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.
½poundItalian Pork Sausageturkey sausage with the casing removed can also be used
salt and pepper to taste
1cupgreen bell peppercut into strips
⅓cupred onionsliced
⅓cupall-purpose flour
2¼cupswhole milk
2cupscheddar cheeseshredded
½cupParmesan cheesegrated
Parsley for garnishoptional
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
Add sausage. Cook until nicely browned, then remove from the skillet and set aside. Do not drain the fat.
½ pound Italian Pork Sausage
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
Stir in flour until incorporated, then slowly add milk while stirring.
⅓ cup all-purpose flour, 2¼ cups whole milk
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
Stir through until melted. Taste, then season with salt and pepper to your preference.
salt and pepper
Add cooked ziti and sausage to the mixture and stir through.
Bake, uncovered, in preheated oven for 20 minutes or until the cheese is bubbly. Garnish with fresh parsley, and enjoy!
Parsley for garnish
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.