Baked ziti casserole
Easy baked ziti casserole with a Greek twist, full of cheese and a hearty meat sauce!
Prep Time50 minutes mins
Cook Time25 minutes mins
Total Time1 hour hr 15 minutes mins
Course: Main Course
Cuisine: American
Keyword: Baked pasta, Baked ziti, Easy baked ziti
Servings: 8 servings
Calories: 726kcal
Author: Mia Kouppa
To cook the pasta
- 1 pound ziti pasta
- 1 tsp salt
For the meat sauce
- 250 grams (9 oz, or 1/2 lb) ground veal
- 250 grams (9oz, or 1/2 lb) ground pork
- 1 cup onion diced
- 2 tbsp ( 30 mL) olive oil
- 1 bay leaf
- 2 tbsp tomato paste
- 3 garlic cloves finely diced
- 1½ cups zucchini cut in cubes (about the size of dice)
- 5 cups (1,250 mL) passata or homemade tomato sauce or marinara sauce
- 1 tsp salt
- ½ tsp pepper
- 245 grams ricotta cheese 8 ounces
- 100 grams Greek feta
- 5 fresh basil leaves thinly sliced
To assemble casserole
- 375 grams mozarella cheese divided
- 1 cup grated mizithra cheese divided; can substitute with grated parmesan or grated romano cheese
Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil and cook your ziti until it is almost done. Simply cutting a minute or two off of the cooking instructions on the package is sufficient. Once ready, drain and set aside.
1 pound ziti pasta, 1 tsp salt
Preheat oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit.
For the meat sauce
In a large pot or Dutch oven set over medium high heat cook your meat and onion until the meat is completely cooked through and the onion is softened. Be sure to break the meat apart with a wooden spoon as it is cooking.
250 grams (9 oz, or 1/2 lb) ground veal, 250 grams (9oz, or 1/2 lb) ground pork, 1 cup onion
Move your meat and onions to the sides of your pot (so that you have an empty space in the center) and to the center add the olive oil, bay leaf and tomato paste. Stir the tomato paste continuously and cook for 1 minute. After the 1 minute, mix everything together.
2 tbsp ( 30 mL) olive oil, 1 bay leaf, 2 tbsp tomato paste
Add the garlic and zucchini and cook for 3-5 minutes, stirring regularly.
3 garlic cloves, 1½ cups zucchini
Add the passata (or tomato sauce or marinara sauce) and the salt and pepper. Reduce to a simmer and cook for 10 minutes. Remove the bay leaf and discard.
5 cups (1,250 mL) passata, 1 tsp salt, ½ tsp pepper
To assemble casserole
Take 1 ladle full of sauce and spread it across the bottom of your 9 x 13 inch casserole dish.
Add the crumbled feta to the rest of the meat sauce and spoon in the ricotta. Add the finely sliced basil leaves. Add cooked pasta and stir gently. You want all the ziti to be coated but you still want to have chunks of feta and ricotta visible.
245 grams ricotta cheese, 100 grams Greek feta, 5 fresh basil leaves
Transfer half of the pasta mixture to your casserole dish. Top the pasta with half of the shredded mozzarella and half of the grated mizithra (or grated parmesan or grated romano).
375 grams mozarella cheese, 1 cup grated mizithra cheese
Add the rest of the pasta mixture to the casserole dish and top with the remaining mozzarella and the remaining grated mizithra.
Bake, uncovered, in the middle rack of your oven for about 25 minutes. If you would like, broil for approximately 2 minutes so that the top layer of cheese gets nice and browned (careful you don't burn it!).
Let cool for at least 5 minutes before serving.
Enjoy!
Make ahead tips:
Make your meat sauce ahead of time
Grating your cheese before you need it, is very helpful as well.
Calories: 726kcal | Carbohydrates: 63g | Protein: 42g | Fat: 34g | Saturated Fat: 17g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 2g | Monounsaturated Fat: 12g | Cholesterol: 123mg | Sodium: 1356mg | Potassium: 1229mg | Fiber: 6g | Sugar: 12g | Vitamin A: 1536IU | Vitamin C: 24mg | Calcium: 563mg | Iron: 5mg