Baked Ziti with Spicy Fennel and Pork Sausage
Borrowing from the beloved recipe of Italian homes, this cheesy, deliciously spiced casserole with bites of plump sausage and pops of fennel will rouse your entire family to gather at the table. Best of all, it’s an excellent weeknight meal with easy cleanup—so you can sit back and enjoy more family bonding around home-cooked comfort food.
Serves 8+
Ingredients:
- 2 tbsp. extra virgin olive oil, plus extra for greasing
- ¾ oz. butter
- ½ onion, finely diced
- 1 lb. 7 oz. Italian pork sausages, casings removed
- 2 garlic cloves, finely diced
- ½ tsp. fennel seeds, crushed
- ½ tsp. dried chili flakes, crushed
- 27 fl. oz. passata (puréed tomatoes)
- 1 c. chicken stock
- Handful of basil leaves
- Sea salt and freshly cracked black pepper
- 1 lb. 2 oz. dried ziti
- 9 oz. fresh mozzarella, thinly sliced
- 1¾ oz. pecorino, finely grated
- 1 c. good-quality firm ricotta
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Instructions:
- Preheat the oven to 350°F. Grease a 13 inch × 9 inch baking dish with oil.
- Heat the oil and butter in a large frying pan over medium–low heat. Add the onion and sauté for 5–7 minutes, until soft and translucent. Crumble in the sausage meat and cook for 7–9 minutes, until well browned, then add the garlic, fennel seeds, and chili flakes and sauté for 1 minute or until fragrant. Pour in the passata and stock and simmer for 15–20 minutes, until the sauce has thickened slightly and the sausage is cooked through. Stir in the basil leaves and season to taste with salt and pepper.
- Meanwhile, bring a large saucepan of salted water to boil and cook the ziti to 1 minute less than al dente. Drain and toss the ziti through the cooked sauce.
- Spoon half the ziti mixture into the baking dish and top with half the mozzarella and half the pecorino. Repeat with the remaining ziti, mozzarella, and pecorino, then dollop large spoonfuls of ricotta over the top. Cover the dish with a sheet of baking paper, followed by a sheet of foil, and bake for 15 minutes. Remove the foil and paper and bake for a further 15–20 minutes until the cheese has melted and the sauce is bubbling.
- Allow to rest for 5 minutes before serving.
