BA’s Best Baked Ziti

If you want to add more Mediterranean recipes to your collection, BA’s Best Baked Ziti might be a recipe you should try. For $3.2 per serving, you get a main course that serves 6. One portion of this dish contains around 48g of protein, 47g of fat, and a total of 929 calories. This recipe from Bon Appetit has 21043 fans. Head to the store and pick up pancetta, tomato paste, ziti, and a few other things to make it today. From preparation to the plate, this recipe takes around 45 minutes. Taking all factors into account, this recipe earns a spoonacular score of 96%, which is spectacular. Similar recipes are baked ziti, Baked Ziti, and Baked Ziti.

Servings: 6

 

Ingredients:

1 28-oz. can plus 1 14-oz. can whole peeled tomatoes

2 tablespoons all-purpose flour

¼ cup chopped fresh basil

1 pound fresh mozzarella, cut into ½" pieces

4 garlic cloves, chopped

Kosher salt, freshly ground pepper

¼ cup olive oil

1 large onion, chopped

1 ounce pancetta (Italian bacon), finely chopped

2½ cups grated Parmesan, divided

½ teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes

2 tablespoons tomato paste

2 tablespoons unsalted butter

2¼ cups whole milk, slightly warmed

1 pound ziti, penne, or rigatoni

Equipment:

sauce pan

whisk

immersion blender

blender

oven

pot

bowl

baking pan

broiler

Cooking instruction summary:

Heat butter in a medium saucepan over medium until foamy. Sprinkle flour over and cook, whisking constantly, 1 minute. Gradually whisk in warm milk. Bring mixture to a boil, reduce heat, and simmer, whisking often, until bchamel is thickened to about the consistency of heavy cream and no longer feels grainy when rubbed between your fingers, 810 minutes (thoroughly cooking the mixture ensures a creamy sauce and eliminates any raw flour flavor). Remove from heat and add 2 cups Parmesan, whisking until cheese is melted and sauce is smooth. Set aside. Heat oil in a large saucepan over medium-high. Cook pancetta, stirring often, until golden brown, about 2 minutes. Add onion, garlic, and red pepper flakes; season with salt and pepper. Cook, stirring often, until onion is golden and soft, 810 minutes. Add tomato paste and cook, stirring, until slightly darkened, about 2 minutes. Add whole peeled tomatoes, crushing with your hands as you go, and season with salt and pepper. Bring sauce to a simmer and cook, stirring often, until slightly reduced and flavors have melded, 2025 minutes. Let cool slightly, then transfer to a blender; pulse until mostly smooth (or use an immersion blender and pure directly in pot). Stir in basil and season with salt and pepper. Meanwhile, preheat oven to 350. Cook pasta in a large pot of boiling salted water, stirring occasionally, until very al dente, about 5 minutes (the pasta will continue to cook in the oven); drain. Transfer reserved bchamel to a large bowl; add pasta and mozzarella and toss to combine. Add all but 1 cup tomato sauce and gently fold mixture a few times, leaving streaks of bchamel. Transfer pasta mixture to a 13x9" or other 3-quart baking dish, dollop with remaining tomato sauce, and scatter remaining Parmesan over pasta. Bake until mozzarella is melted and sauce is bubbling around the edges, 1520 minutes. Heat broiler. Broil until pasta and cheese are dark brown in spots, about 4 minutes. Let pasta sit 5 minutes before serving.

 

Step by step:


1. Heat butter in a medium saucepan over medium until foamy. Sprinkle flour over and cook, whisking constantly, 1 minute. Gradually whisk in warm milk. Bring mixture to a boil, reduce heat, and simmer, whisking often, until bchamel is thickened to about the consistency of heavy cream and no longer feels grainy when rubbed between your fingers, 810 minutes (thoroughly cooking the mixture ensures a creamy sauce and eliminates any raw flour flavor).

2. Remove from heat and add 2 cups Parmesan, whisking until cheese is melted and sauce is smooth. Set aside.

3. Heat oil in a large saucepan over medium-high. Cook pancetta, stirring often, until golden brown, about 2 minutes.

4. Add onion, garlic, and red pepper flakes; season with salt and pepper. Cook, stirring often, until onion is golden and soft, 810 minutes.

5. Add tomato paste and cook, stirring, until slightly darkened, about 2 minutes.

6. Add whole peeled tomatoes, crushing with your hands as you go, and season with salt and pepper. Bring sauce to a simmer and cook, stirring often, until slightly reduced and flavors have melded, 2025 minutes.

7. Let cool slightly, then transfer to a blender; pulse until mostly smooth (or use an immersion blender and pure directly in pot). Stir in basil and season with salt and pepper. Meanwhile, preheat oven to 35

8. Cook pasta in a large pot of boiling salted water, stirring occasionally, until very al dente, about 5 minutes (the pasta will continue to cook in the oven); drain.

9. Transfer reserved bchamel to a large bowl; add pasta and mozzarella and toss to combine.

10. Add all but 1 cup tomato sauce and gently fold mixture a few times, leaving streaks of bchamel.

11. Transfer pasta mixture to a 13x9" or other 3-quart baking dish, dollop with remaining tomato sauce, and scatter remaining Parmesan over pasta.

12. Bake until mozzarella is melted and sauce is bubbling around the edges, 1520 minutes.

13. Heat broiler. Broil until pasta and cheese are dark brown in spots, about 4 minutes.

14. Let pasta sit 5 minutes before serving.


Nutrition Information:

Quickview
928k Calories
48g Protein
46g Total Fat
79g Carbs
28% Health Score
Limit These
Calories
928k
46%

Fat
46g
72%

  Saturated Fat
23g
144%

Carbohydrates
79g
27%

  Sugar
15g
17%

Cholesterol
110mg
37%

Sodium
1632mg
71%

Get Enough Of These
Protein
48g
96%

Selenium
76µg
110%

Calcium
1054mg
105%

Phosphorus
845mg
85%

Manganese
1mg
54%

Vitamin B12
2µg
44%

Vitamin B2
0.66mg
39%

Zinc
5mg
35%

Vitamin A
1571IU
31%

Magnesium
116mg
29%

Copper
0.55mg
28%

Potassium
890mg
25%

Vitamin E
3mg
25%

Vitamin B6
0.49mg
24%

Fiber
5g
23%

Iron
3mg
22%

Vitamin B1
0.3mg
20%

Vitamin K
20µg
20%

Vitamin C
15mg
19%

Vitamin B3
3mg
19%

Vitamin B5
1mg
14%

Folate
54µg
14%

Vitamin D
1µg
12%

covered percent of daily need
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Food Trivia

The M’s in M & M’s stand for ‘Mars & Murrie’, the co-creators of the candy.

Food Joke

When Bill and Hillary first got married, Bill said, "I am putting a box under our bed. You must promise never to look in it." In all their 30 years of marriage, Hillary never looked. However, on the afternoon of their 30th anniversary, curiosity got the better of her and she lifted the lid and peeked inside. In the box there were 3 empty beer cans and $1,874.25 in cash. After dinner, Hillary could no longer contain her guilt and she confessed, saying, "I am so sorry. For all these years I kept my promise and never looked in the box under our bed. However, today the temptation was too much and I gave in. But now I need to know why do you keep the empty cans in the box?" Bill thought for a while and said, "I guess that after all these years you deserve to know the truth. Whenever I was unfaithful to you, I put an empty beer can in the box under the bed to remind myself not to do it again." Hillary was shocked, but said, "I am very disappointed and saddened, but I guess after all those years away from home on the road, temptation does happen and I guess that 3 times is not that bad considering the number of years we've been together." They hugged and made their peace. A little while later, Hillary asked Bill, "So why do you have all that money in the box?" Bill answered, "Well, whenever the box filled up with empty cans, I took them to the recycling center and redeemed them for cash."

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