Best 5 Southwest Baked Ziti Recipes

BAKED ZITI WITH CHICKEN

Steps:

• Heat oil in a large skillet over medium. Add onion; cook, stirring occasionally, until translucent, about 5 minutes. Add garlic; cook, stirring occasionally, until fragrant, about 1 minute. Add plum tomatoes, crushed tomatoes, salt, black pepper, and crushed red pepper; bring to a boil over medium. Reduce heat to medium-low; simmer, stirring occasionally, until flavors meld and sauce thickens, about 30 minutes.
• Meanwhile, bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Add ziti, and boil until just al dente, according to package directions. Drain and return ziti to pot.
• Preheat oven to 375°F. Add tomato mixture, shredded chicken, and basil to ziti; stir to coat thoroughly. Pour half of ziti mixture into a 13- x 9-inch baking dish coated with cooking spray. Sprinkle evenly with 1/3 cup of the Parmesan and 1 cup of the mozzarella. Top with remaining ziti mixture, and sprinkle with remaining 1/3 cup Parmesan and 1 cup mozzarella.
• Bake in preheated oven until cheese has melted, about 15 minutes. Remove from oven, and let rest 10 minutes. Garnish with additional basil before serving.

BAKED ZITI

Steps:

• Preheat the oven: Preheat the oven to 350°F.
• Cook the pasta: Heat a large pot of salted water (for every 2 quarts of water, one tablespoon of salt) to a strong boil. Add the pasta and cook at a rolling boil, uncovered, until the pasta is al dente-edible but still a little firm to the bite. Drain the pasta through a colander. Toss with a little olive oil so the pasta does not stick together while you make the sauce.
• Brown the meat: While the water is heating in the previous step, start on the sauce. Heat a tablespoon of olive oil in a large sauté pan on medium-high heat. When the oil is shimmering hot, add the bulk sausage or ground meat. Break up any large chunks of sausage as it cooks. Brown well. Don't stir that often or it will be more difficult for the meat to brown. If you are using ground beef or pork instead of sausage, sprinkle with a little salt.

THE BEST BAKED ZITI

Steps:

• Cut down the length of each sausage with a sharp knife. Remove and discard casings.
• Heat olive oil in a large saucepan set over high heat. Add sausages and onion. Cook, stirring occasionally and breaking up with a spatula, until the sausage begins to brown, and the onion turns translucent, 5 to 7 minutes. Add oregano, thyme, and rosemary and cook for 1 minute more. Pour in marinara sauce. Pour 1 cup water into each jar to rinse out remaining sauce; add to the saucepan. Stir together and bring sauce to a simmer.
• Reduce the heat to medium-low, and let simmer, stirring occasionally, for 1 hour. Taste for seasoning and adjust if needed. Turn off heat and reserve until needed. Before using, skim any excess fat that rises to the surface.
• While sauce simmers, bring a large pot of generously salted water to a boil. Add ziti and cook, stirring occasionally, for 1 or 2 minutes less than the directions on the package call for, about 8 minutes. Drain well and transfer into a large mixing bowl.
• Carefully add the meat sauce and stir until thoroughly combined. Let rest for 5 minutes.
• Meanwhile, preheat the oven to 375 degrees F (190 degrees C). Grease a large 9x15-inch or 9x13-inch casserole dish with a drizzle of olive oil.
• Use a slotted spoon to transfer half of the pasta and sauce mixture to the prepared dish, then use a spatula to even out into a uniform layer. Top with 1/2 of the ricotta cheese, 1/2 of the mozzarella cheese, and then 1/2 of the grated Pecorino Romano cheese, being sure to distribute evenly. Top with the rest of the pasta and sauce mixture and give the pan a little shake to settle the sauce. Repeat the cheese application.
• Bake in the center of the preheated oven until the cheese is melted and the casserole is piping hot, 30 to 35 minutes. Remove from the oven and let cool 10 to 15 minutes before serving. Top with parsley.

SOUTHWEST BAKED ZITI

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 375 degrees.
• Cook pasta according until almost done.
• Spray a 8 inch square baking pan with nonstick cooking spray.
• In a small mixing bowl, combine tomato sauce and salsa.
• In a large mixing bowl, combine the ricotta cheese with half of the mozzarella cheese.
• Next blend in half of the tomata/salsa sauce, corn, chopped green chilies, oregano and pepper.
• Add the cooked ziti to mixture and mix well.
• Spoon in pasta mixture into your 8 inch casserole dish.
• Spread the remaining sauce over the top followed by the mozzarella cheese and then the grated Parmesan cheese.
• Cover with aluminum foil and bake 20 minutes.
• Uncover and bake 15 more minutes.

BAKED ZITI I

Steps:

• Bring a large pot of lightly salted water to a boil. Add ziti pasta, and cook until al dente, about 8 minutes; drain.
• In a large skillet, brown onion and ground beef over medium heat. Add spaghetti sauce, and simmer 15 minutes.
• Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Butter a 9x13 inch baking dish. Layer as follows: 1/2 of the ziti, Provolone cheese, sour cream, 1/2 sauce mixture, remaining ziti, mozzarella cheese and remaining sauce mixture. Top with grated Parmesan cheese.
• Bake for 30 minutes in the preheated oven, or until cheeses are melted.