Baked Ziti with Sweet Italian Sausage

Our most beloved recipe, Baked Ziti with Sweet Italian Sausage, is here!

Baked Ziti is perfect for serving family-style at your dinner table. The star of this dish is the sweet Italian sausage - filled with natural savory flavors that bring the recipe together.

Don't forget to put some fresh basil aside as the finishing touch. Keep scrolling for our full F&F recipe!

Eat Well.

ziti

Baked Ziti with Sweet Italian Sausage

SERVES 6 SERVINGS

PREP TIME 25 MINS

COOK TIME 12 MINS

Ingredients


Rigatoni	1 lb
Sweet Italian Sausage	11 oz
Rao's Marinara Sauce (or marinara of choice)	3 1/2 cups
Whole Milk Ricotta	1 cup
Garlic - Peeled, Minced	1 clove
Granulated Garlic	1/4 tsp
Dry Oregano	1/4 tsp
Fresh Basil	1 tbsp
Kosher Salt	1/2 tsp
Shredded Mozzarella Cheese	2 cups

Directions

For Herb Ricotta Mixture:

1. Combine whole milk ricotta, minced garlic, granulated garlic, dry oregano, fresh basil, and salt in large bowl. Mix well and taste for seasoning then set aside.

For the Baked Ziti:

1. Preheat oven to 375 ̊F.

2. Cook the pasta: Bring a large pot of well-salted water to a boil. Add pasta and cook until al-dente. Taste pasta for doneness! Drain pasta and rinse with cold water.

3. Heat olive oil in saucepan over medium heat. Add the sausage, breaking it up with a wooden spoon until it starts to brown, cook until no pink remains. Drain oil if needed. Add marinara sauce to cooked sausage (reserve about 1/4 cup of sauce for the bottom of the pan).

4. Add the sausage in marinara sauce to the cooked pasta and toss to combine.

5. Add the reserved Rao's sauce to the bottom of a casserole dish. Top with pasta mixture. Add dollops of the herb ricotta mixture on top of the ziti. Top with shredded mozzarella cheese.

6. Bake ziti in 375 ̊F oven for 10-12 min, cheese should be golden brown on top. Let cool and dig in!