Easy Baked Ziti With Italian Sausage Recipe

I learned all about the magic of pasta dishes while struggling to come up with meals to serve a family of five on a tight grocery budget. Below is one of my favorite pasta dishes, a baked ziti with Italian sausage recipe.

Pasta is a lifesaver when you need to save money on groceries. It can really stretch a pound of meat. Not to mention that pasta recipes are delicious. It's one of the few meals that I can serve my family and everyone is pleased.

Another reason I like pasta recipes is that they can be made so many different ways, to fit many different occasions. When I'm in a mood for Italian, I usually reach for this delicious, but easy classic Italian recipe, baked ziti with Italian sausage. Learn how to make it below:

Baked Ziti Ingredients (Makes 8 servings)

• 16 oz box ziti
• 1 pound Italian sausage
• 3 cloves minced garlic
• 28 oz jar marinara sauce
• 4 oz can tomato sauce
• 1 cup homemade chicken stock (or you can use canned chicken broth)
• 1 1/4 teaspoons Italian seasoning
• 2 cups shredded mozzarella cheese
• 1/2 cup shredded provolone cheese
• 1/2 cup grated parmesan cheese

Follow the recipes on the box and cook the ziti pasta to al dente, about 8 minutes. You don't want to fully cook it, as it will be mushy after it is also baked in the oven. Drain well.

While the ziti is cooking, remove the Italian sausage from its casing. Brown the Italian sausage and garlic in a large pan on medium heat until the sausage is done. Break up the sausage into small pieces. Don't add the garlic until the last 5 minutes or so, to prevent it from becoming bitter. Total cooking time should be about 7-8 minutes. I drain the sausage and wipe out the pan to remove the grease, but that is optional.

Add the marinara sauce, tomato sauce, chicken stock, and seasoning to the sausage and garlic in the pan. Simmer for about 15 minutes.

Butter a 9x13 baking dish. Then add a thin layer of the sauce to the bottom of the pan- about a cup of sauce. Then layer one half of the ziti pasta, all of the mozzarella, one half of the remaining sauce, the rest of the ziti, all of the provolone, the rest of the sauce, and top with the grated parmesan cheese.

Bake covered in a preheated 350 degrees Fahrenheit oven for about 30-45 minutes. Uncover during the last 10 minutes of cooking to melt and brown the parmesan cheese. It will be done when the cheeses are all melted.

This easy pasta recipe is excellent with a Greek green salad and some garlic bread.