By Sarah Murphy-Kangas, In Praise of Leftovers
1 lb. ziti or other short, tubular pasta
1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil
1 lb. hot or sweet Italian sausage, casings removed
4 garlic cloves, minced
1 28-ounce can crushed tomatoes
1 15-ounce can tomato sauce
4 ounces mozzarella cheese, cut into 1/4" pieces
2 tablespoons chopped fresh basil
8 ounces (1 cup) whole milk or part-skim ricotta cheese
To finish and serve:
4 ounces mozzarella cheese, shredded (1 cup)
1 ounce Parmesan cheese, grated (1/2 cup)
2 tablespoons chopped fresh basil
To prep:
1. Bring 4 quarts of water to boil in a large pot. Add pasta and 1 tablespoon of salt and cook, stirring occasionally, until just beginning to soften, about 5 minutes. Reserve 1-1/2 cups cooking water, then drain pasta. Rinse pasta with cold water and drain again, leaving pasta slightly wet in colander.
2. Dry now-empty pot, add 1 tablespoon oil, and return to medim-high heat until shimmering. Add sausage and cook, breaking up meat with wooden spoon, until no longer pink, about 5 minutes. Stir in garlic and cook until fragrant, about 30 seconds. Stir in crushed tomatoes and tomato sauce, bring to simmer, and cook until slightly thickened, about 5 minutes. Let cool to room temperature, 30-45 minutes.
3. Stir reserved cooking water, pasta, mozzarella, and basil into cooled sauce; transfer to 13 by 9-inch baking dish. Combine ricotta, remaining 3 tablespoons oil, 1/2 teaspoon salt, and 1/4 teaspoon pepper in bowl; cover.
To store:
4. Wrap dish tightly with plastic wrap and refrigerate zit and ricotta separately for at least 8 hours and up to 24 hours.
To finish and serve:
5. Adjust oven rack to middle position and heat oven to 400 degrees F. Unwrap dish and cover tightly with greased aluminum foil. Bake casserole until beginning to bubble around edges, about 20 minutes. Remove foil and dollop rounded tablespoons of ricotta mixture evenly over top. Sprinkle with mozzarella and Parmesan and bake, uncovered, until casserole is hot throughout and cheese is melted and begins to brown, 15-20 minutes. Let cool for 10 minutes. Sprinkle with basil and serve.
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