Description
Hearty baked ziti emerges as a comforting Italian-American classic without meat. Melted cheese, robust marinara, and al dente pasta create a satisfying meal that welcomes you to savor each delicious bite.
Ingredients
Scale
- 16 oz (454 g) ziti or short pasta like penne or mostaccioli
- 24 oz (680 g) marinara or spaghetti sauce (any brand, or homemade)
- 14 oz (397 g) petite diced tomatoes, undrained
- 2 cups shredded mozzarella cheese
- 8 oz (227 g) softened cream cheese
- 0.5 cup (120 ml) sour cream (regular or low fat), ricotta, or cottage cheese
- 2 tsps Italian seasoning
- 1 tsp garlic powder
Instructions
- Preparation: Ignite the oven to 375°F (190°C) and lavishly grease a 9×13-inch casserole dish with non-stick spray or butter.
- Pasta Perfection: Submerge pasta in generously salted boiling water, cooking until al dente, then drain thoroughly in a colander, allowing minimal moisture retention.
- Sauce Symphony: Whisk marinara, diced tomatoes, cream cheese, Italian seasoning, and garlic powder in a capacious mixing bowl until achieving a silky, homogeneous consistency without any lingering cream cheese clusters.
- Layering Foundation: Tenderly incorporate cooked pasta into the sauce, ensuring complete and delicate coating without compromising noodle integrity.
- Initial Assembly: Distribute half the sauced pasta across the casserole’s base, creating an even, foundational layer.
- Cheese Intermission: Spread a smooth stratum of sour cream or ricotta, then cascade shredded mozzarella to form a comprehensive cheese blanket.
- Final Composition: Crown with remaining pasta mixture, completely obscuring the underlying cheese layer.
- Cheese Finale: Lavishly adorn the top with an additional mozzarella cascade, ensuring total cheese coverage.
- Baking Transformation: Position uncovered dish in the preheated oven, baking 30-40 minutes until edges bubble vivaciously and cheese metamorphoses into a golden, slightly crisp landscape.
- Resting Phase: Extract from oven and allow 5-10 minutes of repose, permitting layers to stabilize and temperature to equilibrate before serving.
Notes
- Pasta Perfection: Cook ziti exactly 8-10 minutes for ideal al dente texture, preventing mushy or hard pasta.
- Sauce Smoothing Technique: Whisk cream cheese thoroughly to eliminate lumps, creating a silky, uniform sauce base.
- Cheese Layer Strategy: Spread sour cream or ricotta evenly to ensure each bite has creamy richness and balanced flavor.
- Baking Brilliance: Let dish rest 5-10 minutes after baking to allow layers to set and enhance overall texture and flavor cohesion.
- Prep Time: 15 minutes
- Cook Time: 35 minutes
- Category: Dinner, Lunch
- Method: Baking
- Cuisine: Italian
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 7
- Calories: 420
- Sugar: 6 g
- Sodium: 800 mg
- Fat: 20 g
- Saturated Fat: 10 g
- Unsaturated Fat: 8 g
- Trans Fat: 0 g
- Carbohydrates: 45 g
- Fiber: 3 g
- Protein: 18 g
- Cholesterol: 50 mg