Ingredients
- 1 pound ziti or rigatoni
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 1/2 pound ground beef
- 1/2 pound ground Italian sausage, casings removed
- 1 large yellow onion, finely chopped
- 4 cloves garlic, minced
- 1/2 cup dry red wine
- 2 (28-ounce) cans San Marzano crushed tomatoes
- 2 teaspoons dried Italian seasoning
- 1 1/2 teaspoons Diamond Crystal Kosher Salt
- 1 teaspoon black pepper
- 15 ounces whole milk ricotta
- 8 ounces low-moisture mozzarella, shredded, divided
- 1/2 cup grated Pecorino Romano cheese
- 1 large egg
- 1/4 cup chopped fresh basil
Make the Meat Sauce
Heat the olive oil in a large Dutch oven or heavy-bottomed pot over medium-high heat.
Add the ground beef and Italian sausage. Break it up with a spoon and cook until it’s browned, about 5-7 minutes.
Add the chopped onion and cook until softened, about 5 minutes. Stir in the minced garlic and cook for another minute until fragrant.
Pour in the red wine to deglaze the pan, scraping up any browned bits from the bottom. Let it bubble and reduce by about half.
Stir in the crushed tomatoes, Italian seasoning, salt, and pepper. Bring the sauce to a simmer, then reduce the heat to low and let it cook, partially covered, for at least 30 minutes.
Cook the Pasta and Prepare the Cheese
While the sauce simmers, bring a large pot of heavily salted water to a boil. Cook the ziti until it’s very al dente, about 2-3 minutes less than the package directions. It will finish cooking in the oven.
In a medium bowl, mix together the ricotta, half of the shredded mozzarella, the Pecorino Romano, the egg, and the fresh basil.
Drain the pasta and return it to the pot.
Assemble and Bake
Preheat your oven to 375F.
Pour about three-quarters of the meat sauce over the drained pasta and stir to combine.
Spread half of the sauced pasta into a 9×13-inch baking dish.
Dollop the ricotta mixture evenly over the pasta.
Top with the remaining sauced pasta. Spoon the reserved meat sauce over the top layer.
Sprinkle the remaining shredded mozzarella evenly over the sauce.
Bake for 20-25 minutes, until the cheese is melted and the sauce is bubbling around the edges. For a browner top, you can switch the oven to broil for the last 1-2 minutes, but watch it carefully.
Let the baked ziti rest for at least 10 minutes before serving.
Baked Ziti
Ingredients
- 1 pound ziti or rigatoni
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 1/2 pound ground beef
- 1/2 pound ground Italian sausage casings removed
- 1 large yellow onion finely chopped
- 4 cloves garlic minced
- 1/2 cup dry red wine
- 2 28-ounce cans San Marzano crushed tomatoes
- 2 teaspoons dried Italian seasoning
- 1 1/2 teaspoons Diamond Crystal Kosher Salt
- 1 teaspoon black pepper
- 15 ounces whole milk ricotta
- 8 ounces low-moisture mozzarella shredded, divided
- 1/2 cup grated Pecorino Romano cheese
- 1 large egg
- 1/4 cup chopped fresh basil
Instructions
- Heat the olive oil in a large Dutch oven over medium-high heat.
- Add the ground beef and Italian sausage, breaking up with a spoon until browned, 5-7 minutes.
- Add the onion and cook until soft, about 5 minutes, then add the garlic and cook 1 minute more.
- Pour in the red wine, scrape up the browned bits, and reduce by half.
- Add the crushed tomatoes, Italian seasoning, salt, and pepper. Simmer on low, partially covered, for 30 minutes.
- While the sauce simmers, cook the ziti in salted water until very al dente, 2-3 minutes less than package directions.
- Mix the ricotta, half of the mozzarella, the Pecorino Romano, the egg, and the basil in a bowl.
- Drain the pasta and return to the pot.
- Preheat the oven to 375F.
- Stir three-quarters of the meat sauce into the pasta.
- Spread half of the sauced pasta in a 9×13-inch baking dish.
- Dollop the ricotta mixture over the pasta.
- Add remaining pasta, then top with reserved sauce.
- Sprinkle with the remaining mozzarella.
- Bake 20-25 minutes until bubbly. For a browner top, broil 1-2 minutes.
- Let rest 10 minutes before serving.
