Baked Ziti with Sausage and Vegetables
(from kylerhea’s recipe box)
You can prepare this in advance (and refrigerate) up until the final step, when you bake for 30 minutes. Just be sure to bring the dish to room temperature before you throw it in the oven.
Source: Dinner: A Love Story
Prep time: 30 minutes
Cook time: 30 minutes
Serves 4 people
Categories: Italian, June2016, Pasta
Ingredients
- 1/2 lb ziti
- 1 1/2 cups crushed tomatoes
- 1/2 cup shredded Italian fontina cheese
- 1/2 shredded ricotta salata
- 1 cup baby spinach
- 8 shakes oregano
- 2 Tbs butter
- 2 cloves garlic, minced
- Shake of red pepper flakes
- 3 cups mushrooms, sliced
- 2 links sweet Italian sausage, casings removed
- Pinch of salt & pepper
- 1 Tbs all-purpose flour
- 2 Tbs tomato paste
- 2 cups whole milk
- 1/4 tsp nutmeg
- 1/2 cup plain bread crumbs
- 1 Tbs olive oil
Directions
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Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F.
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In a large saucepan, bring 3 quarts of salted water to a boil, add the pasta, and cook for about 8-10 minutes. (The pasta will finish cooking during baking.) Drain the pasta well and rinse with cold water.
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In a deep baking dish, combine the pasta, tomatoes, cheeses, spinach, and oregano.
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In a large saucepan, melt the butter over low heat and add the garlic and pepper flakes: cook, stirring, for about 2 minutes. Add the mushrooms and sausage (breaking up the links with a fork) and the salt and pepper. Cook until the mushrooms are tender, about 5 minutes.
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Add the flour to the mushroom-sausage mixture and cook, stirring continually for 1 minute. Add the tomato paste, milk, and nutmeg. Bring to a boil, whisking, and simmer for 30 seconds. Pour the sauce over the pasta in the baking dish. In a separate bowl, combine the bread crumbs and oil. Sprinkle over the pasta and bake for 30 minutes.