Delicious Baked Ziti with Italian Sausage

Baked Ziti with Italian Sausage
Essential Ingredients
• Pasta: 1 pound of dry ziti (or penne if ziti is unavailable).
• Meat: 1 pound of Italian sausage (sweet, mild, or hot), with casings removed.
• Sauce: Two 24–32 ounces of marinara or spaghetti sauce.
• Cheese: 15 ounces of ricotta cheese, 2–3 cups of shredded or cut into 1/2 cubes mozzarella, and 1 cup of grated Parmesan or Pecorino Romano.
• Aromatics & Seasoning: Diced onion, 4 cloves minced garlic, Italian seasoning, 6 chopped Basil leaves
• Salt and optional red pepper flakes for heat. 
Preparation Steps
• Boil Pasta: Cook ziti in salted water until al dente (typically 2 minutes less than the package instructions) as it will continue cooking in the oven.
• Cook Meat & Sauce: In a large skillet, brown the sausage until no longer pink. Add onions and garlic, sautéing until soft, then stir in the marinara sauce and seasonings. Let simmer for 10–15 minutes.
• Cheeses: In a separate bowl, combine ricotta and chopped Basil.
• Leave cubes mozzarella, some Parmesan separately for layering
• Assemble: Spread a thin layer of sauce in the bottom of a greased 9×13-inch baking dish.
• Layer half of the cooked pasta with meat sauce, half of the ricotta mixture layers and top with the mozzarella and Parmesan.
• Repeat the layers
• Bake: Cover loosely with foil and bake at 350°F (175°C) for 20 minutes. Remove the foil and bake for an additional 10–15 minutes until the cheese is bubbly and golden. 
• Buon appetito

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Popular Variations
• Extra Creaminess: Stir in a splash of heavy cream to the marinara sauce before assembling.
• Vegetable Add-ins: Sautéed mushrooms, spinach, or bell peppers can be added to the sauce for extra texture.
• One-Pot Method: Some modern recipes allow you to cook the pasta directly in the sauce and water within a Dutch oven to save on cleanup.