The Best and Easiest Baked Ziti | Homemade Pasta Sauce

Italian sausage

🥗Healthier: ground turkey

💰Cheaper: ground beef

Ground turkey is leaner, while ground beef is often less expensive.

mozzarella cheese

🥗Healthier: part-skim mozzarella

💰Cheaper: cheddar cheese

Part-skim mozzarella reduces fat, while cheddar is usually cheaper.

Begin by boiling water with half chicken broth and half water, adding salt to taste for flavor.

Put the ziti noodles into the boiling chicken broth and cook until al dente, about 8-10 minutes.

In a deep skillet, heat grapeseed oil over medium heat and add roughly chopped peppers, onions, and garlic. Sauté for about 3-5 minutes until softened.

Remove the sautéed vegetables and blend them until smooth in a mixer or blender.

In the same skillet, add ground beef and Italian sausage, cooking until fully browned with no pink remaining.

Season the meat with Italian seasoning and all-purpose seasoning, adjusting to taste.

Once the meat is cooked, add the blended vegetables back into the skillet and mix well for 2-3 minutes.

Tilt the skillet to remove excess grease using a paper towel.

Add four cans of tomato sauce to the meat mixture, ensuring the meat is still visible and not swimming in sauce.

Season the sauce with Italian seasoning, all-purpose seasoning, salt, pepper, and a few tablespoons of sugar to reduce acidity.

Cook the sauce on medium-low heat for 2 hours, covered, stirring occasionally.

Blend mozzarella cheese in a KitchenAid stand mixer until shredded.

After the sauce has cooked, combine the ziti noodles with the meat sauce in the baking dish, ensuring not to oversaturate the noodles with sauce.

Add a generous amount of shredded mozzarella cheese to the pasta and mix well.

Transfer the mixture to a baking dish, adding more mozzarella cheese on top for a cheesy finish.

Bake in the oven until the cheese is melted and bubbly.

Cooking Techniques

Equipment Needed

Spice Level:

Allergens