Baked Ziti
This was actually based on a cannelini recipe that we found here: https://www.recipetineats.com/wprm_print/23117We didn't have cannelloni shells, so we punted, and it turned out really good!
Servings: 4 servings
Equipment
- 2 qt. pot for sauce
- 4 qt.+ pot for pasta
- 13"x9" pan We use a Pyrex pan
Ingredients
Sauce (you need LOTS! - NOTE: you can also use a 25 oz. jar of good marinara):
- 2 tbsp olive oil
- 1 onion finely chopped
- 4 garlic clove minced
- 1 bay leaf fresh (sub dried)
- 1/2 tsp each dried thyme and oregano
- 1/3 cup tomato paste
- 800 g / 28 oz canned crushed tomato
- 4 cups vegetable or chicken stock/broth low sodium
- 1/3 cup Chardonnay or other dry white wine sub more stock
- 3/4 tsp salt
- 1 1/2 tsp sugar
- 1/3 tsp black pepper
- 2/3 cup basil leaves roughly torn (recommended but not critical)
Filling:
- 250 g / 8 oz frozen chopped spinach thawed (Note 1)
- 500 g / 1 lb ricotta (we used fresh farmers' market - yum!) full fat please (Note 2)
- 1/3 cup parmesan finely shredded
- 1 cup shredded cheese Mozzarella, Colby, Cheddar, Tasty, Gruyere, Swiss
- 1 egg
- 1 large garlic clove minced
- Grated fresh nutmeg just a sprinkling or 1/8 tsp nutmeg powder (optional - we didn't add)
- 3/4 tsp cooking / kosher salt
- 1/2 tsp black pepper
Pasta and topping
- 1 lb. pasta ziti or penne work best
- 1/3 cup parmesan finely shredded
- 1 1/4 cups shredded Mozzarella
- More basil and parmesan for garnish (optional)
Instructions
Sauce (if not using jarred):
- Sauté - Heat oil in a small pot over medium high heat. Add garlic, onion, bay leaf, thyme and oregano. Cook for 3 - 4 minutes until the onion is translucent. Add tomato paste and cook for 1 minute.
- Reduce wine - Add wine, increase heat to high and let it simmer rapidly until mostly evaporated (about 2 minutes).
- Simmer - Add tomatoes, stock, sugar, salt and pepper. Stir then simmer on medium low for 20 minutes.
- Blitz - Remove bay leaf then blitz with a stick blender until smooth. Simmer for 1 more minute then remove from the stove
- Basil - Stir in basil then cover to keep warm until required.
Filling:
- Squeeze spinach - Place spinach in a colander and press out most of the liquid (don't need to thoroughly squeeze dry).
- Mix filling - Place Spinach in bowl with remaining Filling ingredients. Mix, taste, adjust salt and pepper to taste (different cheeses have different saltiness).
Assemble & Bake:
- Preheat oven to 180°C/350°F (160°C fan).
- Smear/Spread ~1 cup of Sauce on the base of the pan (stops pasta from sliding around).
- Distribute a layer of about 1/2 the pasta
- Spread the ricotta-spinach filling more or less evenly on top of the pasta
- Distribute the remainder of the pasta on top of the filling
- Pour/spread the remainder of the sauce over the pasta (it should cover
- Bake covered (but naked) - Cover with foil, then bake for 30 minutes.
- Cheese it! Remove foil, scatter over parmesan then mozzarella. Return to oven for 15 minutes until cheese is melted.
- Serve, garnished with extra parmesan and basil if desired.
Notes
1. Spinach - Though the recipe calls for frozen, we used fresh. To use fresh, use about 500g/1 lb sliced spinach leaves or baby spinach leaves, saute with a little oil to wilt down and remove excess liquid (important!). Cool then proceed with recipe.
2. Ricotta - We used fresh ricotta from the farmers' market, and it was terrific! Use whole milk ricotta. Low fat ricotta is harder and drier, so it's more difficult to pipe into the tubes plus once baked, is not as juicy and moist. Avoid Perfect Italian brand in tubs. My favourite is Paesanella.
3. For FREEZING or refrigerating uncooked: Add extra 3/4 cup water* into Sauce, cook Sauce per recipe then blend* until smooth. Place filled, uncooked cannelloni in single or multiple dishes, cover with sauce (will look like LOTS!) then cheese. Cover, cool then freeze / refrigerate.
On the day of, thaw then bake per recipe (covered then uncovered). OR bake from frozen, bake covered 35 minutes then uncovered 10 minutes.
2. Ricotta - We used fresh ricotta from the farmers' market, and it was terrific! Use whole milk ricotta. Low fat ricotta is harder and drier, so it's more difficult to pipe into the tubes plus once baked, is not as juicy and moist. Avoid Perfect Italian brand in tubs. My favourite is Paesanella.
3. For FREEZING or refrigerating uncooked: Add extra 3/4 cup water* into Sauce, cook Sauce per recipe then blend* until smooth. Place filled, uncooked cannelloni in single or multiple dishes, cover with sauce (will look like LOTS!) then cheese. Cover, cool then freeze / refrigerate.
On the day of, thaw then bake per recipe (covered then uncovered). OR bake from frozen, bake covered 35 minutes then uncovered 10 minutes.