baked pasta recipes

Large pasta shells baked with ricotta and cheddar will will warm the coolest of nights.

Broccolini, mushroom and ricotta conchiglie

conchiglie (large pasta shells)

tbs extra virgin olive oil

button mushrooms, very finely chopped

anchovy

ricotta

(125 milliliters) milk

smoked cheddar cheese, grated

broccolini, very finely chopped

lemon

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For a real weeknight indulgence, dig in to this hearty, meatball-studded pasta bake, filled with gooey mozzarella and fresh green spinach.

Baked Pasta with Meatballs and Spinach

mezzi rigatoni

c. baby spinach

Kosher salt

Pepper

garlic,

c. flat-leaf parsley, chopped

breadcrumbs

c. grated Parmesan

85% beef

Italian sausage, casings removed

24-oz jar marinara sauce

c. part-skim ricotta, divided

Heat broiler. Cook pasta per package&nbsp;directions, drain and return to pot.&nbsp;

Meanwhile, chop 1 cup spinach. In a large bowl, whisk together the egg, 2 tablespoons of water, and 1/2 teaspoon each of salt and pepper. Stir in the garlic and parsley, then the bread crumbs and Parmesan. Let sit for 2 minutes. Add the beef, sausage, and chopped spinach and mix to combine.

Form the meat mixture into 1 1/2-inch balls (about 20 total) and place on rimmed baking sheet. Broil until cooked through, 6 to 8 minutes.

Toss the pasta with the marinara sauce. Fold in 1 cup mozzarella, 1/4 cup of ricotta, then meatballs and remaining&nbsp;2 cups spinach. Transfer to a 3-quart baking dish. Sprinkle with the remaining 1/2 cup mozzarella and dollop with the remaining 1/4 cup ricotta. Broil until golden brown, 2 to 3 minutes.

Double meat, delicious marinara with a hint of cream, and lots of cheese will make baked spaghetti a family favorite. I promise- they’re gonna want seconds!

Baked Spaghetti

spaghetti

beef (80/20)

salt

black pepper

garlic (minced)

Italian Sausage

yellow onion, (chopped)

Italian seasoning

tomato

(16 ounce) container sour cream

mozzarella (shredded, divided)

parmesan (shredded)

Preheat oven to 350 °F (177 °C). Spray a 9X13 inch baking dish with nonstick cooking spray.

Cook the spaghetti (1 package) in well-salted water according to package instructions, just to al dente and drain well. Wipe out the pasta pot with paper towels and pour the well-drained pasta into the pot.

Add the beef (1 pound), salt (1 teaspoon), and pepper (1/2 teaspoon) to a large skillet and brown, breaking it up into medium chunks until there is no longer any pink. Drain excess fat. Pour beef into the pasta pot.

In the same skillet, brown the sausage (1 pound), breaking it up into medium chunks, until cooked through. Pour the sausage into the pasta pot. Remove and discard all but 2 tablespoons of fat in the skillet. If there are not 2 tablespoons of fat, add vegetable oil.

Add the onion (1 1/2 cups), garlic (1 tablespoon), and Italian seasoning (1 tablespoon) to the skillet and saute on medium-low until the onions are translucent. Pour into the pasta pot.

Pour the tomato basil sauce (2 jars), sour cream, 1 cup mozzarella, and parmesan (1 cup) into the pasta pot and fold until everything is evenly combined and all the pasta is well coated in sauce.

Pour the pasta into the prepared baking dish and sprinkle the top evenly with the remaining mozzarella. Bake in preheated oven until bubbly, about 25-30 minutes.  Sprinkle top with parsley and serve.

Baked ziti with ricotta is a decadent Italian delicacy of savory meat sauce, a delicate ricotta blend and ziti pasta secured by a melty mozzarella topping.

Baked Ziti with Ricotta

olive oil

onion (chopped)

beef

(24-ounce) jars spaghetti sauce

eggs

nutmeg

mozzarella, (shredded)

parmesan cheese, (grated)

ziti pasta (uncooked)

mozzarella (shredded)

Preheat oven to 350°F (177ºC).

Make Sauce: Heat olive oil (2 tablespoons), over medium-high heat, in a large, high-sided skillet. Add onion (1 cup)and saute until translucent, about 5-7 minutes. Moderate heat so as not to brown onion. Turn heat to medium-low, add minced garlic (1 tablespoon), and cook until fragrant, 1-2 minutes.

Add beef (2 pounds), salt (1 1/2 teaspoons), and black pepper (1 teaspoon) to skillet and cook, over medium heat, until no longer pink; drain as needed. Stir in spaghetti sauce (2 jars) and add Italian seasoning (3 teaspoons).

Make Ricotta Filling: In a large bowl, combine ricotta cheese (24 ounces), eggs (2), nutmeg (1/4 teaspoon), Italian seasoning (1 teaspoon), mozzarella cheese (1 cup), and Parmesan (1 cup).

Pasta: Cook pasta (12 ounces) according to package directions. Drain well.

Assembly: Add 1/2 cup of sauce to the bottom of a 13x9-inch baking dish and swirl to cover the bottom. Spread 1/2 of cooked pasta in the baking dish, then spoon a 1/2 of the meat sauce, then dollop 1/2 ricotta mixture-spreading it into an even layer with an offset spatula. Repeat with remaining layers, ending with ricotta mixture.Place on a rimmed cookie sheet.

Cover and bake for about 40 minutes or until a thermometer reads 160°. Uncover; sprinkle with remaining 2 cups mozzarella cheese. Bake 10 minutes longer or until cheese is melted. Let stand 15 minutes before serving.

I am not even sure why I looked for a recipe for baked ziti, as I used to make it daily. However, when I saw this one it looked similar to how I’d previously made it but better in a couple key ways, so I made it. I subbed Italian sausage for the ground beef, that is the only change I made. Myself and boyfriend both loved it and I made it a few more times since. 

Since then I noticed you have a whole separate recipe for baked ziti with Italian sausage — what gives? I think I like this recipe better, but a part of me keeps wanting to try it. But it has no ricotta and I’m not sure I’d ever want a baked ziti without ricotta. What do you think? Is there a reason it’s written differently?

Made this for my small group of 10 and everyone loved it. It went together very well and baked as listed. My husband also loved it. Will make it again!

Great Recipe!  What can I replace with nutmeg for the ricotta filling?  Also can this be refrigerated for a day and then reheated?

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Top 4 baked pasta recipes recipes from across the web

The most viewed baked pasta recipes recipes by Recipe Cart users, saved from over 20,000 sites. Or, go to our Recipe Search Engineic_arrow_forward_48px

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The most viewed baked pasta recipes recipes by Recipe Cart users, saved from over 20,000 sites. Or, go to our Recipe Search Engine