Baked Ziti
- 16 ounces dry ziti pasta
- ½ white or yellow onion (diced)
- 2 cloves garlic (minced)
- 4 links fresh spicy Italian sausage (casings removed)
- 1 pound 85/15 ground beef
- 24 ounces jarred arrabbiatta sauce (or any spicy pasta sauce you like)
- 12 ounces jarred tomato basil sauce
- salt and pepper (to taste)
- 2 cups shredded whole milk mozzarella cheese
- Additional shakes of crushed red pepper, if desired
- Fresh basil leaves, for garnish
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees and lightly spray a large, oven-safe casserole dish with cooking spray. Set aside.
In a large pot, bring water to a boil and cook pasta to al dente. Drain and set aside.
In a large skillet, add sausage and ground beef and break up into little pieces with a wooden spoon or spatula. Add in the onion and garlic and cook until beef and sausage are cooked through and onions are tender, about 7 minutes.
Remove from heat and add in the pasta. Then add the tomato sauces and stir together to incorporate and make sure everything is coated. Season with salt and pepper, to taste.
After everything is mixed, pour 1/2 the mixture into the prepared casserole dish. Smooth it out then sprinkle cheese on top until it’s all covered.
Take the other 1/2 of the mixture and pour on top, then sprinkle more cheese to cover the top.
Cover the casserole dish with foil or lid, if your casserole dish has one, and bake for 30-45 minutes.
Serve with some sprinklings of parmesan cheese and garlic bread!
