Baked Ziti
A delectable dish that combines ease and irresistible flavors, perfect for intimate or large gatherings.
A delectable dish that combines ease and irresistible flavors, perfect for intimate or large gatherings.
- Carbohydrate 29.701377993544 g
- Cholesterol 95.8599165025665 mg
- Fat 16.0989309297455 g
- Fiber 0 g
- Protein 23.6807184932702 g
- Saturated Fat 8.65573127931152 g
- Serving Size 1 1 serving (154g)
- Sodium 316.190720260066 mg
- Sugar 29.701377993544 g
- Trans Fat 1.4548069530943 g
- Calories 362 calories
Step-by-step
- Bring a large pot of lightly salted water to a boil. Add ziti pasta, and cook until al dente, about 8 minutes; drain.
- In a large skillet, brown onion and ground beef over medium heat. Add spaghetti sauce, and simmer 15 minutes.
- Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Butter a 9x13 inch baking dish. Layer as follows: 1/2 of the ziti, Provolone cheese, sour cream, 1/2 sauce mixture, remaining ziti, mozzarella cheese and remaining sauce mixture. Top with grated Parmesan cheese.
- Bake for 30 minutes in the preheated oven, or until cheeses are melted.
Boiling tubular ziti for precisely eight minutes leaves just enough firm starch core to prevent the casserole from turning into an unappealing, overcooked paste during its thirty-minute bake at 350°F. Testers frequently watch this bake fail. When cooks rush the sauce simmer, excess water dilutes the sharp tomato acids and stops the beef fat from emulsifying properly. Adding sour cream introduces lactic acid that cuts through rich provolone, though heat risks breaking the protein emulsion.
Structural Chemistry and Substitutions
Layering cold sour cream directly between warm pasta and melted provolone insulates the starches, locking the sauce onto the pasta exterior. Swapping sour cream for whole-milk ricotta at a 1:1 substitution ratio drastically alters the moisture profile, requiring ten extra minutes of baking time to firm the center.
- Separated dairy: Use full-fat sour cream in your 9x13-inch dish to resist heat curdling.
- Soggy pasta: Ensure the sauce simmers for the full 15 minutes before assembly to drive off free moisture.
