Ziti Pasta Bake

Ziti is a Mediterranean-style pasta bake that's like lasagne’s laid-back cousin - just stir, bake and serve. Layered with a rich tomato sauce, fennel and paprika spiced sausage meat and three types of bubbling cheese, it's everything you want in a weeknight dinner; hearty, nourishing and quick to pull together. Made to feed a table or to portion out and freeze for the weeks ahead when you need something delicious that's ready to go.

Time to prep : 20 minutes

Time to bake: 30 minutes

Servings : 6 - 8

Ingredients

500g dried Ziti pasta*

1 tbsp olive oil

4 cloves of garlic, minced

450g sausage meat (pork mince)

1 tsp salt

2 tsp fennel seeds

2 tsp smoked paprika

1/4 tsp red chilli flakes (optional)

400g tin chopped tomatoes

400g passata

2 tsp brown sugar

1 tbsp Italian herbs

250g ricotta cheese

250g grated mozzarella cheese

125g parmesan cheese, grated

Method

1. Bring a large saucepan of salted water to boil. Boil the pasta until al dente (about 2 minutes less than the package cooking time). Drain, tip back into the saucepan and set to one side.

2. Pre-heat a fan oven to 180ºC.

3. Whilst the pasta is boiling, heat the olive oil in a large, deep saucepan over a medium heat. Add in the garlic and sauté until golden. Add in the mince and cook for 5 minutes until browned.

4. Add the salt, fennel seeds, paprika and chilli flakes.

5. Pour in the chopped tomatoes and passata. Stir together and add in the sugar and Italian herbs. Simmer on a low heat for 10 minutes.

6. Mix 1/2 of the tomato sauce into the drained pasta and stir, coating all the shapes. Tip the coated pasta into a 9 x 13 inch ovenproof dish. Dollop the ricotta over then top with the rest of the tomato sauce.

7. Scatter over the grated mozzarella and parmesan. Loosely cover the dish with tin foil and bake for 15 minutes. Remove the tin foil and bake for another 15 minutes, until the cheese is golden and bubbly. Finish off with a few minutes under the grill for a crispy, golden cheesy top.

Nutritional Information

(per serve)

518 calories

32g protein, 39g carbs, 26g fat

Good to know:

• Ziti is a variety of tubular pasta, you can usually find it in bigger supermarkets, online or in Italian delis, or you could use penne or rigatoni.

• You could use turkey or beef mince instead.

• To make this recipe vegetarian, use veggie style mince or vegetarian sausages broken down with the back of a spoon at step 3 work amazing too.

• Use gluten-free pasta to make this GF.

• You can make this ahead of time by preparing it until the point of baking, then wrapping in cling film and chilling in the fridge for up to 3 days.

• Store leftovers in the fridge for up to 3 days in an airtight container. Enjoy cold or reheat portions in the microwave or oven until piping hot throughout.

• Freezer (baked): Store portions in an airtight container and freeze for up to 3 months. Defrost overnight in the fridge before reheating in the oven until golden and bubbling.

• Freezer (unbaked): Assemble the pasta bake up to the point before baking. Wrap the dish tightly in cling film and then a layer of tin foil and freeze. When ready to cook, defrost in the fridge overnight, then bake as per the recipe - you may need to add 10 – 15 extra minutes if it’s still slightly chilled in the centre.