Baked Ziti with Ricotta

Feeds eight people for about twelve dollars, makes two pans if you want one for the freezer, and disappears at every potluck it attends.

Ingredients

• 1 lb ziti or penne
• 1 tbsp olive oil
• 1 lb ground beef (or Italian sausage)
• 1 onion, diced
• 5 cloves garlic, minced
• 2 jars (24 oz each) marinara sauce
• 1 tsp dried oregano
• ½ tsp red pepper flakes
• 1 tsp kosher salt
• 15 oz whole-milk ricotta
• 1 large egg
• ½ cup grated Parmesan, divided
• ¼ cup chopped fresh parsley
• 3 cups shredded low-moisture mozzarella, divided

Instructions

1. Heat the oven to 375°F. Grease a 9×13 baking dish. Bring a large pot of well-salted water to a boil.
2. Cook the pasta 3 minutes short of al dente. Drain and set aside — it finishes in the oven.
3. While the pasta cooks, heat the oil in a large skillet over medium-high. Brown the beef 6–7 minutes, breaking it up, until no pink remains and it registers 160°F. Drain the fat.
4. Add the onion and cook 4 minutes, then the garlic for 30 seconds. Add the marinara, oregano, red pepper flakes, and salt. Simmer 5 minutes.
5. In a bowl, stir together the ricotta, egg, ¼ cup Parmesan, parsley, and a pinch of salt. The egg is what keeps the ricotta from going grainy and watery in the oven.
6. Toss the drained pasta with about two-thirds of the sauce.
7. Layer: half the pasta in the dish, dollops of all the ricotta mixture, 1 cup mozzarella, then the rest of the pasta, the remaining sauce, and the last 2 cups mozzarella and ¼ cup Parmesan.
8. Cover with foil and bake 20 minutes. Uncover and bake 15 minutes more until bubbling and browned. Rest 10 minutes before cutting — this is what lets it hold a square instead of sliding apart.

Substitutions

• Vegetarian: skip the meat; add 1 lb sliced mushrooms and a diced zucchini browned in step 3, or 2 cups of frozen chopped spinach, thawed and squeezed dry, stirred into the ricotta.
• Cottage cheese instead of ricotta is the cheaper classic swap and works fine — blend it smooth first if the texture bothers you.
• Homemade sauce obviously works; you'll need about 6 cups.
• Gluten-free pasta: undercook by 4 minutes rather than 3.

Storage and reheating

Refrigerate up to 5 days. Reheat individual portions covered in the microwave, or the whole dish covered at 350°F for 25 minutes. Freezes exceptionally well — assemble through step 7 in a foil pan, wrap tightly, and freeze up to 3 months. Bake from frozen, covered, at 375°F for 75 minutes, then uncovered for 15. Consider doubling and freezing one; the labor is nearly identical.

Serving suggestions

Garlic bread and a green salad. This is the dish to bring to a new parent, a sick friend, or a potluck — it travels well and reheats without complaint.