friend and a tiny bit of water. You can have this extra dish washed and put away while your pasta is cooking. It’s no big deal.

5. Don’t simply cook your meat till it is no longer pink. Open up your pack of ground meat (I use 1 lb hamburger meat with ½ lb sausage), season one side with salt and pepper. Put the seasoned side face down in a ripping hot skillet with a heated neutral oil or lard (not olive oil, it’s smoke point is too low and will burn) Oil should be shimmering but below smoke point 350-375ish). Once the block(s) of meat is in the skillet, season the side facing up. Use your knuckles to lightly push the seasoning in both sides as you season so that it sticks. Cook each side for 3 to 5 minutes or until dark brown. This is called the maillard reaction. You’re caramelizing the proteins in the meat to develop a more complex flavor that will pay out dividends in the end dish. Once both sides have been caramelized, break the meat up in the pan and cook the rest of the meat until brown. (If you’re worried about it cooking too fast or burning, cut the heat from high to medium high at this point) You can add crushed red pepper and fennel seed to the meat as you break it up if you like.

6. Starting the meat and the sauce at the same time usually has the meat finishing up right about the time the sauce is ready to assemble. If not, you can reduce the heat to medium low on one to allow the other to catch up. Add the meat to the cooked mirepoix along with the tomato paste and stir to combine. Give the tomato paste about a minute to begin caramelizing, then add the garlic. When you smell the garlic – about 20-30 seconds later – pour in a cup of red wine and deglaze the pan. Reduce the wine by half, or until It tastes delicious. (Tasting as you go through every process of cooking will greatly enhance your technique and end results) At this point add the crushed tomatoes. Put the empty skillet back in high heat, and deglaze with the cup of beef broth before adding to the mix. Stir. Bring to a low simmer. Taste for seasoning, adding salt and pepper if necessary. Simmer for about an hour, or until the dishes and remaining wine are done.

I also like to add a little bit of balsamic vinegar and heavy cream just before I mix the sauce in with the pasta.

It’s all about building layers of flavor in every step.

7. My coup de gras is adding a mixture of ricotta and cottage cheese. (No, it’s not traditional Italian, but it’s delicious) Combine the cheeses in a mixing bowl, Then add it on top of the pasta sauce mixture and cover with mozzarella and parmesan.

If using a 9×13, a pound of boxed ziti, and 28 ounce can of tomatoes, this extra cheese mixture will leave you exactly one small bowl of unbaked ziti and sauce once your baking dish is full.
Feel free to munch on this while your dish is finishing up in the oven.

One last thing…
If you really want to get fancy, add six circular slices of provolone on top of the final layer of ricotta and cottage cheese (spaced evenly), each topped with a single fully cooked meatball, and then pile on the mozzarella and parmesan.

Just few extra steps in your process combined with proper technique will elevate your cooking exponentially. The food we feed our families is one of the most consistent ways we show our love for them. To me, that’s so important.