Baked Ziti with Italian Sausage

Once again, comfort food at its finest. Sometimes you just need an ooey, gooey casserole to satisfy your cravings. And trust me, there's nothing wrong with that. Just don't eat the entire 9 x 13 at one sitting. And if you're feeling the tiniest bit guilty about a casserole dish full of pasta and cheese, slip in a little chopped spinach into the filling. This one had a nice big handful chopped up and mixed in before baking.  

This was some more good.  Really.

12 ounces uncooked ziti pasta

4 ounces pancetta or bacon, diced

1 large onion, chopped 

3 garlic cloves, chopped

1 (1-lb.) package ground Italian sausage

1 cup dry red wine 

1 (28-oz.) can crushed tomatoes

½ cup firmly packed torn fresh basil

½ t. kosher salt

½ t. dried crushed red pepper 

1 cup ricotta cheese

1 (8-oz.) package shredded mozzarella cheese, divided 

Vegetable cooking spray

½ cup grated Parmesan cheese 

Preheat oven to 350°. Prepare ziti according to package directions for al dente.

Meanwhile, cook pancetta in a large skillet over medium-high heat 3 minutes. Add onion and garlic, and sauté 3 minutes or until onion is tender. Add sausage, and sauté 5 minutes or until meat is no longer pink. Add wine, and cook 3 minutes. Stir in tomatoes and next 3 ingredients. Reduce heat to low, and cook, stirring occasionally, 3 minutes.

Stir ricotta and 1 cup mozzarella cheese into hot cooked pasta. Lightly grease a 13- x 9-inch baking dish with cooking spray.

Transfer pasta mixture to prepared dish, and top with sausage mixture. Sprinkle with Parmesan cheese and remaining 1 cup mozzarella cheese.

Bake at 350° for 25 to 30 minutes or until bubbly.

From February 2014 Southern Living.