Baked Ziti with Italian Sausage Meat Sauce and Creamy Béchamel
A rich, rustic baked ziti made with deeply browned Italian sausage, hand‑crushed tomatoes, a nutmeg‑scented Parmesan béchamel, and plenty of low‑moisture mozzarella, baked until the cheese is deeply golden with crispy, almost burnt edges. Comforting, hearty, and perfect for pasta night or feeding a crowd.
Equipment
- 1 9x13 Casserole Dish
- 1 Cheese Grater
- 1 Large Sauce Pot
- 1 Small Sauce Pot
Ingredients
Meat Sauce
- 2 tbsp olive oil
- 1 lb ground Italian sausage
- 1 large yellow onion finely chopped
- 5 cloves garlic minced
- 1 tsp red pepper flakes
- 1 tsp aleppo
- 1 tsp fennel seed
- 2 tsp oregano
- 2 tbsp tomato paste
- 1 (28 oz) can whole peeled tomatoes
- 1 (28 oz) can crushed tomatoes
- Salt and pepper to taste
Béchamel
- 4 tbsp salted butter
- 4 tbsp all‑purpose flour
- 1 cup whole milk heated
- 2 oz grated Parmesan
- 1 tsp freshly cracked black pepper
- 1 tsp kosher salt
- 1/2 tsp nutmeg
For Assembly
- 1 lb boxed pasta penne, rigatoni, or mostaccioli. or your preference.
- 8 oz low‑moisture mozzarella shredded (4 oz mixed in, 4 oz for topping)
- 1 oz grated Parmesan for topping
Instructions
Sauce
- Heat a large pot over medium‑high heat with olive oil. Add the sausage and brown it. You want it super dark and crispy around the edges. Don’t stir often; let that flavor develop.
- Add the onions, red pepper flakes, aleppo, fennel seed and oregano and cook until the onions are translucent and starting to take on a little color.
- Add the garlic and cook just until fragrant.
- Stir in the tomato paste and cook for 1–2 minutes to toast it.
- Add both cans of tomatoes, hand‑crushing the whole tomatoes as they go in. Bring to a simmer and season with salt and pepper to taste.
Béchamel
- Set a small saucepan over medium heat. Add the butter. Once melted and beginning to bubble, whisk in the flour. Cook until the roux just starts to turn lightly golden.
- Warm the milk in the microwave. Add it to the roux in small portions, whisking thoroughly after each addition to keep the sauce smooth and avoid clumping.
- Once the béchamel is smooth and slightly thickened, turn off the heat and stir in the Parmesan until melted.
Assembly
- Boil the pasta in heavily salted water until al dente, according to the package directions.
- Combine the pasta, tomato sauce, béchamel, and 4 oz of the mozzarella.
- Spread the mixture into a 9×13 baking dish. Top with the remaining 4oz of mozzarella and 1oz Parmesan.
- Bake at 400°F until the cheese is deeply golden brown with some burnt bits. Bake way longer than you think, you want that moment of “hmm… is it burnt?” before you pull it. About 40-45 minutes uncovered. Let it rest for 5-10 minutes before serving.