This recipe is nearly identical to my italian mother and grandmother's recipe. We use a full 32 oz container of ricotta, mixed with two eggs and italian seasonings, and only 12 oz of mozzarella. We also layer - starting with sauce in the bottom of the pan, then pasta, then ricotta/egg mixture, then mozzarella, repeat. Top with parmesan or romano cheese.
Oh, and it's better the next day. Definitely a make-ahead possibility.
Good, comfort food. Agree w/other reviewers to reduce ricotta cheese to 15 oz. Also modified slighly so casserole's layers are a bit more distinct, vs all mixed together, per the following: Don't cook ziti the full time. Instead, only cook 1/2 the required time. The ziti will finish cooking in the oven. In the meantime, first beat the egg, then mix egg w/the ricotta & 1/3 of the amt. of the cheeses. Add 1/3 cup fresh minced parsley & 1/8 tsp pepper, 1/2 tsp salt to ricotta mixture. Drain half cooked ziti,then combine w/ricotta. Fill casserole dish by beginning w/a layer of sauce, then a layer of ziti/ricotta, some sauce, then some cheese, repeat, ending w/a bit of cheese on top. I have also combined a bit of extra parmesan w/3/4 cup breadcrumbs, then placed this as the final layer. It adds a bit of nice texture to the final casserole. Rather than make a very saucy casserole, I serve extra sauce on the side, for those who want more.
This is an excellent recipe. I am hooked to the baked ziti at a local Italian restaraunt, but this is even better. If you love baked ziti, this is the best. Some people have suggested using sour cream, but you have to have ricotta cheese to make baked ziti!!! Some people have also said that there is too much cheese. But baked ziti is part cheese!!! You have to like cheese to enjoy it. Try this recipe it is amazing!!!
This was very easy and good. The entire family enjoyed it. I added 1 pound of browned ground beef and followed others suggestions of layering: sauce, pasta, ricotta/egg/mozzerella mixture and repeat topping with sauce and parmesan cheese. I had cooked Baked Ziti I from this site, but everyone liked this one better. Thanks Nancy for the recipe and thank you reviewers for your suggestions. PS: I fixed this again without layering. It tasted the same, just isn't as "pretty". I did have to use a BIG bowl to mix the ingredients in, I mean BIG:-)
VERY TASTY. I WOULD DO LESS RICOTTA ADD BROWNED HAMBURGER WITH GARLIC. I WOULD NOT MIX THE SPAGHETTI SAUCE WITH THE RICOTTA MIXTURE. I DOUBLED THE MOZZERELLA. I WOULD DO A LAYERING OF THE RICOTTA/ZITI MIXTURE AND THEN SPAGHETTI SAUCE AND TOP WITH SAUCE AND MOZZERELLA. TASTED GREAT SERVED WITH GARLIC BREAD.
I LOVE this recipe! It makes wonderful leftovers too. I make this on Sunday nights and have leftovers for lunch all week! I've made this dish for years with a few adjustments, because it does have too much cheese. I only use 15 ounces of ricotta. Instead of mixing 1 pound of mozzarella with the noodles, I only mix about 2 handfuls. Just enough to see it melt, but not overpowering. Then I sprinkle the remaining mozzarella on top of the spaghetti sauce before putting it in the oven. This way I can monitor how much cheese I've got. Try these adjustments and I bet you'll give this 5 stars! (By the way, you can always add meat, mushrooms, etc.)
This was amazing! I added 1/2 lb. ground italian sausage which I cooked with some garlic. I used the 15 oz. size ricotta and mixed it into the cooked pasta along with about half the cheese and egg but not the spaghetti sauce. Instead I layered the ingredients like this: a layer of sauce in the bottom of a lasagna pan, a layer of the pasta/cheese mixture, more sauce, italian sausage, mozzarella, repeat. I made the dish ahead and kept in the fridge till ready to cook. I seasoned both the pasta mixture and the top of the dish with some italian herb seasoning. It was beautiful and a great addition to a dinner buffet.
I'd have to give this a five for taste, but a three for texture. The layered method has more texture where this is all stirred together in a big mish-mash. Next time I will keep the ricotta/egg mixture and the sauce separate as I put the pasta in the pan.
This is good made just as the recipe lays out. I can see the versitility of this to adapt to make it a meat recipe, but you could just add some vegetables, too. To those that talk about layering. Just make lasagna, willya? The beauty of baked ziti is you just mix it and cook.
