Baked Ziti with Sausage Recipe

I made this recipe to feed a hungry group during a ski weekend and it was amazing! Both the picky adults and the pickier children loved it. I increased the amount of sausage slightly and used italian style turkey sausage. I prepared the recipe up through step 5 and then put the tray in the fridge all day. When we got home that night, I increased the oven temp to 375 and cooked it covered for 45 minutes and uncovered for 15. It was perfect!

I made the full recipe as is, but used low-fat cheese and whole wheat pasta. I do not believe this had any negative impact on taste. I opted to split it into (2) 8x8 pans as it really makes a large portion. One of which I baked & served that evening, and the other I assembled & then threw in my freezer for another night. In each pan, I had room for a layer of sauce, a layer of the pasta mixture, another layer of sauce, and topped it with cheese. But as a side note, I did not add cheese to the one I froze. When I was ready to finally bake the frozen pan, I let it thaw overnight in my fridge. I threw it in my preheated oven (375 F) and cooked for approx 45 min (wrapped in tin foil). I added the cheeses, and let it cook for another 15 minutes. Good taste, easy to make (and freeze for later!), and the sausage adds substance. Will make again.

This delicious recipe is easy to follow and not too involved. I've made it twice; the first time was as-written with decent results. With a few minor tweaks, however, it's a keeper. My recommendations are: Cook the onions and garlic with the sausage before adding them to the sauce. As a few other reviewers noted, they end up raw if you don't. Also, use fresh garlic instead of "jar-lic"; it makes a big difference! I also doubled the amount of sausage as the dish seemed a little "soupy" to me the first time I made it. If you do this, you'll need to add 5-10 more minutes of cooking time to make sure everything cooks through. Finally, the last time I made the recipe, I covered the top with thinly sliced mozzarella and lightly toasted it under the broiler for the final minute or two in the oven. It wasn't entirely necessary, but it did add a bit more decadence :)

This is a very good basic recipe as is, but a little bland. After reading other reviews, I made it again with the following changes. I used two pounds of Italian sausage and sautéed the onions with the sausage. I added more garlic and a 14.5 can of drained diced tomatoes with garlic to the ricotta cheese mixture. As others suggested, I doubled the amount of Italian cheese, using an 8 oz. package with each layer. Finally, I topped it with the basil as recommended and sprinkled shredded parmesan on the top. Spraying the underside of the aluminum foil so it doesn't stick to the cheese worked very well. Finally, we let it rest for 5-10 minutes while we tossed the Caesar salad and baked the garlic bread. Delicious! Next time, we are going to add mushrooms and sliced black olives to step it up even more.

Basic base for what could be a good recipe, but needs tweaked, and I should have known better. The onions and garlic come out raw, crunchy, and give it an unpleasant spice. Four changes: Sweat the onions and garlic before mixing Add 6 ounces more sauce (3 & 3 to the layers) Add 2 ounces more cheese on top Bake covered for 45 minutes, then uncovered for 15 Three suggestions: Spicy sausage instead of mild Use a quality sauce - Classico Tomato Basil is my go-to Add a little parmigiano reggiano to the top (2 ounces, maybe)

Good recipe. Although my husband liked the texture of the raw onions, I agree with others and think they should be sautéed before adding it to the mix. Also, I used 2 jars of sauce. Will make again.

Instead of using prepared sauce I always make my own using crushed and whole tomatoes, more than the amount of sauce in the recipe. Also I sauté the onion (it is raw if you don't), garlic and red sweet pepper along with additional herbs and put into the sauce. I also prefer the hot Italian sausage. My wife loves this so I make it regularly.

So easy and super yummy! I added 1/3 cup grated parmesan & romano and about 1 cup grated mozzarella to the middle layer and top. Be sure to tent the foil when baking so it doesn’t stick to the melted cheese. I’d also suggest par cooking or sautéing the minced onions, as they were a tad bit undercooked . I’m going to double the recipe next time because there wasn't any left for leftovers!

This recipe should call for the onions to be cooked with the meat. I made the recipe as written and it was a one way trip to onion town. If I made this again I’d use half the onions and cook them with the meat.

Read the recipe then looked at reviews to see how some of folks tweaked the recipe. I followed most of the recipe. I took the suggestions by cooking the onions and garlic with my sausages. I used 2 Large Sweet Italian Sausage and 1 Spicy Italian Sausage. I put the sausage in the freezer for about 2 hours then took them out and sliced them. I prefer the link sausage over the ground sausage. I also added a Red, Yellow and Orange Pepper. I added the peppers to the sausage and onion while they were browning. This is a great recipe and easy to make. Day Old Ziti is very good. Read the reviews and be creative. Jambalaya is up next on my menu.

Great base recipe for ziti. I increased the amount of sausage, sauteed the onion, and added garlic and green pepper. I also used two full bottles of pasta sauce (vodka sauce because I find it less acidic) and this was a hit! I'll definitely make this again.

Flavor was excellent, however took me much longer to prepare , I halved the recipe, as just the two of us. Will make for company in the future. Husband loved it.

Everyone was impressed — I’m proud.

This was a great base for me to work from. I substituted garlic and onion powders for the fresh. I omitted the egg completely. I added frozen spinach in as the sausage was cooking. And vegan soy used plant-based versions for the cheeses. This was really delicious, and I'm going to have leftovers for several days! I immediately froze about half, and packaged up the rest in the refrigerator to take for lunch or reheat at home.

I made this tonight. Very good. I used Greek yogurt in place of ricotta cheese because I cannot eat ricotta cheese. You can also swap cottage cheese. And I used mozzarella cheese because it is what i had on hand!! I will definitely be making this on Sundays so I don't have to cook on Mondays!

1 large onion, not sautéed ahead of time, only cooked for 20 mins at 350 = crunchy bits of onion in the final product. I admit, I didn’t mince, it was more like a fine dice, and once I saw where the recipe was headed (while mixing the cheese mixture) I even spooned some onion back out. Next time I’ll cook with the meat..good starter recipe though. I’ll add more ricotta next time as well to make it creamier. :)

Made it and I feel like a culinary god.

Make this all the time ! It is excellent.

Was awesome family loved it!

This is delicious! I followed the recipe exactly and it came out wonderfully. I will definitely make it again.