Does anything say comfort better than a bubbling hot pan of Baked Ziti with Sweet Italian sausage sizzling on top? Hmmm…I can’t think of anything right now. This is my Mom’s ziti. Mom’s recipes are the best where home-cooking is concerned. This is serious comfort food for a cold Sunday afternoon dinner snuggled up where it’s warm with your family gathered around. Since we’re talking ziti I have to mention the odd recipe I saw that called for sour cream in place of ricotta. I’m not sure how I feel about it. Ziti without ricotta wouldn’t be the same for me. Ziti is all about the cheese, oodles of stringy, ooey-gooey cheese! It’s not for the faint of heart or the cheese-conscious.
Ziti is really just another form of lasagna – the same ingredients are required – only the shape of the pasta is different – the flavors are there. You might question why this is called baked ziti when penne is used. Traditional ziti are long tubes that you break up before cooking, a rare find, as they are sold already broken up nowadays. Acceptable substitutes are penne, penne rigati, and mostaciolli. Penne rigate are the best because of their ridges. Cheese and sauce stick better to them.
This feeds a small crowd, but can easily be halved or frozen to enjoy at a later date. The leftovers rock!
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This is one of my husband’s favorite dishes. I always make it on a Friday.
Thanks Rachel! That makes my night! 🙂
Yum! Mom comfort food is perfect when the weather starts getting chilly. You are an Italian cooking goddess!
ooooooooooo I can smell it..Reenie, this is true comfort food.make mine with turkey sausage, add some hot spices and we're good to go.do you make fresh pasta ? I haven't made any in such a long time, especially since trader joes is so close and they have such a great selection always.
Dang, girlfriend, that's some serious food. I'm starving now! It looks so yummy!!!
moms recipes are the most delicious ones!! this is just beyond impressive!! yummm yummm!!
Looks super delicious!! Nothing beats mom's recipe!
Love Italian dishes, this looks just beautiful! My family may be seeing this on the table soon 🙂
Comfort indeed. I can see myself eating that with a large goblet of red wine. And glad you added the ricotta!!
This also makes a great snack!
URG! So mad at myself — I should've looked on here before I made dinner tonight. I made turkey meatballs and penne with marinara sauce instead of this wonderful creation. This would have been so much more exciting!
I am so hungry now! This looks amazing.
This is definitely my kind of comfort food!!Mariax
I make baked zita often and always add sausage. The kids love it. After reading your recipe I realize the reason I don't get lovely squares is probably because I don't add egg. I will next time!~ingrid
Once again, this is all I've ever wanted!
Need helping eating that? It looks so good!
You're killin' me! This recipe would NOT be included on my low-cal/low fat diet! 🙂 Ah well, I guess I could splurge just this once!
That looks delicious!!!
thanks so much for sharing the recipe! i love baked ziti!! (didn't know about the true meaning of ziti though!) I haven't made it in awhile.. need to change that!
This is the one blog that has my savory-tooth going crazy every time I visit! You are a goddess, Reeni…I would be in heaven with a slice of this ziti.
Great comfort food!! Your photos are superb too! Goodness…great post all around!
will definately try this when the weather turns cold again!!
This looks wonderful! I haven't had it in a while. I'm going to tell my mom to make it soon!
That is definitely comfort food at its best! I love baked ziti and have to try your version with the sausage on top….something a little different is nice!
Something new to me…looks amazing…First i thought its a dessert..nice one
This is comfort food, at its best 🙂
This looks so chessy and delicious! Perfect for the cold weathe we're having!
Mmm, I just want to climb into that casserole and eat my way out! Looks totally delish, and less laborious than a lasagna.
That looks sooo yummy! Baked pasta is one of my favorite dishes. It's so comforting and hearty, especially with all that cheese on top.
This is making me drool with all those rich ingredients. Yum.
Baked ziti is definitely one of my favorite comfort foods as well. Probably one of the few dishes that I actually remember liking when my mom made it. I never thought about the fact that we always used penne as well. How funny!
How fantastic does that look! Makes me hungry just looking at it!
Beautiful and mouth watering Ziti.
What a gorgeous dish of cheesy-meaty goodness! It looks wonderful!
Looks like a luscious lasagna. But it looks like the Ziti pasta is a lot easier to handle. Very nice and will have to give this a try.Find Smart Buy prices, product comparisons, nutritional information and coupons at SmartShopIt.com for your favorite dry pasta.
I saw this picture when I opened this link and now I can't think of anything else.. 😀 It looks SO great!
Your pictures are making my mouth water! Definitely a crowd pleaser – yum!
This looks delicious. I can't wait to try your recipe.
Beautiful dish, Reeni!
Baked ziti is one of my favorite food of all time!
Glorious! What a wonderful baked pasta dish. It looks just perfect!
oh perfect and what a snap good for rainy weather lol
I am seriously drooling. That looks fabulous!
oh my goodness, i want to eat this so bad that it almost hurts, delicious!
wowsie!!! I sure could go for some of that right now (instead of the leftovers I'm wolfing down). I don't think I've ever had ziti but I will make sure I that changes in the very near future.
I just jotted down the ingredients on my grocery list. This will be appearing on my kitchen table this weekend!
mmmmmmmmmmmm yummy yummy! i make something similar with spaghetti. SO good and easy! 🙂
This the definition of comfort. Bring on the cheese!
Whoa! That looks fabulous! Thanks for sharing your mom's zit – it's something we'll have to try!Purrs to Moon!
I wish I was having this for dinner tonight!
This is one of my favorite things to eat. I prefer those big chunks of sausage in place of ground beef. It sounds delicious, especially if it your mom's recipe.
Sounds terrific with sausage, yum!
Wow! Your mom's sausage ziti looks amazing! It looks so gooey, hearty and wonderfully comforting for the colder temperatures! Great job!
Yum… Baked ziti is one of my all time favorites 🙂 This sounds great!
Reeni, This is soooo good ! Your pictures are just so professional in quality that they really tell me EXACTLY how delicious this MUST be. But Yes, some of those mom's recipes are just UNBEATABLE…Eitherway, your pasta dishes never cease to amaze me….
Reeni, this is mouth-watering. Looks like a primo lasagna. Love the homemade tomato sauce. Great job.
I never think of making baked ziti. I will soon, looks too good.
Oh no, nothing Ive seen screams comfort more than this right now. Id love a huge piece with a glass of wine.
Awww…I would love that tonight.I feel under the weather, but I think this baked ziti would help me come around !PLEASE SEND SOME OVER XO
Sounds delicious!
Wow, this really looks amazing. I think i just gained two pounds 😀
mmmmmm. i love love love italian sausage! i make myself a lot of pasta, and baked ziti is one of my favorites! yours looks tasty!!
This looks delicious, I have a weakness for Italian food.Carey
Hey Reeni, Your ziti photos are fabulous! Sour cream and no ricotta what??? Baked ziti is one of those dishes that most everyone loves. I do the Italian seafood tradition for my family & close friends on Christmas Eve. I also serve a huge pan of baked ziti. We do have the long tubes too. I joke with the non-seafood eaters that the ziti is for all my American family & friends. Wonderful post! Have a great night.
YUM! I love sausage in my ziti… and I love how the ricotta and the sauce mix together into fabulousness.
Two big YUMs up! YUM YUM
Ooo…Nothing beat mom's versions of cooking, right? Looks really good!!! Pasta makes the world go round.
Classic comfort, for sure! 🙂
Reeni, this will have to be made ASAP in my house. It looks so gooey and yummy. How did you get such a perfect piece? Bookmarking right now…
I should not have looked at this post just now! I'm going to be so hungry until I finally have dinner. Looks fantastic.