Sausage and Pepper Baked Ziti

Name: Sausage and Pepper Baked Ziti
Prep time: 40 min
Cook time: 20 min
Total time: 1 h
Cuisine: European, Mediterranean, Italian
Ingredients: 1 1/2 lbs sweet and/or hot italian-sausage links, cut crosswise into 1-inch thick pieces; 4 garlic cloves, thinly sliced; 2 large green, and/or yellow, and/or red peppers, cut into 1/4-inch thick slices; 1 jumbo onion (about 1 lb), cut in half, then cut crosswise into 1/4-inch thick slices; 1 can (28 oz) whole tomatoes in puree; 1 can (15 oz) tomato puree; 1 tsp salt; 1 lb ziti or penne pasta; 1 package (8 oz) part-skim mozzarella cheese, cut into 1/2-inch cubes; 1/2 cup freshly grated Pecorino-Romano cheese

4 steps

Prep:40minCook:20min

"This new twist on baked ziti will please kids as well as adults. If you like, assemble it up to a day ahead, refrigerate, and bake just before serving." Note from Poster: I recommend using crushed tomatoes rather than the whole, and ground Italian sausage works just as well as the links.

Updated at: Thu, 17 Aug 2023 12:46:53 GMT

Nutrition balance score

Great

Glycemic Index

Low

Glycemic Load

High

Nutrition per serving

Calories386.2 kcal (19%)

Total Fat12.1 g (17%)

Carbs46.5 g (18%)

Sugars7.3 g (8%)

Protein25.4 g (51%)

Sodium919.5 mg (46%)

Fiber4.9 g (18%)

% Daily Values based on a 2,000 calorie diet

Ingredients

10 servings

1.5 lbssweet italian-sausage links

or hot, cut crosswise into 1-inch thick pieces

4garlic cloves

thinly sliced

2green peppers

large yellow, or red, cut into 1/4-inch thick slices

1onion

jumbo, cut in half, then cut crosswise into 1/4-inch thick slices

1 x 28 ozwhole tomatoes in puree

can

1 x 15 oztomato puree

can

1 tspsalt

1 lbziti pasta

or penne

1 x 8 ozpart-skim mozzarella cheese

cut into 1/2-inch cubes

½ cupPecorino-Romano cheese

freshly grated

Instructions

Step 1

Prepare sauce: In deep nonstick 12-inch skillet, cook sausage over medium-high heat, stirring occasionally, until browned on all sides, about 5 minutes.

Step 2

Reduce heat to medium. Discard all but 2 Tbsp sausage drippings from skillet. Add garlic, peppers, and onion to sausage and cook, covered, until vegetables are tender, about 10 minutes, stirring occasionally. Stir in tomatoes with their puree, tomato puree, and salt; heat to boiling over medium heat, breaking up tomatoes with side of spoon. Reduce heat to low; cover and simmer 10 minutes.

Step 3

Meanwhile, preheat oven to 400°F. In large saucepot, cook pasta 2 minutes less than directed on label. Drain pasta; return to saucepot. Add sauce and stir until pasta is evenly coated. Add mozzarella; toss to combine.

Step 4

Transfer pasta mixture to 13" x 9" baking dish and spread evenly; sprinkle with Romano. Bake, uncovered, until hot and bubbling and top is brown, 20-25 minutes. Let stand 10 minutes for easier serving. Makes 10 main-dish servings.