Baked Ziti With Ground Beef and Italian Sausage
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Ingredients
For the Meat Sauce:
- Nonstick cooking spray
- 2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
- 1 pound lean ground beef ,at least 85% lean
- 1/2 pound bulk sweet Italian sausage
- 1 medium onion, chopped
- 2 cloves garlic, minced
- 1 (28-ounce) can crushed tomatoes
- 2 tablespoons tomato paste
- 1 teaspoon dried leaf basil
- 1/2 teaspoon dried leaf oregano
- 1/4 to 1/2 teaspoon crushed red pepper
- Kosher salt, to taste
- Freshly ground black pepper, to taste
For the Ricotta Mixture:
- 1 cup whole milk ricotta cheese
- 1/2 cup freshly grated parmesan cheese
- 1 large egg
- 1 cup shredded mozzarella cheese
For the Baked Dish:
- 8 ounces ziti pasta
- 1/4 cup freshly grated parmesan cheese
- 2 cups shredded mozzarella cheese ,divided
- 1 to 2 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley
Instructions
- 1
Preparation - Gather the ingredients.
- 2
Preparation - Heat the oven to 350 F. Lightly grease or spray a 2 1/2- to a 3-quart baking dish with nonstick cooking spray.
- 3
Make the Meat Sauce - Heat the olive oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Add the ground beef, sausage, and onion. Cook, stirring until the meat is no longer pink and the onion is translucent.
- 4
Make the Meat Sauce - Add the garlic to the meat mixture and cook, while stirring, for 1 minute longer.
- 5
Make the Meat Sauce - Add the crushed tomatoes, tomato paste, basil, oregano, and crushed red pepper. Cook, stirring occasionally, for about 10 to 12 minutes. Taste and add salt and pepper, as needed.
- 6
Make the Ricotta Mixture - In a large bowl, combine the ricotta cheese, Parmesan cheese, egg, and mozzarella cheese. Stir until well blended.
- 7
Make the Pasta - While the sauce is simmering, cook the ziti in boiling salted water following the directions on the package. Drain well.
- 8
Make the Pasta - Add the hot drained pasta to the bowl with the ricotta cheese mixture. Toss lightly to blend.
- 9
Make the Pasta - Add 2 cups of the meat sauce to the ziti mixture.
- 10
Layer the Baked Dish - Transfer half of the pasta mixture into the prepared baking dish.
- 11
Layer the Baked Dish - Spread about half of the remaining meat sauce over the pasta, and then top with the Parmesan cheese and 1 cup of the remaining mozzarella.
- 12
Layer the Baked Dish - Top with the remaining pasta mixture.
- 13
Layer the Baked Dish - Finish with the remaining meat sauce, remaining mozzarella cheese, and sprinkle with the chopped parsley.
- 14
Bake the Pasta Dish - Bake for 25 minutes or until hot and bubbly around the edges.
- 15
Bake the Pasta Dish - Serve and enjoy.
