Neelys Baked Ziti

Recipe courtesy The Neelys

Show: Down Home with the NeelysEpisode: That’s Amore

Rated: 5 stars out of 5Rate itRead users' reviews (109)

RECIPE
COMMENTS & REVIEWS(109)

Cook Time:
50 min
Level:
Easy
Yield:
6 to 8 servings

Times:

Prep: 20 min
Inactive Prep: --
Cook: 50 min
Total:: 1 hr 10 min

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Ingredients

Salt
1 pound ziti
1 pound hot Italian turkey sausage, casing removed
1 medium onion, chopped
3 cloves garlic, chopped
1 (28-ounce) can diced tomatoes
6 ounces pesto
15 ounces ricotta cheese
1 (9-ounce) package washed spinach
Butter, for baking dish
2 cups shredded mozzarella, plus more for topping
1 1/2 cups grated Parmesan, plus more for topping

Directions

Preheat oven to 375 degrees F.

Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil over high heat. Add ziti and cook until al dente. Drain in a colander.

In a large skillet over medium heat, saute turkey sausage. Add onion and garlic and saute until the sausage is cooked through. Use your spoon to break up the sausage while it cooks. Add the can of diced tomatoes and pesto and let simmer for 10 minutes.

Add the ricotta cheese, spinach, Parmesan and mozzarella to a large bowl, and stir to combine.

Butter a 4-quart baking dish, add the cooked pasta, then sausage mixture and cheese mixture. Top with a sprinkling of mozzarella and Parmesan.

Bake until completely heated through and golden and crisp on top, about 20 minutes.

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Comments & Reviews

recipe Neelys Baked Ziti
Monica Lindenhurst, NY 01-28-2010
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So Simple and tasty
Rated: 5 stars out of 5

I made this for dinner and my family loved it. Even my 9 year old son raved about it. I love you guys!! Your recipes are... amazing and so easy to follow. Thank you for keeping it real!Read more
recipe Neelys Baked Ziti
Andrea Stone Mountain, GA 01-05-2010
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Delicious and easy to make!
Rated: 5 stars out of 5

I made this for dinner last night. My family, including my 3 yr old, devoured it. The pesto gives it such a great flavor. The... only change i made was mixing the meat mixture with the cheese/spinach mixture before adding it to the pasta in the baking dish. It helps coat the spinach better. Read more
recipe Neelys Baked Ziti
Kimberly Silver Spring, MD 01-05-2010
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awesome
Rated: 5 stars out of 5

Made this dish last night and everyone loved it! Pat & Gina cook with love and it shows!
recipe Neelys Baked Ziti
Elizabeth sun valley, CA 12-17-2009
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lots of flavor!!
Rated: 4 stars out of 5

this was a very good dish but makes a lot! i have to divide it into a casserole dish and a smaller dish. i used penne cuz my... store doesnt sell ziti and i added extra cheese!Read more
recipe Neelys Baked Ziti
erin boston, MA 12-12-2009
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Tasty easy and different
Rated: 5 stars out of 5

I love this dish! The flavors work well together and it yields a lot of good leftovers. I like to mix everything together... before I dump it into the dish. I cool the pasta and set it aside, then make the sausage mixture and while that's simmering I prep the cheese and spinach mix in a huge heatproof bowl. Then I dump the sausage mix and pasta into the cheese bowl and mix everything together for 2-3 minutes. It cooks the spinach down and coats the pasta well which seem to be the biggest issues with the recipeRead more
recipe Neelys Baked Ziti
Mariah Mountain Brook, AL 12-10-2009
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It was okay . . .
Rated: 3 stars out of 5

I found there was a bit too much spinach in this, and my younger children (ages 6 and 8) did not eat it. The ten-year-old... liked it fine.Read more