The BEST Ziti al Forno-Baked Ziti with Meat Sauce

Savoring Italy

Ziti al Forno

Ziti al Forno-Baked Ziti with Meat Sauce is a favorite recipe for the holidays or even just for an Italian Sunday with family. The pasta al forno casserole is baked until it’s a cheesy and bubbly perfection. The ultimate Italian comfort food dish!

Prep Time: 15 min

For the Meat Sauce: – 3 Tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil – ¼ cup of onion chopped you can use sweet onion or yellow onion – 2 stalks celery diced – 2 carrot diced – 2 cloves garlic minced – 1 ½ pounds lean ground beef you could do a mixture of pork/beef or however you prefer – 1 cup dry white wine – 2-28 ounce can of crushed tomatoes I use San Marzano – 6 fresh basil leaves – 2 ½ teaspoons sea salt – ¼ teaspoon black pepper

Cook Time: 45 min

Ingredients

White Scribbled Underline

Prep Time: 15 min

\ For the Ricotta Layer: – 2 pounds ricotta cheese – 2 eggs – 1 cup shredded mozzarella cheese – ½ cup grated Pecorino Romano or Parmegiano-Reggiano cheese – 1 Tablespoon finely minced Italian parsley leaves – Sea salt and ground black pepper For the Pasta: – 16 ounces ziti penne rigate or mostaciolli pasta – ½ cup grated Pecorino-Romano or Parmegiano Reggiano divided – 1 cup shredded mozzarella cheese divided – fresh basil leaves

Cook Time: 45 min

Ingredients

White Scribbled Underline

Can baked ziti be made ahead of time and frozen?

Yes, it baked ziti can be made ahead. You could assemble the whole casserole and place covered in the refrigerator. The next day, you could bake it up. Or you could freeze the whole thing. You could even place the baked ziti in two or three containers to freeze and use when you are craving Italian comfort food. A nice idea is to bake one pan up and freeze the other one for another night.

Step 1

When you are ready to bake the pasta, you assemble it by beginning with a layer of meat sauce the bottom, layer on top half of the pasta.

Step 3

Add on mozzarella, the grated cheese, some more sauce, the rest of the pasta.

Step 4

Add on some more meat sauce and cheese

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