Baked Ziti with Sausage
Description
Baked ziti with sausage cooked until bubbly with spaghetti sauce, cheese, and sausage. This is a pasta recipe with delicious, comforting flavor.
Ingredients
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cooking spray
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1 (16 ounce) package dry ziti pasta
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1 pound mild Italian sausage
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1 (15 ounce) container ricotta cheese
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1 large yellow onion, minced
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1 large egg
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2 teaspoons minced garlic
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1 teaspoon dried oregano
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1/2 teaspoon salt
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1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper
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1 1/2 (26 ounce) jars spaghetti sauce, divided
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1 (8 ounce) package shredded Italian cheese blend
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1 teaspoon dried basil
Directions
1
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Grease a 9x13-inch baking dish.
2
Bring a large pot of lightly salted water to a rolling boil over high heat. Stir in ziti and return to a boil. Cook pasta uncovered, stirring occasionally, until cooked through but still firm to the bite, about 8 minutes. Drain well.
3
While pasta is cooking, heat a large skillet over medium heat. Add sausage; cook and stir until brown, about 10 minutes. Drain sausage and set aside.
4
Stir together ricotta, onion, egg, garlic, and oregano in a large bowl until well combined. Stir in pasta, sausage, salt, pepper, and the half jar of spaghetti sauce; mix well.
5
Cover the bottom of the prepared baking dish with 1/3 of the full jar spaghetti sauce. Layer with 1/2 of the pasta mixture, 1/2 of the remaining spaghetti sauce, and 1/2 of the shredded cheese. Repeat layers once more using remaining pasta, sauce, and cheese. Sprinkle basil over top and cover the dish tightly with aluminum foil.
6
Bake in the preheated oven until heated through, about 20 minutes. Uncover; return to the oven and bake until cheese is melted, 5 to 10 more minutes.