Meaty Baked Ziti
Ingredients
- 1 pound bulk mild Italian sausage
- 1 pound ground beef
- 2 (14.5 ounce) cans tomato sauce
- 1 (28 ounce) can whole peeled tomatoes with juice
- ½ cup diced white onion
- 3 cloves garlic, minced
- 2 teaspoons Italian seasoning
- 1 teaspoon dried basil
- 1 teaspoon white sugar
- ½ teaspoon red pepper flakes
- 1 (16 ounce) package ziti pasta
- 1 (15 ounce) container whole-milk ricotta cheese
- 4 cups shredded mozzarella cheese, divided
- ½ cup grated Parmesan cheese
- 1 large egg, beaten
- 2 tablespoons chopped flat-leaf (Italian) parsley, or to taste
- ½ teaspoon ground black pepper
- 12 slices provolone cheese
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Instructions
- Heat a large pot over medium-high heat. Cook and stir sausage and ground beef in the hot skillet until browned and crumbly, 5 to 7 minutes. Add tomato sauce, whole tomatoes with juice, onion, garlic, Italian seasoning, basil, sugar, and red pepper flakes; bring to a simmer. Reduce heat to medium-low and simmer for 30 minutes to 1 hour. Turn off the heat. Transfer 3 cups sauce to a bowl and leave remaining sauce in the pot; allow to cool while you prepare ziti.
- Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F (190 degrees C).
- Bring a large pot of lightly salted water to a boil. Add ziti and cook, stirring occasionally, until tender yet firm to the bite, about 11 minutes. Drain ziti and rinse under cool water to stop it from cooking.
- Combine ricotta, 2 cups mozzarella, Parmesan, egg, 2 tablespoon parsley, and pepper in a bowl; stir together with a few turns but do not mix completely. Pour drained ziti into the bowl and toss until slightly combined with large lumps. Add the reserved 3 cups meat sauce and toss to combine.
- Place 1/2 of the pasta mixture into a 9x13-inch casserole dish. Spoon 1/2 of the remaining sauce over top, layer with 6 slices of provolone and 1 cup mozzarella. Repeat layers: pasta mixture, remaining sauce, 6 slices provolone, and 1 cup mozzarella. Cover with foil.
- Place on a baking sheet and bake in the preheated oven until bubbling, 30 to 40 minutes. Remove foil and bake until cheese is fully melted and slightly browned, 5 to 10 more minutes. Remove from the oven and sprinkle with parsley. Let stand 5 minutes before serving.
Source
Original recipe: View Original