Cheesy Baked Ziti with Sausage and Peppers
Cheesy Baked Ziti with Sausage and Peppers
Ingredients
Fresh basil, for garnish
1/2 cup shredded Parmesan cheese
8 ounces fresh mozzarella cheese, sliced
1 tablespoon sugar
3 tablespoons tomato paste
1 (28-ounce) can crushed tomatoes
1 1/2 tablespoons minced garlic
2 medium red bell peppers, cut into slices
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 pound bulk Italian sausage (sweet or spicy)
1 pound ziti or penne pasta
Step by step
Preheat the oven to 350°F.
Cook the pasta in a large pot of boiling salted water until al dente, about 10 minutes. Drain the pasta and set it aside.
Add the sausage to a KitchenAid® Stainless Steel Sauté Pan set over medium-low heat. Cook it, breaking it apart with a spatula, until it’s cooked throughout. Using a slotted spoon, transfer the sausage to a paper towel-lined plate. Leave any brown bits in the pan and increase the heat to medium. Add the olive oil and peppers and cook them, stirring occasionally, for about 5 minutes.
Reduce the heat to medium-low and add the garlic. Cook it, stirring constantly, until it’s golden brown. Add the tomatoes, tomato paste and sugar to the pan and cook, stirring, until combined. Taste and season the sauce with salt and pepper.
Toss together the pasta with the sauce then transfer half of it to the KitchenAid® 3.5-quart Ceramic Nesting Casserole Dish. Top the pasta with half of the sliced mozzarella. Add the remaining pasta to the dish and top it with the remaining sliced mozzarella. Bake the pasta for 20 to 25 minutes until the cheese is melted. Remove the pasta from oven, top it with grated Parmesan cheese, garnish it with basil leaves and serve.