Baked Ziti with Fresh Mozzarella and Italian Sausage

A Pinterest Recipe

Ingredients:

1 lb of Ziti Pasta
Olive Oil
Salt
1 Yellow Onion, Diced
2 Garlic Cloves, Minced
1 lb ground Italian Sausage, Without the Casings (You can buy regular Italian Sausage and push the filling out of the casings)
3 Medium-Sized Mushrooms, Diced
1 Small Zucchini, Diced
2 14 oz Cans of Diced Tomatoes
1 6 oz Can of Tomato Paste
Oregano
20 Basil Leaves, Torn, and Split Into Two Equal Piles
1 Cup Grated Parmesan Cheese
8 Slices of Fresh Mozzarella

Directions:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Cook the ziti pasta in boiling water according to the package with a little olive oil and a pinch of salt. Remove from the heat about 3 minutes before the time indicated on the pasta package. Drain well.

Meanwhile, prepare the sauce. In a large skillet, heat 1 tbsp olive oil. Sauté the onions until translucent and slightly golden in color, then add the garlic, mushrooms, and zucchini. Once the zucchini and mushrooms have softened add the sausage. Cook on medium-high heat, stirring occasionally, until the sausage is fully browned.

Now add the canned tomatoes, tomato paste and one pile of the basil leaves. Reduce the heat to medium and cook for 10 minutes or until the sauce thickens. Season to taste with salt, pepper, and oregano.

Combine the pasta with 1/2 of the grated Parmesan cheese and 1/2 the sauce (you will use the rest of the sauce shortly). If your skillet is not oven-safe, transfer the pasta to a baking dish and top with the remaining sauce and the mozzarella cheese slices. Bake the ziti pasta in preheated-oven for 20-25 minutes. When ready, remove from the oven and add the rest of the Parmesan cheese and basil leaves.