Ina Garten

Baked Ziti Ina Garten

8 months ago
Read Time: 3 minutes
by Emily
Leave a comment

Baked Ziti Ina Garten Traditional Italian-American comfort cuisine a dish that contains soft pasta covered in a rich tomato sauce, melting cheese, and flavorful meat. Ina Garten, a well-known American chef and cookbook author, offers a version of this well-liked dish that is distinctively her own.

Her recipe for Baked Ziti makes a scrumptious and filling dish that is excellent for serving to a large group of people or for feeding a family.

More Recipes From us:

Pioneer Woman Baked Ziti

Baked Cod With Panko Ina Garten
Baked Rigatoni Cheesecake Factory

💓 Why You’ll Love This Baked Ziti Ina Garten

For starters, it’s a tasty and reassuring food that might help you feel better after a tough day.
Tender ziti pasta is doused in a homemade, tomato sauce that’s bursting with flavor thanks to the use of all-natural ingredients.

An appealing depth of flavor is achieved by including Italian sausage and a range of aromatic herbs and spices.
Second, this dish takes very little time to prepare, making it ideal for busy weeknights or for entertaining a big group of guests.
The dish can be prepared in advance, and leftovers can be quickly reheated for a stress-free dinner.

What Is Baked Ziti Ina Garten Recipe?

Ziti pasta, tomato sauce, melted cheese, and ground meat are often all components of Baked Ziti, an iconic Italian-American casserole meal. Baked Ziti is made in a casserole dish and baked. Baked Ziti, as prepared by Ina Garten, is a dish that is both hearty and comforting, and it is ideal for serving a large number of people.

🍝 Ingredients

1 pound ziti pasta
Olive oil

1 pound sweet Italian sausage, casings removed
3 cups of homemade or store-bought tomato sauce
1 cup ricotta cheese

8 ounces fresh mozzarella, diced
1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese
Fresh basil leaves, chopped

Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper

What Is Best Kind Of Zit Pasta For Baked Ziti?

Here are some of the best types of pasta for Baked Ziti:

Pasta Type	Description
Ziti	This tube-shaped pasta is the classic choice for Baked Ziti, as its hollow shape helps to trap the sauce and cheese.
Penne	Similar to ziti, penne is also tube-shaped but with angled ends. It works well in Baked Ziti and holds up well with hearty sauces.
Rigatoni	This large, ridged pasta is similar to penne but has a wider diameter. It is perfect for Baked Ziti as its large size can hold a lot of sauce and cheese.
Fusilli	This spiral-shaped pasta is not as common for Baked Ziti, but its shape allows it to hold onto sauce and cheese, making it a good alternative.
Cavatappi	This corkscrew-shaped pasta is perfect for Baked Ziti as its shape allows it to hold onto the sauce and cheese, and its ridges provide texture.
Shells	These pasta shells can hold a lot of sauce and cheese, making them a good option for Baked Ziti. However, they can be a bit more difficult to layer in a baking dish compared to other pasta shapes.

Best Kind Of Zit Pasta For Baked Ziti

Ultimately, the best pasta for Baked Ziti comes down to personal preference. Feel free to experiment with different shapes to find your favorite!

🔪How To Make Baked Ziti

Preheat the oven to 400°F (200°C).
Cook the ziti according to the package directions in a large pot of boiling salted water until it is al dente.
While the pasta is cooking, heat 1 tablespoon of olive oil in a large pan over medium-high heat. Add the sausage and cook for 8 to 10 minutes, stirring occasionally until it is browned and cooked through.

Drain the pasta and return it to the pot. Add the sausage, tomato sauce, ricotta cheese, and half of the mozzarella cheese. Season with salt and pepper, and toss everything together until it is well combined.
Transfer the mixture to a large baking dish and sprinkle the remaining mozzarella and Parmesan cheese on top. Drizzle a little bit of olive oil over the top of the cheese.
Bake for 20 to 25 minutes, until the cheese is melted and the edges are golden brown.

Remove the baking dish from the oven and let it rest for a few minutes before serving. Garnish with fresh basil leaves before serving.

💭Recipe Tips

If you want to master Ina Garten’s Baked Ziti dish, consider these helpful hints:

Tomato sauce is the backbone of this recipe, so it’s important to use a good one. Utilize fresh, high-quality ingredients for the greatest results.

Pasta should be cooked until it is al dente, at which point it is tender but still has a bit of bite to it. In this way, the spaghetti won’t get soggy during baking.

While store-bought tomato sauce may do in a pinch, preparing your own from scratch is well worth the time and effort. One excellent choice is the tomato sauce recipe from Ina Garten.

Vegetables, such as zucchini, eggplant, or bell peppers, can be sautéed and added to the dish for more taste and nutrients.

The baking dish you use must be large enough to accommodate all the ingredients without spilling over.

Give the dish a few minutes to rest before serving to give the cheese time to set and the flavors time to mingle.

To give a burst of color and brightness, top each serving with a sprinkle of finely chopped fresh basil or parsley.

How Do I Cook The Ziti Pasta?

The following is a guide for how to properly prepare ziti pasta:

Put a big saucepan of salted water on the stove and bring it to a boil over high heat.
As you add the ziti pasta to the water that is already boiling, make sure to toss it carefully so that the pasta does not clump together.

Cook the ziti pasta in accordance with the instructions provided on the package. This will typically take around 8-10 minutes or until the pasta is al dente, which means it is cooked but still possesses a tiny firmness to it.
After the ziti pasta has been cooked until it reaches the consistency you choose, strain it in a colander and then rinse it with cold water to halt the cooking process.
You can skip the step of rinsing the ziti pasta if you are going to be using it for a recipe that calls for baked ziti. Instead, you should add the heated pasta to the sauce before placing it in the oven to bake.

🍴 What To Serve With Baked Ziti?

A tasty and filling main meal, baked ziti can be served on its own or with complementary sides. What to pair with Baked Ziti? Here are some suggestions.

Garlic bread: For dipping in the tomato sauce and for some added crunch and flavor, serve some warm, crusty garlic bread on the side.
Caesar salad: To cut through the heavy creaminess of the baked ziti, try serving it with a crisp and refreshing Caesar salad.

Italian bread: Slices of Italian bread should be placed on the side to sop up any extra sauce.
Antipasto platter: For a tasty and filling appetizer or side dish, put together an antipasto plate with cured meats, olives, cheeses, and marinated veggies.

🥶 How To Store Leftovers

Here are some suggestions for preserving any remaining Baked Ziti:

Refrigerator: Before storing the Baked Ziti in the fridge, make sure it has cooled to room temperature. The food can keep for three to four days if refrigerated in the fridge.

Freezer: Baked Ziti keeps nicely in the freezer for up to two to three months. Put it in a freezer-safe bag or container after it has cooled to room temperature. Put an expiration date on the container and use it before it goes bad.

Individual servings: To store the Baked Ziti in the fridge or freezer, divide it into individual servings first. This makes leftovers more convenient to reheat and reduces food waste.

Aluminum foil: If you don’t have an airtight container, you can use aluminum foil to preserve the Baked Ziti in the refrigerator or freezer.

Ziplock bags: You may also use Ziploc bags to store individual servings of Baked Ziti for later consumption. This way, you may reheat only what you need, saving valuable freezer space.

🌡️ How To Reheat Leftovers

How to reheat that extra Baked Ziti:

Oven: It is recommended that the oven be preheated to 350 degrees Fahrenheit (175 degrees Celsius). Wrap the Baked Ziti with aluminum foil and place it in the oven. Heat the oven to 350 degrees and bake the dish for 20-25 minutes.
Microwave: Baked Ziti can be prepared in a microwave by placing it in a microwave-safe dish and covering it with a damp paper towel or microwave-safe lid. Heat for 1–2 minutes on high, stir, and repeat at 30-second intervals until hot.
Stovetop: To cook Baked Ziti on the stovetop, remove it from the oven and place it on a nonstick pan or skillet. Warm up completely over medium heat with periodic stirring.

Air fryer: Set the temperature of the air fryer to 350 degrees Fahrenheit (175 degrees Celsius). The best way to reheat Baked Ziti is in an oven or air fryer, where it can get hot and crispy in just a few minutes.
Grill: Heat the Baked Ziti on the grill by placing it in a grill-safe dish or foil packet and grilling it over medium heat for 10 to 15 minutes.

Before serving, use a food thermometer to confirm that the Baked Ziti has reached an internal temperature of at least 165 degrees Fahrenheit (74 degrees Celsius).

FAQ Section

Is baked ziti just lasagna?

The answer is no; baked ziti is not the same thing as lasagna. In contrast to baked ziti, which is a meal in which the pasta, sauce, and cheese are mixed together before being baked, lasagna is constructed by layering the pasta, cheese, and sauce.

How Long To Cook Baked Ziti?

Cooking time for ziti baked in the oven is normally around 30 minutes. To bake the ziti, preheat the oven to 375 degrees Fahrenheit, cover it with foil, and bake it for 25 to 30 minutes, or until it is bubbling and the cheese has melted and turned golden brown.

Do you Cover Baked Ziti While Cooking?

There is no requirement to cover cooked ziti while it is in the oven. Ziti baked in the oven is normally covered before it is placed in the oven, but then it is uncovered for the final 10 to 15 minutes of cooking so that the top can brown and become crispy.

How Do You Know When Baked Ziti Is Done?

Inserting a knife or toothpick into the center of the baked ziti will reveal when the dish is done cooking. Ziti is done cooking when a fork inserted into the center comes out clean. Ziti should be cooked to an internal temperature of 165 degrees Fahrenheit, which may be determined with a food thermometer.

Try More Recipes:

Pioneer Woman Cabbage And Sausage

Chicken Tetrazzini Ina Garten

Chicken Scarpariello Barefoot Contessa