Ultimate Baked Ziti
Written Recipe
Total Time: 2 hr
Cook Time: 2 hr Feeds 10-15 people
Ingredients:
2 lb pounds of rigatoni
2 cans of crushed San Marzano tomatoes
A block of Parmesan Reggiano
A head of garlic diced
3 shallots diced
3 handfuls of basil
¼ cup olive oil
1-1.5 lb of low-moisture mozzarella
1-1.5 lb of fresh mozzarella
2 lb of total fat while ricotta
Red pepper to taste
Onion Powder
Garlic Powder
A dash of sugar (optional)
Salt
Parmesan Rind (if you got it)
Method
Cut your garlic and shallots and set them aside. Cut your mozzarella into one-inch square cubes as well and set aside.
Get a big pot and put olive oil, shallots, garlic, and a handful of basil and put in the pot. Turn on the heat so that everything gets warm together.
Once garlic and shallots are cooked through and basil is fried, add your cans of San Marzano tomatoes and take out the basil if you do not want it anymore. Add Spices to taste. Add your parmesan rind if you got it to infuse with the sauce. Simmer this sauce until reduced and rich, about an hour, but thirty minutes minimum.
When the sauce is reduced boil your pasta to al dente, about 2-3 minutes less than the box says. Then set aside
Add your pasta and ricotta to a bowl and mix. Once done mixing add sauce till it becomes very saucy (saucier than you think).
Now it is time to layer! Add a layer of thin sauce to the bottom. Then add a third of your pasta mix above that. Add a third of your mozzarella, some parmesan, and some basil leaves as well. Repeat till out of pasta. On the top layer do not add any parmesan or basil but do add a dash of olive oil on top for some more crispy bits on top.
Bake at 400 F for about 25 minutes, broil for 2 minutes at max if needed for color and crispy top.
Take it out, let it rest for 10 minutes, and then take a bite and say “Oh Marron!”
Background: This is a better and easier lasagna in my humble opinion. I made this for our Superbowl party as well and it did not last till halftime. Home-cooked Italian food is one of my favorite things to make because it's not that many ingredients but it is so delicious and obviously a crowd-pleaser.
The first time I heard of this dish was in The Sopranos TV show. Even in the first episode of the show, they mention it in the perfect way. When AJ finds outs his grandma is not coming to his birthday party, he says “So no fucking ziti”. He is not mad that his grandma is not coming, he is more upset that the baked ziti is not coming. So after hearing and seeing baked ziti a dozen times on The Sopranos I decided to try to make it myself. I first tried the exact recipe that the show provides and it was amazing. But as I kept making the recipe I added some tweaks to make it go on to the next level. And this is that recipe.
