- Today, you're gonna learn how to make baked ziti.
It is a beefy, cheesy, saucy pasta casserole.
You're gonna love it.
(upbeat music)
Hey everybody, it's Natasha, of natashaskitchen.com
and by the end of this video,
you're gonna be a pro at making baked ziti.
It is so easy, simple ingredients.
You can make it ahead.
It reheats beautifully, and it's just scrumptious.
So let's get started.
(table thudding)
(bell dings)
For this recipe, you'll need one pound
of ziti pasta noodles,
but you can also use penne or any tube-shaped pasta.
Cook the pasta in well salted water,
according to the package instructions until it is al dente
or firm to the bite.
I'm adding about two tablespoons of salt to the water,
followed by the pasta and make sure you don't
overcook the pasta at this point.
Keep in mind, you're still gonna bake it in the oven.
Here's a quick tip.
The best way to prevent your pasta from sticking
is to give it a stir after adding it to the boiling water.
While that's cooking, we're gonna do some quick prep.
Chop one medium onion,
and it seems like a lot of onion, but don't worry.
It'll disappear into the casserole once it's cooked.
Whoops. (laughs)
I don't know my own strength. (laughs)
Next, mince two large garlic cloves,
and to quickly peel a garlic clove, first cut off the ends,
then smash the clove with the blunt end of the knife.
The skins should come right off.
Finally mince up that garlic and set it aside.
You'll also need one cup of grated Parmesan cheese.
And if you wanna great your own cheese,
we love this little cheese grater.
I will link to it in the notes.
It's really easy to use, easy to clean,
and it makes it feel like you're in a restaurant
when you serve it over pasta.
All right, that looks like about one cup.
You'll also need 12 ounces of mozzarella cheese.
I've shredded that on the large holes of a box grater.
Now that we have all of the ingredients prepped,
we're ready to fire up the stove.
In a pot or Dutch oven,
and I'm using my five and a half quart Dutch oven
that I use for everything.
I will link to this in the notes.
Heat up one tablespoon of olive oil.
Then add one pound of ground beef and your chopped onions.
Cook that together over medium high heat,
breaking it up with your spatula and continue cooking
until the beef is fully cooked through
and the onions are softened.
This takes about five to seven minutes.
Now, add your minced garlic and season
with one teaspoon of salt and half a teaspoon
of black pepper.
Saute that for another minute
or until the garlic is fragrant.
Then add five cups of marinara sauce.
We love using our homemade marinara sauce.
I have a recipe for this that I will link in the notes.
It is so easy to make and truly delicious.
Bring that to a boil,
then reduce the heat to a simmer and continue cooking
for about five minutes before turning off the heat.
All right, our pasta is finished cooking.
I always set a timer based on the package instructions
and I do like to taste one of the noodles
to make sure it's perfectly cooked.
Those noodles can be hot, so be careful.
Drain the pasta into a colander and do not rinse it
because you want the sauce to stick to the noodles.
Now that our pasta is cooked and our sauce is ready,
we can assemble this pasta casserole.
Spread a generous ladle of meat sauce
over the bottom of a nine by 13 casserole dish,
and make sure to preheat your oven
to 350 degrees Fahrenheit.
That little bit of sauce will keep the noodles
from sticking to the bottom
and you won't have to butter your dish.
For a little extra flavor in the sauce,
I do like to add some fresh basil.
I'm using 10 fresh basil leaves.
Basil is a delicate and really fragrant herb,
so you wanna be gentle with it.
The right way to slice it is to stack your leaves.
Then roll them into a log shape, and thinly slice.
This prevents the leaves from getting crushed and bruised.
Add your chopped basil to the meat sauce.
You'll also need 15 ounces of ricotta cheese.
I love to keep some of that ricotta cheese texture
in the casserole,
so start by spooning it over the meat sauce,
then gently stir just until it's lightly combined.
Now add your drained hot pasta into the meat sauce
and stir gently just until combined.
You wanna make sure all of the noodles
are generously coated in sauce.
You can already tell this is gonna be good.
It is so saucy and beefy,
and you'll be tempted to eat it at this point,
but just wait.
It'll get better.
Here's how we layer our baked ziti casserole.
Transfer half of that saucy pasta to the casserole dish.
Spread the pasta evenly into the dish.
Then top with half of your shredded mozzarella cheese.
And I just love how much cheese is in this dish.
It becomes a gooey cheesy masterpiece.
Because you can never have enough cheese,
we're also gonna add half of the grated Parmesan cheese.
The combination of the two cheeses really makes this dish
and adds great depth of flavor, so do not skip it.
Now add the second half of the pasta.
Spread the pasta evenly into the dish.
Then top with the remaining mozzarella and Parmesan cheeses.
Topping the casserole with cheese
creates a beautiful golden crust,
that seals in all the juiciness of the pasta.
Bake the casserole in the center of a preheated oven
at 350 degrees Fahrenheit for about 25 minutes.
The cheese should be melted
and you'll see bubbling at the edges of the casserole.
I like to broil at the end for a couple minutes
to create that beautiful golden brown crust.
I'm so excited 'cause I'm hungry.
It is way past lunch time and this is just calling my name.
So cheesy and you can see the little bubbling at the edges.
You can garnish this with fresh basil.
It's a nice touch.
Adds that pop of color and flavor, you know. (chuckles)
Once it's out of the oven, you do wanna let it rest
for about 10 minutes because it's piping hot inside
and then we can dig right in.
All right.
We're gonna get a big scoop.
You won't regret it.
I'm telling you.
Cheesy, saucy.
So delicious.
Oh yum.
Okay, we need more.
That wasn't a big enough scoop.
It's not a big enough spoon is what's happening. (laughs)
Okay and then garnishing with a little more fresh basil
because there's basil in the dish so it makes sense
and it's so pretty.
Look at this.
Boom.
Looks like something that came right out of a restaurant.
That's my little cheat, using fresh garnish.
Okay, here we go.
I can't wait any longer.
Let's do this.
Oh wow.
It's unbelievably cheesy.
Just gooey with the three cheeses in there.
Yum, yum, yum.
Here we go.
Mm.
This is so good.
It has all the classic flavors of lasagna
with the marinara and the meat sauce.
And all the cheese,
Except this is extra saucy.
It's saucier than a lasagna,
but it also reheats really well.
My daughter loves to take this in a hot thermos to school.
You can make this ahead, which is perfect for Sunday lunch.
We love using homemade marinara for this.
And I have a great recipe.
I will link to that in the notes,
but if you're short on time,
you can use a store bought version.
This is sure to become a family favorite.
Make it once and you'll make it over and over again.
Oh, yum.
I can't wait to enjoy the rest of this.
For more easy dinner ideas,
check out some of our favorites right over there.
Right down there.
And then as always,
all of our recipes are on natashaskitchen.com.
Thanks for watching.
And we'll see you in our next video.
Do you like me so much?
It's so good that you love me.
(hands clapping)
(food sizzling)