Spicy Baked Ziti with Fennel and Italian Sausage
This is the type of baked pasta that I dream of - Spicy Baked Ziti with Fennel and Italian Sausage is a flavor explosion, featuring tender fennel, spicy sausage, and al dente pasta coated in a simple tomato sauce. Finished with a crispy breadcrumb topping, this one has all of the textures you could possible want.
Servings: 8 servings
Equipment
- 1 9x13 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
Calories: 606kcal | Carbohydrates: 68g | Protein: 25g | Fat: 27g | Saturated Fat: 10g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 3g | Monounsaturated Fat: 12g | Cholesterol: 51mg | Sodium: 925mg | Potassium: 907mg | Fiber: 7g | Sugar: 11g | Vitamin A: 727IU | Vitamin C: 20mg | Calcium: 314mg | Iron: 5mg
