Baked Ziti
By Andrew Brandon
This recipe is still something of a draft. Next time I make it I’ll take a picture.
I recently learned that it’s possible to make baked pasta dishes without boiling the pasta first. Instead, just add the dry pasta to the baking dish with extra water and salt, and that water will cook the pasta as the whole thing bakes. I tried it once, and it works! So, here’s a recipe for minimal-prep baked ziti.
Possible variations:
- Add a bunch of raw baby spinach. No need to sauté first, just stick it in there. But maybe sautéeing is helpful so the greens wilt a little, otherwise it’s hard to stir them in.
- Chop two eggplants and sauté them in olive oil and salt for 20 minutes until they’re dark and soft. Mix it in with the rest of the ingredients before baking.
- For a meaty ziti, use bolognese sauce instead of marinara.
- Use other pasta shapes according to your whims.
Note: I have not tried this technique on fresh/raw pasta; it likely won’t work because of the chemical differences. Please tweet at me if you have info on this!
- 6 generous servings
- 5 minutes
- 1 hour
Ingredients
- 1 lb. ziti, or other dry pasta (not fresh pasta)
- 24 oz jar marinara sauce
- 1 cup part-skim ricotta
- 1 tsp red pepper flakes (optional, because I like it a bit spicy)
- 1 lb. part-skim mozzarella cheese, grated
- 3 cups water
- ¾ tsp salt
Directions
- Preheat the oven to 400 °F.
- Put the uncooked ziti, sauce, ricotta, and pepper flakes in a 9x13 baking pan. Mix thoroughly.
- Pour in just enough water to cover (about 3 cups), along with the ¾ tsp salt. This water will cook the pasta as the dish bakes.
- Bake at 400 °F for 45 minutes, until most of the water has evaporated.
- Cover the top with the mozzarella and return to the oven.
- Continue to bake another 15-20 minutes until it is done.
This is but one of the many fantastic recipes available on this blog!