Baked Ziti

Method

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1. Heat the oil in a large pan and cook the onion 8 minutes over medium heat until soft, then the garlic for 1 minute.

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2. Stir in the tomato purée and cook 2 minutes until it darkens, then add the tinned tomatoes, passata, oregano, chilli flakes, salt and sugar.

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3. Simmer, uncovered, for 20 minutes until slightly thickened but still loose. Stir in the basil.

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4. Meanwhile cook the ziti in well-salted water for 4 minutes less than the packet time — it should be distinctly hard in the middle. Reserve 150 ml of the water and drain.

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5. Beat the ricotta with the egg, half the Parmigiano, the nutmeg and 4 tablespoons of the pasta water until smooth and spoonable.

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6. Heat the oven to 190°C / 375°F. Toss the drained pasta with two-thirds of the sauce.

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7. Spread a ladle of plain sauce over the base of a 23 x 33 cm dish. Add half the pasta, dot with half the ricotta, scatter a third of the mozzarella.

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8. Repeat, finish with the remaining sauce, mozzarella and Parmigiano.

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9. Cover with foil and bake 25 minutes, then uncover and bake 18 to 20 minutes more until bubbling at the edges and blistered on top.

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10. Rest 15 minutes before serving so it holds its shape on the spoon.

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Chef’s Tips

• Four minutes under, not two. The pasta will finish in the oven and there is no rescuing it once it is soft.
• Low-moisture mozzarella, not the kind in water. Fresh mozzarella floods the dish.
• Rest it. Straight from the oven it is soup.

Common Substitutions & Variations

• An eighth of a teaspoon of garlic powder per clove is the usual stand-in when you are out of fresh garlic — it will not caramelise the same way, but it carries the flavour.
• Fresh herbs work in place of the dried oregano at roughly three times the quantity — a teaspoon of dried is about a tablespoon of fresh, chopped.

Pairing Suggestions

• A crisp green salad
• Garlic bread
• A glass of Chianti

Storage & Reheating

Refrigerated for 4 days. Reheat covered at 180°C for 25 minutes. Assembles ahead and freezes unbaked for 3 months.

Common questions

Nutritional Highlights

Per serving, calculated from the ingredient list. Treat these as an estimate — brands and cuts vary.