Biggest Losers Baked Ziti Recipes

Steps:

• Make the tomato sauce: Heat oil in a large, heavy-bottomed pot over medium heat. Add onion and garlic and season with salt and pepper. Cook, stirring occasionally, until the onion is totally softened and translucent (without letting it brown), 8 to 10 minutes. Add tomato paste and continue to cook, stirring until it has turned a deeper brick-red color, tinting the oil and onions a fiery orange color, about 2 minutes. Crush the whole tomatoes by hand and add them (including the juice) and the tomato purée to the pot, stirring to scrape up any bits from the bottom of the pot. Season with salt and pepper and add red pepper flakes, if using. Bring to a simmer and cook, stirring occasionally, until the tomato sauce has thickened and flavors have come together, 20 to 30 minutes.
• Prepare the filling: In a medium bowl, combine ricotta, heavy cream and 1/2 cup Parmesan. Season with salt and pepper and set aside.
• Prepare the pasta: As the sauce cooks, heat oven to 425 degrees, and place a large pot of salted water to boil on the stove.
• Cook pasta until it's nearly al dente. (You want to undercook the pasta slightly, as it will continue to cook in the oven. A good way to do this is cook it 2 minutes less than you normally would if preparing it al dente.) Reserving 1 cup of the pasta cooking liquid, drain pasta and rinse with cool water; set aside while the tomato sauce finishes cooking.
• Once tomato sauce is done, stir in reserved pasta water.
• Place pasta in a large bowl and add 2 cups sauce. Stir to coat pasta evenly encouraging the sauce to go inside each tube.
• Spoon a bit of remaining sauce on the bottom of a 3-quart baking dish and top with 1/3 of the pasta. Spoon 1/3 of the remaining sauce on top, dollop with half the ricotta mixture and scatter 1/3 of the mozzarella on top of that. Repeat, beginning with the pasta, one more time. For the final layer, add the last 1/3 of pasta and the last of the sauce. Dot remaining mozzarella on top and shave a bit more Parmesan on top of that. Place baking dish on top of a sheet pan lined with parchment paper to catch any drips. Place in the oven and bake until the edges are golden brown and bubbling and the top has browned nicely, 30 to 40 minutes.
• Let cool slightly before eating with a big green leafy salad.

Steps:

• Main Event Marinara:.
• Spray a medium non-stick saucepan with olive oil spray, place over medium heat. Add onion and garlic, cook until tender (about 4-6 minutes), do not brown. Reduce heat to low. And stir in tomatoes, water, tomato paste, honey, oregano, basil and crush red pepper flakes until well combine. Cover, stirring occasionally, for at least 1 hour. Season with Salt, to taste.
• Baked ziti.
• Instructions:.
• Preheat oven to 450. Spray olive oil in 13 x 9 baking dish.
• Cook ziti (or penne rigate) according to directions on box. Drain well.
• In a large mixing bowl, combine ricotta cheese, egg whites and all but 1 cup of the mozzarella cheese until well combine. Add the garlic powder and season to taste with salt, pepper, and red pepper flakes. Stir in the cooked ziti until thoroughly coated.
• Spread 1cup of the marinara sauce on the bottom of baking dish. Add half the pasta/cheese in an even layer on top. Spread another cup of sauce over pasta. Layer remaining pasta over sauce. Spoon remaining 1 1/2 cups of sauce evenly over the top of pasta. Sprinkle with remaining mozzarella and parmesan over top.
• Cover the dish with aluminum foil and bake for 20 minutes. Remove the foil and bake 10 minutes longer. Let stand 5 minutes. Cut until 8 pieces and serve Instructions:.
• Preheat oven to 450. Spray olive oil in 13 x 9 baking dish.
• Cook ziti (or penne rigate) according to directions on box. Drain well.
• In a large mixing bowl, combine ricotta cheese, egg whites and all but 1 cup of the mozzarella cheese until well combine. Add the garlic powder and season to taste with salt, pepper, and red pepper flakes. Stir in the cooked ziti until thoroughly coated.
• Spread 1cup of the marinara sauce on the bottom of baking dish. Add half the pasta/cheese in an even layer on top. Spread another cup of sauce over pasta. Layer remaining pasta over sauce. Spoon remaining 1 1/2 cups of sauce evenly over the top of pasta. Sprinkle with remaining mozzarella and parmesan over top.
• Cover the dish with aluminum foil and bake for 20 minutes. Remove the foil and bake 10 minutes longer. Let stand 5 minutes. Cut until 8 pieces and serve.

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 450 degrees F. Lightly mist a 13" x 9" x 2" ceramic or glass baking dish with the olive oil spray. Cook the ziti according to package directions until al dente. Drain. In a large mixing bowl, mix the ricotta, egg whites, and all but 1 cup of the mozzarella until well combined. Add the garlic powder and season with salt, pepper, and red pepper flakes. Stir in the cooked pasta until well combined. Spread 1 cup of the marinara sauce on the bottom of the prepared dish. Add half of the pasta in an even layer over the sauce. Layer the remaining pasta over the sauce. Spoon the remaining 1 1/2 cups sauce evenly over the top of the pasta, then sprinkle the remaining mozzarella and the Parmesan over the top. Cover the dish with aluminum foil and bake for 20 minutes. Remove the foil and bake 10 minutes longer, or until the mozzarella is melted. Let stand 5 minutes. Cut into 8 pieces or spoon among 8 bowls and serve.

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F (190 degrees C). Lightly grease a 9x13-inch baking dish.
• Bring a large pot of water to a boil. Add 1 tablespoon kosher salt to the boiling water and stir in pasta. Cook until just about tender to the bite, about 8 minutes (or 1 to 2 minutes less than package instructions).
• At the same time, heat a large, deep skillet or saucepan over medium-high heat. Add sausage and beef and cook, crumbling with the back of a spoon, until browned, about 5 minutes. Add onion, garlic, 3/4 teaspoon salt, 1/2 teaspoon pepper, and pepper flakes; cook until onion is translucent and softened, 3 to 5 minutes.
• Drain pasta and return to the pot. Add about 1/2 cup marinara; toss to coat and let sit until needed.
• Add remaining marinara sauce to the browned meat mixture. Pour 1/4 cup water into each jar, shake to release any leftover sauce in the jar, and pour into the skillet. Stir and bring to a simmer. Reduce heat to medium-low and cook, stirring occasionally, for 10 minutes.
• Stir ricotta cheese, 1/2 cup Parmesan cheese, egg, parsley, basil, and remaining 1/4 teaspoon each salt and pepper together in a bowl.
• Add 2 cups meat sauce to the pasta; toss to coat.
• Spread 1/2 cup meat sauce into the bottom of the prepared baking dish. Add ½ of the pasta mixture and top with 2 cups meat sauce. Lightly dollop and spread ricotta mixture over the top and sprinkle evenly with 1 1/2 cups mozzarella cheese. Add remaining pasta mixture, remaining meat sauce, and remaining mozzarella on top. Sprinkle evenly with remaining 1/4 cup Parmesan.
• Bake in the preheated oven until golden and bubbly, 25 to 30 minutes. Let stand 10 minutes before serving.

Steps:

• Cut down the length of each sausage with a sharp knife. Remove and discard casings.
• Heat olive oil in a large saucepan set over high heat. Add sausages and onion. Cook, stirring occasionally and breaking up with a spatula, until the sausage begins to brown, and the onion turns translucent, 5 to 7 minutes. Add oregano, thyme, and rosemary and cook for 1 minute more. Pour in marinara sauce. Pour 1 cup water into each jar to rinse out remaining sauce; add to the saucepan. Stir together and bring sauce to a simmer.
• Reduce the heat to medium-low, and let simmer, stirring occasionally, for 1 hour. Taste for seasoning and adjust if needed. Turn off heat and reserve until needed. Before using, skim any excess fat that rises to the surface.
• While sauce simmers, bring a large pot of generously salted water to a boil. Add ziti and cook, stirring occasionally, for 1 or 2 minutes less than the directions on the package call for, about 8 minutes. Drain well and transfer into a large mixing bowl.
• Carefully add the meat sauce and stir until thoroughly combined. Let rest for 5 minutes.
• Meanwhile, preheat the oven to 375 degrees F (190 degrees C). Grease a large 9x15-inch or 9x13-inch casserole dish with a drizzle of olive oil.
• Use a slotted spoon to transfer half of the pasta and sauce mixture to the prepared dish, then use a spatula to even out into a uniform layer. Top with 1/2 of the ricotta cheese, 1/2 of the mozzarella cheese, and then 1/2 of the grated Pecorino Romano cheese, being sure to distribute evenly. Top with the rest of the pasta and sauce mixture and give the pan a little shake to settle the sauce. Repeat the cheese application.
• Bake in the center of the preheated oven until the cheese is melted and the casserole is piping hot, 30 to 35 minutes. Remove from the oven and let cool 10 to 15 minutes before serving. Top with parsley.