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Back in my college days there were two ways for my friends and I to spend what little grocery money we had. The first option was to live off of ramen noodles, and peanut butter and jelly sandwiches. After a while, this diet gets extremely boring and you crave more sophisticated food like you never knew you could.
The second option was to spend my Sunday cooking food from scratch, store it in the fridge, and reheat it through the week. Now I don’t know about you but I always found the latter more appealing than the former.
One of my favorite meals to make ahead was baked ziti. It was warming, filling, and satisfied my craving for my grandmama’s Italian cooking. Studying out of state, a taste of home was exactly what I needed during an all night study session.
The tomato sauce and the white sauce are both very easy to prepare, and the noodles take hardly any effort at all, so overall I would rate this a super easy dish, which is probably why I made it so often.
Another reason would probably be the tender, yet chewy pasta, the creamy, savory white sauce, and the summer like tomato flavor in the tomato sauce.
To make baked ziti you will need butter, flour, whole milk, Parmesan, kosher salt, olive oil, pancetta (Italian bacon), onion, garlic, crushed red pepper flakes, tomato paste, canned whole peeled tomatoes, fresh basil, ziti (penne or rigatoni will work as well), and some fresh mozzarella.
Start by melting the butter, whisking in the flour and cook, whisking constantly, 1 minute.
Gradually whisk in the warm milk. Bring mixture to a boil, reduce heat, and simmer, whisking often, until mixture is thickened to about the consistency of heavy cream and no longer feels grainy when rubbed between your fingers (this can take between 8 and 10 minutes). Thoroughly cooking the mixture ensures a creamy sauce and eliminates any raw flour flavor.
Remove the pot from heat and add 2 cups Parmesan. Whisk it together until the cheese is melted and sauce is smooth. Set aside.
Next heat a little bit of oil up in a large saucepan over medium-high. Cook the pancetta in the oil, stirring often, until golden brown, about 2 minutes.
Once the pancetta is golden, add the onion, garlic, and red pepper flakes. Season with salt and pepper, and cook, stirring often, until onion is golden and soft, 8–10 minutes.
Add tomato paste and cook, stirring, until slightly darkened, about 2 minutes.
Add whole peeled tomatoes, crushing with your hands as you go, and season with salt and pepper. Bring sauce to a simmer and cook, stirring often, until slightly reduced and flavors have melded, 20–25 minutes.
Let cool slightly, then use an immersion blender to purée the sauce directly in the pot. You could also transfer the sauce to a blender, and pulse it until it is mostly smooth. Stir in the fresh basil and season to taste with a little bit of salt and pepper.
Cook pasta in a large pot of boiling salted water, stirring occasionally, until very al dente, about 5 minutes (the pasta will continue to cook in the oven).
Transfer all but one cup of the white sauce to a large bowl. Add pasta and mozzarella and toss to combine. Add the tomato sauce and gently fold mixture a few times, leaving streaks of white sauce.
Transfer pasta mixture to a 13×9″ or other 3-quart baking dish, dollop with remaining white sauce, and scatter remaining Parmesan over pasta. Bake until mozzarella is melted and sauce is bubbling around the edges, 15–20 minutes.
Heat broiler. Broil until pasta and cheese are dark brown in spots, about 4 minutes. Let pasta sit 5 minutes before serving.
Ingredients:
- 2 tablespoons unsalted butter
- 2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
- 2¼ cups whole milk, slightly warmed
- 2½ cups grated Parmesan, divided
- Kosher salt, freshly ground pepper
- ¼ cup olive oil
- 1 ounce pancetta (Italian bacon), finely chopped
- 1 large onion, chopped
- 4 garlic cloves, chopped
- ½ teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes
- 2 tablespoons tomato paste
- 1 28-oz. can plus 1 14-oz. can whole peeled tomatoes
- ¼ cup chopped fresh basil
- 1 pound ziti, penne, or rigatoni
- 1 pound fresh mozzarella, cut into ½” pieces
Directions:
Heat butter in a medium saucepan over medium until foamy. Sprinkle flour over and cook, whisking constantly, 1 minute. Gradually whisk in warm milk. Bring mixture to a boil, reduce heat, and simmer, whisking often, until the mixture is thickened to about the consistency of heavy cream and no longer feels grainy when rubbed between your fingers, 8–10 minutes. Remove from heat and add 2 cups Parmesan, whisking until cheese is melted and sauce is smooth. Set aside.
Heat oil in a large saucepan over medium-high. Cook pancetta, stirring often, until golden brown, about 2 minutes. Add onion, garlic, and red pepper flakes; season with salt and pepper. Cook, stirring often, until onion is golden and soft, 8–10 minutes. Add tomato paste and cook, stirring, until slightly darkened, about 2 minutes.
Add whole peeled tomatoes, crushing with your hands as you go, and season with salt and pepper. Bring sauce to a simmer and cook, stirring often, until slightly reduced and flavors have melded, 20–25 minutes. Let cool slightly, then transfer to a blender; pulse until mostly smooth (or use an immersion blender and purée directly in pot). Stir in basil and season with salt and pepper.
Meanwhile, preheat oven to 350°. Cook pasta in a large pot of boiling salted water, stirring occasionally, until very al dente, about 5 minutes (the pasta will continue to cook in the oven); drain.
Transfer all but one cup of white sauce to a large bowl; add pasta and mozzarella and toss to combine. Add all but 1 cup the tomato sauce and gently fold mixture a few times, leaving streaks of white sauce.
Transfer pasta mixture to a 13×9″ or other 3-quart baking dish, dollop with remaining white sauce, and scatter remaining Parmesan over pasta. Bake until mozzarella is melted and sauce is bubbling around the edges, 15–20 minutes.
Heat broiler. Broil until pasta and cheese are dark brown in spots, about 4 minutes. Let pasta sit 5 minutes before serving.
How soon will you cook some of the best baked ziti?