Wednesday, April 6, 2011

Baked Ziti with Sausage and Pepperoni



















Spring has sprung here in North Carolina. Halleluiah! Some rain and mildly cool weather in the forecast, with warm sunny days interspersed. Some of the trees are even starting to bud with new leaves. I'm so happy to be past the freezing snow days now. I can even pull out my shorts and sandals now. Yay!
This is a recipe I had never tried before, pepperoni in baked ziti? Really? Yeah, well thanks to my Dad I am now hooked.When I first got here to N.C. my Mom and Dad took me out to one of their favorite little italian restaurants up here. (Michael was in Willmington doing his training and I was here alone.) My Dad always orders the same thing when they go there. Baked Ziti. One bite and I knew I had to make this at home.




Baked Ziti with Pepperoni
Adapted from Food and Wine

Ingredients

4 ounces thin-sliced pepperoni
1/2 pound italian sausage, casing removed
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 large onion, chopped
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 1/2 cups canned tomatoes with their juice (one 16-ounce can)
3/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon dried oregano
2 tablespoons fresh basil
1/2 pound ziti
8 ounces shredded mozzarella
1/3 cup shredded parmesan
3 tablespoons chopped flat-leaf parsley


Directions
Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

 In a large frying pan, sauté the pepperoni over moderate heat until lightly browned, about 3 minutes. Transfer to paper towels to drain. Pour off the fat from the pan and wipe the pan clean.
In the same pan, heat the oil over moderately low heat. Add the onion and cook, stirring occasionally, until soft, about 10 minutes. Add the garlic and cook, stirring, for 30 seconds. Stir in the sausage and cook until no longer pink. Stir in the tomatoes with their juice, breaking them up. Add the salt,oregano, and basil, cover, and simmer over low heat for 10 minutes. In a large pot of boiling, salted water, cook the ziti until just done, about 13 minutes. Drain and toss with the sauce, the pepperoni, and the parsley. Top with the mozzarella and finish with the parmesan. Cover and bake about 30 minutes or until cheeses are melted and bubbly.
Serves 4.

I'm linking this recipe up to:
Tuesdays at the Table
It's a Blog Party
What's on your Plate?
Recipes I Can't Wait to Try
Tempt my Tummy Tuesdays



Baked Ziti with Sausage and Pepperoni

Delicious pasta loaded with cheeses, sausage, and pepperoni.

See Baked Ziti with Sausage and Pepperoni on Key Ingredient.


 
 
Baked Ziti With Sausage and Pepperoni on Foodista


I do hope if you love baked ziti that you will give this a try. I know you will love it as much as we do. My Dad and I are certainly addicted to it.
Carla and Michael

9 comments:

  1. This sounds good to me! I prefer my pasta dry and not smothered in red sauce like most dishes.

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  2. My son loves ziti no matter what I do to it! Thanks for stopping by. Hope you like the mango cake!

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  3. What a great idea to add the pepperoni! Looks so good. This would go over big at my house!

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  4. We make a similar dinner and the kids love it. Thanks for visiting me at A Season for All Things. I'm your newest follower and look forward to reading more of your posts and recipes. ~ Ellen

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  5. This looks delicious! Thanks for stopping by my blog.

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  6. This looks great! And I see a few new food blog hops I'm going to have to stop over to try. I hope your eye round roast came out perfectly this evening! I'm your newest follower :-)

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  7. Count me in....anything with pasta, I mean ANYTHING - love it!!

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  8. I love a good cheesy pasta dish! Baked ziti? Yes please! Thanks for linking up on Recipes I Can't Wait to Try!

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  9. What a great dish! Just found your amazing blog and am a new follower!
    - Jessica @ http://cajunlicious.com

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