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baked ziti up close in skillet
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Baked Ziti with Sausage

My Baked Ziti Recipe with sausage and peppers is an instant family-favorite! Loaded with Italian sausage, bell peppers, onions, and plenty of ooey, gooey cheese.
Course Main Course
Cuisine American
Keyword baked ziti recipe, baked ziti sausage, baked ziti with sausage, sausage baked ziti
Prep Time 20 minutes
Cook Time 20 minutes
Total Time 40 minutes
Servings 10
Calories 411kcal

Equipment

  • Oven-proof Skillet

Ingredients

Instructions

  • Preheat your oven to 350ºF. Prepare ziti pasta according to the package directions to al dente. In a large skillet over medium-high heat, melt butter.
    1 pound ziti, 1 Tablespoon unsalted butter
    melted butter in skillet
  • Add sausage. Cook until nicely browned, then remove from the skillet and set aside. Do not drain the fat.
    ½ pound Italian Pork Sausage
    removing sausage from skillet with spoon
  • Add sliced green peppers and sliced onions to the sausage fat in the skillet and cook until tender, but not browned. If there isn’t enough fat in the skillet, add additional butter as needed.
    1 cup green bell pepper, ⅓ cup red onion
    adding peppers and onions to skillet
  • Stir in flour until incorporated, then slowly add milk while stirring.
    ⅓ cup all-purpose flour, 2¼ cups whole milk
    adding milk to skillet with peppers and onions
  • Cook over medium-low heat while stirring constantly, until thickened. Remove from the heat and add shredded cheddar cheese and Parmesan.
    2 cups cheddar cheese, ½ cup Parmesan cheese
    adding cheese to skillet with milk peppers and onions
  • Stir through until melted. Taste, then season with salt and pepper to your preference.
    salt and pepper
    cheese and peppers sauce in skillet
  • Add cooked ziti and sausage to the mixture and stir through.
    baked ziti in skillet ready to bake
  • Bake, uncovered, in preheated oven for 20 minutes or until the cheese is bubbly. Garnish with fresh parsley, and enjoy!
    Parsley for garnish
    ziti baked in skillet

Video

Notes

  • Start cooking the ziti first, and cook to al dente (just slightly undercooked).
  • Use a large, oven-safe skillet, such as a cast iron skillet. A casserole dish may also be used - cook in a skillet first, then add to the dish to bake.
  • While the ziti cooks, brown the sausage at the same time. I recommend browning it in one piece initially to sear one side, then start crumbling it up with a spoon or spatula.
  • Use the fat from the sausage to cook the onions and peppers for the best flavor. Don't drain the fat. Scrape up the browned bits from the bottom of the pan.
  • Remove the skillet from the heat when adding the cheese.

Nutrition

Serving: 1serving | Calories: 411kcal | Carbohydrates: 41g | Protein: 19g | Fat: 18g | Saturated Fat: 9g | Cholesterol: 51mg | Sodium: 391mg | Potassium: 294mg | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 4g | Vitamin A: 460IU | Vitamin C: 12.5mg | Calcium: 298mg | Iron: 1.3mg