I’m sure you’re all familiar with the classic baked ziti, or at least have seen photos of this vibrant, rich dish. Today we’re nixing that meaty sauce for something a little more cheesy and creamy. How have I gone this far without yet mentioning all the cheese we’re using today? Romano, provolone, ricotta, mozzarella and Parmesan, what do all these have in common? Well first of all they’re delicious – that’s a given, but more importantly they’re all found here, in our delicious five cheese ziti al forno. Each one is important in its own right for giving us some richness, texture, flavor, and cheese pulls!
What Is Ziti?
Not super familiar with this particular shaped pasta? It is smaller than rigatoni and similar in shape to penne, rather with straight cut edges instead of diagonal. You’ll find this pasta is usually used in baked pasta dishes as it holds up well to those necessary thick sauces and all the heat that happens in our oven.
What Does Al Forno Mean?
Al forno just simply means in the oven! It can refer to breads, pizzas, and in our case today – pasta dishes! Things like lasagna, traditional meaty sauce baked ziti, and baked mac and cheese all fall into this delicious category.
Ingredients
Pasta – We’re using ziti today! You can find it at any grocery store. Butter – Unsalted as always, we’ll get plenty of sodium from our cheeses. Garlic – Use as much or little as you like. Flour – All purpose to thicken up our sauce just a bit. Be sure to allow it to get a bit golden in your pan so that that raw flour flavor cooks off. Half and half – Half and half is equal parts whole milk and light cream. It averages 10 to 12% fat which allows our sauce to be velvety and rich. You can cut back on the richness if you’d like. Cheese – Parmesan, Mozzarella, Provolone, Romano, and Ricotta. Be sure to pick it up all fresh, for the cheeses that need to be grated or shredded I prefer to do it fresh myself. Sauce – Marinara sauce, you can make it fresh or do what I did and just pick up a couple jars! Seasoning – Salt and pepper to taste.
Topping
Breadcrumbs – I like to use panko, it guarantees a super crisp perfectly crunchy layer on top. Cheese – Freshly grated Parmesan cheese, save some from the amount we poor into the baked ziti sauce. Seasoning – Italian seasoning to add some extra herby flavor and color to our dish. Butter – Unsalted as always, this will brown beautifully.
What Else Can I Use In My Ziti?
The best thing about this dish – aside from the flavor – is how versatile it is. Add some of your favorite ingredients and really make this pasta your own.
Mushrooms Beef Bell peppers Leeks
How To Make Five Cheese Ziti Al Forno
Getting The Most Out Of Your Ziti
Be sure your ziti is saucy! As it bakes away in the oven we’re going to lose some of that all important moisture so be sure it’s covered in lots of sauce before baking. Like I said above, it’s so important to shred your own cheese rather than buying it pre-shredded! It will melt better and taste just as it should. Undercook your pasta just by a bit, a minute or so, this will ensure it doesn’t get mushy in the oven.
How To Make Your Own Marinara Sauce
If you have a bit of extra time and you’d like to take this recipe into the stratosphere then why not make your own sauce? It really doesn’t require too much extra effort and you can tweak it till the flavors suit your taste buds perfectly. Follow the recipe here.
How To Make Your Own Breadcrumbs
Sometimes I find myself out of breadcrumbs at the worst time, or I open up the can and they smell stale, don’t let these little hiccups get in the way of this amazing dish! Here’s my fool proof recipe for making fresh, homemade breadcrumbs. All you need are 10 slices of bread, ground down in a food processor, from there just:
Storing Leftovers
Fridge
Transfer leftover baked ziti to airtight containers and refrigerate for 3 to 5 days.
Freezer
Freeze in a tightly sealed dish for up to a month. When ready to serve, take it out of the freezer the night before and thaw it in the refrigerator. Bake according to instructions.
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