Baked Ziti

• servings: 8 servings
• total time: 50 minutes

Ingredients

1 lb ziti pasta

Kosher salt

3½ cups Quick Tomato Sauce (recipe follows)

1 lb fresh mozzarella, half cut into ½ inch cubes and half thinly sliced

¾ cup freshly grated Parmesan

½ tsp ground black pepper

Pinch crushed red pepper (optional)

Quick Tomato Sauce:

2 tbsp extra virgin olive oil

1 lb sweet Italian sausage*, casings removed and sausage crumbled

¼ medium onion, diced (about 3 tbsp)

1½ tsp minced garlic

One 28 oz can crushed tomatoes

Sprig fresh thyme

Sprig fresh basil

Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper

*can also use ½ lb sausage and ½ lb ground beef (or ground turkey)

Directions

Preheat the oven to 400°F.

Bring a large pot of water to a boil, salt generously and boil the pasta until al dente (tender but still slightly firm). Drain.

While making the pasta prepare the Quick Tomato Sauce as follows. Heat the oil in a medium saucepan over medium-high heat. Cook the sausage until beginning to brown, about 3 minutes. Add the onion and garlic, stirring, until lightly browned, about 3 minutes more. Add the tomatoes and the herb sprigs and bring to a boil. Lower the heat and simmer, covered, for 10 minutes. Remove and discard the herb sprigs. Stir in salt (1-2 tsp, to taste) and season with pepper.

Toss the cooked pasta with the Quick Tomato Sauce, cubed mozzarella, half the Parmesan, all of the black pepper and crushed red pepper in a large bowl. Transfer the pasta to the prepared baking dish. Cover the top of the pasta with the sliced mozzarella and sprinkle with the remaining Parmesan. Bake until lightly browned and hot, about 30 minutes. Serve immediately.

Nutrition

• Calories: 718
• Total Fat: 43g
• Saturated Fat: 17g
• Cholesterol: 97mg
• Sodium: 1080mg
• Total Carbohydrate: 49g
• Dietary Fiber: 4g
• Total Sugars: 5g
• Protein: 34g