Somewhat Be Cooking: Simple, tacky ziti cooks in a single pan

Certainly one of my favourite restaurant meals in Wilson is baked ziti from Mama Mia’s. My entire household loves the dreamy, creamy sauce and the way in which it hangs out contained in the tender pasta simply ready to be devoured.

I’ve tried, with out success, to breed it at dwelling, however I’ve been profitable in making numerous ziti recipes. This recipe, from favourite supply Rattling Scrumptious weblog, is considered one of them. This ziti is made in a single pot on the range and is tremendous simple and scrumptious. I extremely advocate it for my pasta-loving readers who respect simple meals.

The recipe is made with Italian sausage and is dressed up with tomatoes, mozzarella and Parmesan cheese and a bit cream. And the great thing about all of it? You may make it in little or no time, particularly for those who use my shortcut.

A number of years in the past, husband Reggie and I bought within the behavior of shopping for floor beef on the weekend, browning it and freezing it so we may have simpler weeknight meals. We’ve finished the identical for breakfast sausage for pizzas or breakfast, and not too long ago, we’ve added Italian sausage to our meal prep lineup.

So when it got here time to make this recipe, I used to be in a position to make it on a piece night time even faster. I simply added the cooked and thawed meat to the pan and began with the instructions from that time.

The recipe is simple to make, together with the tomato sauce that begins with a can of crushed tomatoes. I don’t use crushed tomatoes typically, nevertheless it was the proper ingredient for this recipe as a result of it made a smoother sauce than diced tomatoes would have made. As soon as the tomato sauce has simmered, you add the raw ziti and a few water, cowl your skillet and let the pasta prepare dinner. 

After I topped the pasta with cheese, I positioned my oven-proof skillet in a sizzling oven and let it brown just a bit. Truthfully, it didn’t brown a lot, however I do assume it modified the dish sufficient to make it look extra like a “baked” ziti.

We scooped spoonfuls of the ziti in our bowls and devoured it with some contemporary, buttered bread.

The dish was scrumptious. We each actually appreciated the turkey Italian sausage on this pasta dish. Usually, we use floor beef in pasta dishes, and that might be a very good substitute for the Italian sausage, with some added oregano or Italian seasoning to taste it.

This recipe makes so much, and we had loads of leftovers that warmed up effectively.

Lisa Boykin Batts has been writing a weekly meals column since 2001. Her column consists of recipes she and her household take pleasure in.

One Pot Baked Ziti

This simple ziti recipe is made in a single pan.

1 tablespoon olive oil

1 pound Italian sausage, casings eliminated*

4 cloves garlic, minced 

1/4 teaspoon crimson pepper flakes, or extra, to style

Kosher salt and freshly floor black pepper, to style

1 28-ounce can crushed tomatoes

12 ounces ziti pasta

3/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese

1/2 cup heavy cream

1 cup shredded mozzarella cheese

1/4 cup basil leaves, chiffonade

Warmth olive oil in a big skillet over medium excessive warmth. Add Italian sausage and prepare dinner till browned, about 3-5 minutes, ensuring to crumble the sausage because it cooks. Stir in garlic and crimson pepper flakes and prepare dinner, stirring continuously, till aromatic, about 1 minute; season with salt and pepper, to style.

Stir in tomatoes and produce to a simmer till barely thickened, about 8-10 minutes. Stir in pasta and three cups water. Carry to a boil; cowl, scale back warmth and simmer till pasta is cooked by way of, about 13-16 minutes.

Take away from warmth; stir in Parmesan and heavy cream. High with mozzarella and canopy till cheese has melted, about 2 minutes.

Serve instantly, garnished with basil, if desired.

— Rattling Scrumptious

* I made just a few adjustments. I used turkey Italian sausage, only one giant clove of garlic and omitted the crimson pepper. I additionally used gentle cream as a substitute of heavy cream as a result of that’s what was in my fridge. I didn’t have contemporary basil, so I simply omitted.