Golden Baked Ziti with Bubbling Mozzarella & Basil
50 min · Easy
#bake#comfort#italian#kid-friendly#pasta
The Sunday-dinner smell that pulls everyone into the kitchen: tubes of pasta bound in a slow-simmered beef ragù, rippled with pockets of ricotta and buried under a blanket of mozzarella that bakes into deep golden, blistered peaks. Comfort food you can build ahead and slide into the oven — every scoop pulls away in long strands of melted cheese.
Ingredientsfor 4 portions
- 320 g Ziti
- 350 g 85% Lean Ground Beef, Raw
- 700 g Traditional Passata by Cento
- 1 medium Yellow Onion
- 3 clove Garlic
- 2 tbsp Olive Oil
- 200 g Ricotta Cheese
- 200 g Fresh Mozzarella
- 40 g Parmesan Cheese
- 2 tsp Dried Oregano
- 15 g Fresh Chopped Basil by Gefen, torn, to finish
Steps
- Heat the oven to 200°C. Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil and cook the ziti for 2 minutes less than the packet says — it should be very firm, as it keeps cooking in the oven. Drain and set aside.
- While the pasta cooks, warm the olive oil in a deep pan over medium heat and soften the diced onion for 4–5 minutes until translucent. Stir in the garlic and cook for 30 seconds until fragrant.
- Turn the heat to medium-high, add the ground beef and brown it for 6–8 minutes, breaking it up with a spoon, until deeply caramelised and no longer pink.
- Pour in the passata, add the oregano and season with salt and pepper. Simmer gently for 10 minutes until the sauce thickens and turns glossy and rich.
- Fold the drained ziti through the sauce until every piece is coated, then dot spoonfuls of ricotta over the top and gently ripple it in for creamy pockets.
- Tip everything into a baking dish, tear the mozzarella over the surface and finish with the parmesan. Bake for 20–25 minutes until the cheese is molten, bubbling and golden-brown at the edges.
- Rest for 5 minutes so it sets enough to serve in neat scoops, then scatter with fresh basil and bring it straight to the table.
