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Baked Ziti with Sausage, Broccoli and Spinach

April 12, 2018 by Olga 5 Comments

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Creamy and cheesy baked Ziti with Sausage is smothered in a Parmesan and Mozzarella cheese sauce and then baked until the perfect golden crust forms on top. Family favorite dinner recipe that tastes like lasagna, but without all the hard work.
Baked Ziti with Sausage, Broccoli and Spinach

This baked ziti with sausage is your classic pasta recipe that is comforting and filling. It tastes a lot like a lasagna casserole, but much easier to make. It’s also a perfect hidden veggie pasta bake for those of us who either need help in getting their daily intake of vegetables, or have children that stubbornly refuse them. Healthy vegetables, such as broccoli and spinach are so finely hidden in this Baked Ziti with Sausage, that I had to really dig for them in order to take these photos to prove that they are truly there! My picky 8 year old who lives on bread, meat and pasta only didn’t even question the finely chopped green pieces.

TIPS AND TRICKS on BAKED ZITI RECIPE

  • What kind of sausage to use? Use Italian sausage, such as pork sausage, flavored with fennel, red wine, and oregano.  You can also use leftover cooked sausage.
  • You can use either fresh or frozen spinach and broccoli.
  • Sausage will be cooked together with spinach and broccoli (to soften the veggies) on the stove top.
  • While they are cooking, mix ricotta, egg, parsley, mozarella cheese, and parmesan cheese in a large bowl.
  • Finally, add all ingredients and pasta sauce to the same skillet. This is where oven proof cast iron skillet comes very handy and bake at 350 for 30-35 minutes.
  • Tip: To make the top of baked ziti more crusty, cover with foil and bake for 20 minutes. Then uncover and bake for 10-15 minutes more.
  • You can use a 12 inch cast iron skillet like this one. We also successfully made it in 8 inch square glass baking dish like this one. If using a baking dish, you will still need to use another skillet to precook sausage. Therefore, if you want fewer dishes to wash and just a much easier process, I would suggest using an oven safe skillet.
  • This is a super versatile recipe, and you can add all kinds of veggies to this pasta bake.  Add artichokes, tomatoes, onions, bell peppers, or asparagus. Or, bacon!

HOW TO NOT OVERCOOK PASTA

  • Cook pasta al dente, just long enough so that it is not hard but not soft either.  The pasta should have a firm texture.
  • If you did over cook the pasta, rinse the pasta with cold water to stop the cooking process immediately.
  • But, do not rinse pasta if you did not overcook it. Because you don’t want to rinse pasta after cooking, especially if you plan to use the pasta with the sauce in the pasta bake. Rinsing pasta removes the starch that helps hold and absorb the sauce. After cooking pasta al dente, drain it in a colander without rinsing it with water. This keeps the starch with pasta and allows the sauce to stick to pasta in your baked ziti.

Baked Ziti with Sausage, Broccoli and Spinach

How to reheat Baked Ziti with Sausage

Simply add extra sauce to the reheating pan, add leftover baked ziti and reheat. It keeps well in the fridge for up to 1 week and is a good choice of something that can be made ahead of the work week.

You can also reheat it in the oven by preheating to 350 degrees Fahrenheit.

How to freeze Baked Ziti with Sausage

Transfer baked ziti to an air tight storage container and freeze. When frozen you can pop it out of the container and put in a freezer bag if desired.

MAKE THIS PASTA BAKE GLUTEN FREE

Because everything is made from scratch in this recipe, to make it gluten free all you have to do is use gluten free pasta. Gluten free brown rice elbow macaroni or penne pasta will work great. After cooking gluten free pasta al dente, make sure to rinse it with cold water to prevent it from getting mushy.Baked Ziti with Sausage, Broccoli and Spinach

If you enjoy pasta dishes that also include vegetables, you might also like Chicken and Mushroom Pasta in Pesto Wine Sauce, Chicken with Spinach and Mushrooms in Creamy Parmesan Sauce and Ricotta Stuffed Pasta Shells with Spinach and Sausage.

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5 from 3 votes

Baked Ziti with Sausage, Broccoli and Spinach

Baked Ziti with Sausage, Broccoli and Spinach is the perfect hidden veggie pasta bake for those of us who either need help in getting their daily intake of vegetables or have children that stubbornly refuse them.
Course Main Course
Prep Time 10 minutes
Cook Time 35 minutes
Total Time 45 minutes
Servings 8
Calories 632kcal
Author Olga

Ingredients

  • 1 lb ziti pasta cooked al dente
  • 1 lb Italian sausage cooked and chopped
  • 15 oz ricotta cheese
  • 1 egg
  • 2 tablespoons parsley
  • 2 cups mozzarella cheese shredded, divided
  • 1/4 cup parmesan cheese
  • 28 oz. pasta sauce
  • 1 cup broccoli chopped
  • 1 cup spinach chopped

Instructions

  • Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Cook sausage, add broccoli and spinach and cook together with sausage.
  • Cook ziti according to package directions; drain; set aside.
  • Mix ricotta, egg, parsley, 1-1/2 cups of the mozarella cheese, and parmesan cheese in a large bowl.
  • Mix cooked sausage and pasta in with ricotta mixture.
  • Mix in 3/4 jar of sauce.
  • Transfer mixture into a 2 quart casserole dish.
  • Top with the rest of the sauce and mozarella cheese.
  • Bake for 30 to 35 minutes, or until hot and bubbly.

Nutrition

Calories: 632kcal | Carbohydrates: 51g | Protein: 31g | Fat: 33g | Saturated Fat: 15g | Cholesterol: 114mg | Sodium: 1223mg | Potassium: 745mg | Fiber: 3g | Sugar: 6g | Vitamin A: 28.3% | Vitamin C: 25% | Calcium: 33.7% | Iron: 17.3%

 

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Filed Under: All Recipes, Cast Iron, Main Dishes, Pork

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If you liked or disliked the recipe - please leave your comment and STAR RATING in the comments section below! I look forward to new ideas and comments!

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Reader Interactions

Comments

  1. gary s hale

    January 26, 2019 at 7:13 am

    why the egg? don’t usually see that in baked ziti

    Reply
    • Olga

      January 26, 2019 at 8:24 pm

      Because ricotta will bake up to a dry and grainy layer without an egg.

      Reply
  2. Dian

    April 27, 2018 at 5:41 pm

    So delicious I got no complaints from the kids

    Reply
  3. Niki

    April 25, 2018 at 5:39 pm

    So easy to make! It’s perfect for leftovers

    Reply
  4. Carol

    April 23, 2018 at 5:28 pm

    My kids love this! We omit spinach though

    Reply

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