Creamy Baked Ziti Recipes

EASY CREAMY BAKED ZITI RECIPE

Steps:

• Heat oven to 375°F and spray an 11x9-inch casserole dish with nonstick cooking spray.
• In a large saucepan, cook the pasta according to package (al dente/no salt) directions, drain.
• In the same large saucepan set over medium heat, cook the marinara sauce and cream cheese together until the cheese melts. Stir often.
• Add the pasta to the marinara/cheese sauce and mix well.
• Pour half the marinara/cheese/ziti sauce in the prepared baking dish and sprinkle with half the mozzarella and half the Parmesan cheeses.
• Sprinkle the cheeses with 2 tablespoons chopped fresh basil.
• Layer the remaining marinara/cheese/ziti sauce over the cheese and top with the remaining mozzarella and Parmesan.
• Cover and bake at 375° for 30 minutes.
• Remove the cover and bake an additional 15-20 minutes or until the baked ziti is bubbly and cheese is golden.
• Garnish with the remaining chopped basil and serve with toasted baguette.
• Enjoy!

CREAMY BAKED ZITI

Steps:

• Heat oven to 375ºF.
• Cook pasta in large saucepan as directed on package, omitting salt. Remove pasta from pan; drain.
• Add pasta sauce, tomatoes and cream cheese to same pan; cook on medium heat 5 min. or until cream cheese is completely melted and mixture is blended, stirring frequently. Return pasta to pan; mix well.
• Layer half the pasta mixture in 13x9-inch baking dish sprayed with cooking spray; cover with layers of sour cream, 1 cup mozzarella and remaining pasta mixture. Top with remaining mozzarella; sprinkle with Parmesan.
• Bake 20 min. or until heated through.

CREAMY BAKED ZITI

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 450 degrees. Place tomatoes in a food processor and puree until smooth.
• In a medium saucepan, heat oil over medium-high. Add garlic and red-pepper flakes, and cook until golden and fragrant, 1 to 2 minutes. Add pureed tomatoes. Bring to a boil over high, then reduce heat to medium and cook at a rapid simmer, stirring occasionally, until thickened slightly, about 30 minutes.
• Meanwhile, in a pot of generously salted boiling water, cook pasta 4 minutes less than according to package instructions (about 6 minutes total). Drain into a colander and rinse under cold water until cool, then drain again. Transfer to a large bowl.
• Stir cream cheese into sauce until melted, then remove from heat. Season with salt and pepper.
• Pour 1 cup sauce into a 9-by-13-inch baking dish; spread into an even layer. Scatter half of mozzarella over sauce. Add 3 cups sauce and 1/2 cup Parmesan to bowl of pasta; toss to coat. Add pasta mixture to the baking dish in an even layer. Top with remaining sauce; sprinkle with remaining mozzarella and Parmesan.
• Bake on a rack in the top third position until cheese is melted, 10 minutes. Switch oven to broiler setting; broil until cheese is bubbly and browned in places, about 3 minutes more. Let cool 10 minutes; serve.

BAKED ZITI I

Steps:

• Bring a large pot of lightly salted water to a boil. Add ziti pasta, and cook until al dente, about 8 minutes; drain.
• In a large skillet, brown onion and ground beef over medium heat. Add spaghetti sauce, and simmer 15 minutes.
• Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Butter a 9x13 inch baking dish. Layer as follows: 1/2 of the ziti, Provolone cheese, sour cream, 1/2 sauce mixture, remaining ziti, mozzarella cheese and remaining sauce mixture. Top with grated Parmesan cheese.
• Bake for 30 minutes in the preheated oven, or until cheeses are melted.

BAKED ZITI

Steps:

• Make the tomato sauce: Heat oil in a large, heavy-bottomed pot over medium heat. Add onion and garlic and season with salt and pepper. Cook, stirring occasionally, until the onion is totally softened and translucent (without letting it brown), 8 to 10 minutes. Add tomato paste and continue to cook, stirring until it has turned a deeper brick-red color, tinting the oil and onions a fiery orange color, about 2 minutes. Crush the whole tomatoes by hand and add them (including the juice) and the tomato purée to the pot, stirring to scrape up any bits from the bottom of the pot. Season with salt and pepper and add red pepper flakes, if using. Bring to a simmer and cook, stirring occasionally, until the tomato sauce has thickened and flavors have come together, 20 to 30 minutes.
• Prepare the filling: In a medium bowl, combine ricotta, heavy cream and 1/2 cup Parmesan. Season with salt and pepper and set aside.
• Prepare the pasta: As the sauce cooks, heat oven to 425 degrees, and place a large pot of salted water to boil on the stove.
• Cook pasta until it's nearly al dente. (You want to undercook the pasta slightly, as it will continue to cook in the oven. A good way to do this is cook it 2 minutes less than you normally would if preparing it al dente.) Reserving 1 cup of the pasta cooking liquid, drain pasta and rinse with cool water; set aside while the tomato sauce finishes cooking.
• Once tomato sauce is done, stir in reserved pasta water.
• Place pasta in a large bowl and add 2 cups sauce. Stir to coat pasta evenly encouraging the sauce to go inside each tube.
• Spoon a bit of remaining sauce on the bottom of a 3-quart baking dish and top with 1/3 of the pasta. Spoon 1/3 of the remaining sauce on top, dollop with half the ricotta mixture and scatter 1/3 of the mozzarella on top of that. Repeat, beginning with the pasta, one more time. For the final layer, add the last 1/3 of pasta and the last of the sauce. Dot remaining mozzarella on top and shave a bit more Parmesan on top of that. Place baking dish on top of a sheet pan lined with parchment paper to catch any drips. Place in the oven and bake until the edges are golden brown and bubbling and the top has browned nicely, 30 to 40 minutes.
• Let cool slightly before eating with a big green leafy salad.

CREAMY BAKED ZITI

Steps:

• Heat oven to 375 degrees F.
• Cook pasta in large saucepan as directed on package, omitting salt. Remove from pan; drain. Meanwhile, add marinara sauce, tomatoes and cream cheese to same pan; cook on medium heat 5 min. or until cream cheese is melted and mixture is well blended, stirring frequently. Return pasta to pan; mix well.
• Layer half the pasta mixture in 13x9-inch baking dish; cover with layers of sour cream, 1 cup mozzarella and remaining pasta mixture. Top with remaining mozzarella and Parmesan.
• Bake 20 min. or until heated through.

CREAMY BAKED ZITI

Steps:

• Brown onion,Italian seasoning,garlic,and ground beef over medium heat in a large skillet.
• Drain.
• Add spaghetti sauce and simmer for 15 minutes.
• Toss pasta with 1 cup of spaghetti sauce.
• Layer as follows in a buttered 9x13 baking dish: 1/2 of the Ziti,all the provolone cheese, sour cream, 1/2 spaghetti sauce, remaining ziti, mozzarella cheese and remaining sauce.
• Bake at 350 degrees for 30 minutes or until cheese is melted.
• This can also be split into two 8x8 pans.

CREAMY BAKED ZITI

Steps:

• In a large skillet over medium heat, add 1 tablespoons Olive oil and onions and saute 5 minutes or until tender.
• Add beef and brown.
• Meanwhile, In a large pot or dutch oven, cook pasta ala dente and drain well.
• Brown beef until it's no longer pink and drain off fat.
• In the same skillet, add to beef and onions, 1/2 teaspoons salt, garlic, pasta sauce, tomatoes, and tomato sauce.
• Stir to blend, Then set aside.
• In a heavy saucepan, melt butter over low heat, add flour and whisk constantly until smooth and well blended or about 1 minute, gradually add milk and simmer over medium heat, stirring constantly, until mixture bubbles and thickens.
• Remove from heat and stir in parmesan cheese and remaining 1/4 tsp salt and pepper.
• Pour beef mixture and milk mixture into dutch oven with noodles and mix until well blended.
• Transfer entire mixture to a large, buttered, baking dish or nonstick lasagne pan, top with shredded mozzarella cheese and bake at 350' for 20-25 minutes or until mixture is heated through and bubbly and cheese is melted and becoming crusty.
• ** sometimes I add 1/2 the cheese to beef mixture and then top with the other half.
• Let stand approximately 5-10 minutes, and serve.

BAKED ZITI II

Steps:

• Bring a large pot of lightly salted water to a boil. Add ziti and cook for 8 to 10 minutes or until al dente; drain and rinse.
• In a medium bowl, mix ziti, ricotta cheese, mozzarella cheese, egg and 1 1/2 cups spaghetti sauce.
• Preheat oven to 375 degrees F (190 degrees C).
• Lightly grease a 9x13 inch baking dish and spoon in ziti mixture. Top with remaining spaghetti sauce, followed by Parmesan cheese.
• Bake in preheated oven for 30 minutes; let stand for 15 minutes before serving.

THE BEST BAKED ZITI

Steps:

• Cut down the length of each sausage with a sharp knife. Remove and discard casings.
• Heat olive oil in a large saucepan set over high heat. Add sausages and onion. Cook, stirring occasionally and breaking up with a spatula, until the sausage begins to brown, and the onion turns translucent, 5 to 7 minutes. Add oregano, thyme, and rosemary and cook for 1 minute more. Pour in marinara sauce. Pour 1 cup water into each jar to rinse out remaining sauce; add to the saucepan. Stir together and bring sauce to a simmer.
• Reduce the heat to medium-low, and let simmer, stirring occasionally, for 1 hour. Taste for seasoning and adjust if needed. Turn off heat and reserve until needed. Before using, skim any excess fat that rises to the surface.
• While sauce simmers, bring a large pot of generously salted water to a boil. Add ziti and cook, stirring occasionally, for 1 or 2 minutes less than the directions on the package call for, about 8 minutes. Drain well and transfer into a large mixing bowl.
• Carefully add the meat sauce and stir until thoroughly combined. Let rest for 5 minutes.
• Meanwhile, preheat the oven to 375 degrees F (190 degrees C). Grease a large 9x15-inch or 9x13-inch casserole dish with a drizzle of olive oil.
• Use a slotted spoon to transfer half of the pasta and sauce mixture to the prepared dish, then use a spatula to even out into a uniform layer. Top with 1/2 of the ricotta cheese, 1/2 of the mozzarella cheese, and then 1/2 of the grated Pecorino Romano cheese, being sure to distribute evenly. Top with the rest of the pasta and sauce mixture and give the pan a little shake to settle the sauce. Repeat the cheese application.
• Bake in the center of the preheated oven until the cheese is melted and the casserole is piping hot, 30 to 35 minutes. Remove from the oven and let cool 10 to 15 minutes before serving. Top with parsley.

CREAMY BAKED ZITI

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
• Brown ground beef along with chopped onion.
• Drain grease from ground beef.
• Add spaghetti sauce to ground beef (traditional or garlic & herb spaghetti sauce).
• Simmer on low heat until ready to assemble.
• Boil pasta as directed.
• Drain pasta and return to pot.
• Add garlic alfredo sauce to pasta and stir to coat.
• Pour half of spaghetti sauce mixture into bottom of a greased 9 x 13 pan.
• Pour pasta onto top of the spaghetti sauce.
• Pour remainder of spaghetti sauce mixture onto the pasta.
• Cover with foil and bake for 15 minutes.
• Add mozzarella cheese to top and return to oven for 15 more minutes.
• Let set for 5-10 minutes before serving.