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Skillet Baked Ziti with Sausage and Peppers
4.0 (317 reviews)
Using just one skillet, we managed to bring this classic potluck dish quickly and easily to the weeknight dinner table. For pronounced meaty flavor, we rendered some crumbled sweet Italian sausage in the skillet we used to build our Baked Ziti recipe’s sauce. We then added whole canned tomatoes that we’d processed in a food processor and simmered the sauce to rid the tomatoes of their raw flavor and concentrate their sweetness. We cooked the ziti until it was just shy of tender, then stirred in heavy cream and Parmesan cheese before transferring the skillet to the oven where our Baked Ziti finished cooking.
Total Time60
Servings4
881
Caloriesper servingNutrition Information
881
Calories
47 grams
Fat
53 grams
Carbs
56 grams
Protein
Fiber
9 grams
Sugar
Ingredients
- 1 (28-ounce) can whole tomato
- 1 pound sweet Italian sausage, casings removed
- 6 medium garlic clove, minced or pressed through a garlic press (about 2 tablespoons)
- 1/4 teaspoon red pepper flakes
- 1 1/2 cups water
- 8 ounces ziti
- 1 red bell pepper, stemmed, seeded, and cut into 1/2-inch pieces
- Salt and ground black pepper
- 1/3 cup heavy cream
- 1 ounce Parmesan cheese, grated (1/2 cup)
- 1/4 cup chopped fresh basil leaf
- 6 ounces mozzarella cheese, shredded (1 1/2 cups)
Instructions
- 1Note: You can substitute penne, campanelle, medium shells, farfalle, or orecchiette for the ziti; however, the cup measurements will vary.
- 2Adjust an oven rack to the middle position and heat the oven to 475 degrees. Pulse the tomatoes with their juice in a food processor until coarsely chopped and no large pieces remain, 6 to 8 pulses.
- 3Cook the sausage in a 12-inch ovensafe nonstick skillet over medium-high heat, breaking up the meat with a wooden spoon, until lightly browned, 3 to 5 minutes. Stir in the garlic and red pepper flakes and cook until fragrant, about 30 seconds. Stir in the processed tomatoes and simmer gently until the tomatoes no longer taste raw, about 10 minutes.
- 4Stir in the water, ziti, bell pepper, and 1/2 teaspoon salt and bring to a rapid simmer. Cover and simmer vigorously, stirring often, until the pasta is just tender, 14 to 17 minutes.
- 5Off the heat, stir in the cream, Parmesan, and basil and season with salt and pepper to taste. Sprinkle the mozzarella evenly over the top. Transfer the skillet to the oven and bake until the cheese has melted and browned, 10 to 15 minutes. Serve.