This isn’t your average baked pasta. Spicy Baked Ziti with Fennel and Italian Sausage is a flavour explosion: spicy sausage, al dente pasta, tender fennel tossed in a simple homemade tomato sauce. Finished in the oven with a generous layer of toasted breadcrumbs – this dish is hearty, impressive and guaranteed to wow your guests.
Spicy Baked Ziti with Fennel and Italian Sausage
Equipment
- 1 9×13 deep baking dish or similar size
- 1 medium sized pot
- 1 small saucepan
Ingredients
- 2 tbsp olive oil, extra virgin
- 1 lb ziti pasta, or other pasta similar in size
- 5½ cups crushed tomatoes, canned
- 3/4 cup water
- 1 bulb fennel, thinly sliced
- 3 garlic cloves, peeled, whole
- 300 grams spicy Italian sausage, cut into bite sized pieces, approximately 3-4 links
- 1 cup mozzarella, shredded
- 2 tbsp pecorino romano cheese, grated
- 1/2 tsp dried oregano
- 1 tsp red pepper flakes
- 1 handful large fresh basil leaves
- salt to taste
Toppings
- 1 tbsp olive oil
- 1 cup seasoned Italian breadcrumbs
- 6 slices provolone cheese, thinly sliced
Instructions
- Brown the sausage: begin by removing the casings from the Italian sausage, then roughly chop into 1/4 inch pieces. To a medium sized saucepan set to medium heat add 1 tbsp of olive oil. Add the sausage and cook until browned on all sides. Don't worry about fully cooking the sausage as it will finish cooking in the oven. Remove the sausage from the pan and set aside until ready to use. Do not discard the oil left in the pan as you will use that to fry your other ingredients.
- Prepare the sauce: to the same pan you used to fry the Italian sausage, add the fennel, whole garlic cloves and red pepper flakes and cook on medium heat until the fennel is tender and the garlic is lightly browned. Remove the garlic and discard.Sammy’s tip: trim off the very bottom core of the fennel bulb, then remove any tough outer layers before thinly slicing.Add the crushed tomatoes, water, 3 fresh basil leaves and oregano. Bring to a boil then reduce to medium/low for about 45 minutes.Add salt to taste.
- Cook the pasta: once the sauce is nearly finished, cook the pasta according to package directions, reducing the cooking time by 2 minutes to allow it to finish cooking in the oven. Drain your pasta, return it back to the pot and drizzle with a splash of olive oil to prevent it from sticking.Preheat your oven to 350. °F
- Prepare the breadcrumbs: while the sauce is cooking prepare the breadcrumbs by adding 1 tbsp of olive oil to a small pan set to medium heat.Add the breadcrumbs and cook (stirring often) until they have become a lightly golden colour.Remove from the heat and set aside until ready to use.
- Assemble: add a couple ladles of sauce to the pasta- just enough to generously coat each piece.To your baking dish, add a thin layer of sauce to coat the bottom of the pan.Add 1/2 of the ziti to the baking dish, sprinkle with all of the pecorino romano cheese, 1/2 of the Italian sausage, a few pieces of chopped fresh basil and all of the mozzarella.Add the rest of the ziti, Italian sausage and sauce. Top with the provolone cheese.
- Bake: gently tent with aluminum foil and bake for 35-40 minutes. After about 35 minutes, remove the aluminium foil and add the toasted breadcrumbs and broil for 1-2 minutes – just until the cheese begins to brown.
- Serve: slice and serve right away.
- Garnish: with more fresh basil if desired.
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
How do I prepare the fennel?
Remove the stalks and the very bottom core from the fennel bulb; peel away any tough outer layer before thinly slicing it for the recipe.
Can I use other types of pasta?
Oh yes! Any similar sized pasta shape will work such as: penne, rigatoni or fussili.
Can I use a store-bought tomato sauce in this recipe?
Since this recipe uses simple ingredients, a fresh, quick sauce will always taste best. However, if time is short, you can absolutely use your favourite store-bought sauce – just ensure it has simple ingredients.
What can I use as a substitute for provolone?
Mozzarella is the standard substitute! It melts nice and tastes delic! Fontina would be a great addition as well since it’s slightly nutty in flavour and melts beautifully.
Can I make this recipe ahead of time?
I recommend preparing it no more than 2 hours in advance. If it sits longer, the pasta absorbs too much sauce, which can result in a dry texture after baking.
Is this recipe freezer friendly?
Preparing for the freezer (unbaked): Yes. If you are preparing the dish to freeze before baking, add an additional 1 cup of tomato sauce to the pasta, cover the dish tightly, and freeze. The extra sauce prevents the baked ziti from becoming dry, as the pasta will absorb moisture during the freezing and thawing process.
Freezing leftovers (baked): You can also freeze baked leftovers, but note that the texture may change slightly upon reheating. I recommend stirring in or topping with a bit of extra sauce before freezing.
How do I store the leftovers?
If you have extra tomato sauce kickin’ around – I recommend adding a few spoonfuls to the top before reheating in 350°F (175°C) oven for about 15-20 minutes, or until hot throughout. Alternatively you can microwave for 20-30 seconds.
love this soo so so soooo much!
This is definitely going into our regular rotation! It was SOOO delicious.