Alison Roman's Best Baked Ziti | NYT Cooking

ricotta cheese

🥗Healthier: cottage cheese

💰Cheaper: cream cheese

Cottage cheese is lower in fat and provides a similar texture.

ground beef

🥗Healthier: ground turkey

💰Cheaper: ground pork

Ground turkey is leaner, while ground pork can be less expensive.

mozzarella cheese

🥗Healthier: part-skim mozzarella

💰Cheaper: provolone cheese

Part-skim mozzarella reduces calories while provolone can be more affordable.

Parmesan cheese

🥗Healthier: nutritional yeast

💰Cheaper: grated Pecorino Romano

Nutritional yeast is dairy-free and adds a cheesy flavor.

Start by making the tomato sauce using olive oil, one medium onion, and four cloves of garlic.

Add the olive oil to a pot and heat it up.

Add the chopped onion and garlic to the pot and sauté until softened.

Add tomato paste to the pot and cook it in the oil to remove the tinny flavor and caramelize it.

Add one can of whole peeled tomatoes and one can of crushed pureed tomatoes to the pot, crushing the whole tomatoes by hand.

Season the sauce with salt, black pepper, and chili flakes, and let it simmer on low for 20 to 30 minutes.

In a separate pot, bring salted water to a boil for the pasta, using four large pinches of salt.

Add one pound of rigatoni pasta to the boiling water and cook until just before al dente, as it will continue to cook while baking.

While the pasta cooks, prepare the cheese mixture by grating Parmesan cheese and mixing it with ricotta cheese and half a cup of heavy cream.

Season the cheese mixture with salt and pepper, and mix until well combined.

Once the pasta is cooked, drain it, saving about a cup of pasta water.

Add the saved pasta water to the tomato sauce to adjust the consistency.

Prepare the baking dish by layering the rigatoni, tomato sauce, and cheese mixture, ensuring it is saucy enough.

Cut mozzarella cheese into larger pieces and add it to the layers as desired.

Cooking Techniques

Equipment Needed

Spice Level:

Allergens