1/4 cup olive oil, divided, plus more for brushing
1 garlic clove, minced
1 1/2 teaspoon crushed red pepper, divided
One 28 oz can whole peeled tomatoes, smoothied with your hands, juices reserved
Salt
2 tablespoons unsalted butter
2 tablespoons flour
2 cups whole milk, warmed
Nutmeg
1/2 lb ziti
1/2 lb mozzarella cheese, cut into 1/2 inch cubes
1 cup parmesan
1 cup coarse bread crumbs
Instructions
Heat 2 tbsp of the oil in a medium saucepan over medium-high
heat until shimmering. Add garlic and 1 tsp of crushed red pepper
and cook, stirring, until fragrant, just a minute or so. Add the
tomatoes, with their juices, and a very large pinch of salt, turn the
heat to high and bring the mixture to a boil. Lower the heat and
simmer the sauce until just slightly thickened, about 10 minutes.
Set aside to cool.
2. Meanwhile, melt the butter in a medium saucepan over medium
heat. Stir in the flour and cook, stirring, until a smooth paste the
palest shade of brown forms, about 2 minutes. While whisking
continuously, slowly pour in the milk. Bring the sauce to a boil and
cook, stirring, until it is nice and thick, about 5 minutes. Turn off
the heat and season the béchamel to taste with salt and nutmeg. Set
aside.
Preheat the over to 375°F. Brush a 9-by-13” baking dish with olive
oil.
4. Fill your largest pot with water, bring to a boil and season
liberally with salt. (You might need to cook the pasta in 2 batches,
depending on the size of your pot.) Add the ziti and cook it 3
minutes short of the package instructions—you don’t want it to cool
all the way through, or it will overcook when you bake it. Drain the
pasta and transfer it to a large bowl.
5. Add the reserved tomato sauce, the béchamel, mozzarella and ¾
cup of the Parmesan to the ziti and stir well. Transfer the mixture to
the prepared baking dish and scatter the remaining ¼ cup Parmesan
over the top.
Toss the bread crumbs with the remaining 2 tbsp of olive oil in a
small bowl and season with salt. Scatter the bread crumbs over the
ziti, then sprinkle with the reaming ½ tsp of crushed red pepper
and a pinch of freshly grated nutmeg.
7. Bake the pasta until it is bubbling and the top is browned, about
15 minutes. Let the pasta rest for 10 minutes before serving.
Originally Submitted
2/3/2015
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