Baked ziti with meatballs and ricotta
Tender oven-baked meatballs join pasta in an oregano tomato sauce. Mozzarella and Parmesan form a golden topping, with ricotta spooned on just before serving.
Active time40 min
Cooking1 h
Total1 h 45 min
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Ingredients
- 3 garlic cloves
- 1 small yellow onion
- 0.5 g red chilli flakes
- 80 ml whole milk
- 250 g firm low-moisture mozzarella block
- 2 eggs
- 110 g Parmesan, for grating
- 250 g plain ricotta
- 500 g raw minced beef, about 15% fat
- 30 g panko breadcrumbs
- 875 g plain tomato passata
- 4000 ml drinking water
- 60 ml olive oil
- 1 g onion powder
- 2 g dried oregano
- ≈ ¼ tsp ground black pepper
- 29 g fine salt
- 475 g canned chopped tomatoes with their juice
- 500 g dry durum-wheat ziti
Preparation
Heat the oven to 200 °C conventional. Grease a large ovenproof braiser with 30 ml oil. Peel and chop the garlic. Grate the Parmesan. Crack the eggs into a mixing bowl and beat them. Add the beef, panko, milk, 20 g Parmesan, 1 chopped garlic clove, 3 g salt, onion powder and pepper. Mix without overworking the meat. With damp hands, shape meatballs about 5 cm across and arrange in the braiser. Bake for about 15–18 min to partially cook them. Carefully transfer to a dish and lower the oven to 190 °C.
3 garlic cloves80 ml whole milk2 eggs110 g Parmesan, for grating500 g raw minced beef, about 15% fat30 g panko breadcrumbs60 ml olive oil1 g onion powder≈ ¼ tsp ground black pepper29 g fine salt- oven
- ovenproof braiser
- pastry brush
- knife
- board
- grater
- mixing bowl
- fork
- spatula
- dish
Peel and chop the onion. Set the braiser over medium heat and add the remaining 30 ml oil. Cook the onion with the remaining 2 chopped garlic cloves, oregano and chilli for about 5–8 min until the onion softens. Add the passata and chopped tomatoes with all their juice, then 6 g salt. Simmer gently for about 5 min, stirring.
1 small yellow onion0.5 g red chilli flakes875 g plain tomato passata2 g dried oregano475 g canned chopped tomatoes with their juice- knife
- board
- braiser
- spoon
While making the sauce, bring all the water to the boil in a large saucepan with the remaining 20 g salt. Cook the ziti for about 2 min less than the packet’s al dente time. Drain without rinsing. Grate the mozzarella.
250 g firm low-moisture mozzarella block4000 ml drinking water500 g dry durum-wheat ziti- large saucepan
- spoon
- colander
- grater
Gently fold the pasta and meatballs into all the sauce in the braiser. Scatter over the mozzarella and remaining 90 g Parmesan. Bake for about 30 min at 190 °C until bubbling in the centre and the meatballs are fully cooked. Check that a meatball reaches at least 74 °C in the centre. Spoon all the ricotta over the top in small dollops and serve hot.
250 g plain ricotta- braiser
- spoon
- oven
- food thermometer
Allergens
- Eggs
- Gluten
- Milk
Composition to check for: Celery, Crustaceans, Fish, Lupin, Molluscs, Mustard, Tree nuts, Peanuts, Sesame, Soy, Sulphites.
Sources and credits
Photo: Au Menu — created with ImageGen at Roch’s request · Editorial permission from Roch for Au Menu; OpenAI terms
Au Menu · AI-generated illustration