Best Baked Ziti With Mini Meatballs Recipes

BAKED ZITI WITH MEATBALLS

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 450°F. Coat a 13- x 9-inch baking dish with cooking spray. Line a large rimmed baking sheet with aluminum foil, and place baking dish on prepared baking sheet. Stir together pasta, marinara sauce, meatballs, mushrooms, spinach, pepperoni, and orange juice in baking dish.
• Bake in preheated oven 10 minutes. Sprinkle with cheese, and continue baking until cheese is melted and pasta is thoroughly heated, about 10 minutes. Garnish with basil.

BAKED ZITI WITH TURKEY MEATBALLS

Steps:

• In a bowl, stir together turkey, garlic, bread crumbs, onion, pine nuts, parsley, egg, salt and pepper. Form into meatballs about 1 inch in diameter.
• In a large heavy skillet, heat 2 tablespoons oil over moderately high heat until hot but not smoking. Cook half of meatballs, shaking skillet, until browned and cooked through, about 4 minutes. Transfer meatballs to paper towels to drain. Brown remaining meatballs in remaining 2 tablespoons oil in same manner.
• Preheat oven to 375 degrees F (190 degrees C). Oil a 3 to 4 quart gratin dish.
• Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Add the pasta, and cook until just al dente, about 8 minutes. Drain.
• In a small bowl, toss together mozzarella and Romano cheese.
• Spoon about 1 1/2 cups tomato sauce and half the meatballs into prepared dish, and spoon half the pasta on top. Spread half remaining sauce and half cheese mixture over pasta. Top with remaining meatballs, and drop dollops of ricotta over meatballs. Spread remaining pasta over ricotta, and top with remaining sauce and cheese mixture. Bake in middle of oven for 30 to 35 minutes, or until golden. Let stand 10 minutes before serving.

BAKED ZITI WITH MINI MEATBALLS

Steps:

• .1. Cook ziti until al dente and then rinse to cool and set aside.
• 2. Mix ground meat, onion, bread crumbs, 1 tsp garlic salt, 1/4 tsp pepper, 1 egg and 1/2 tsp basil. Form into small meatballs ( a little less than a walnut). Then cook the meatballs in the olive oil until the meatballs are browned and cooked through. Drain off the fat then set aside.
• 3. Mix the ricotta, 1 tsp garlic salt, 1/2 tsp basil, 1/2 tsp parsley, 1/4 tsp pepper, 1/2 of mozzarella and 1 egg together. Set aside. Then mix the ricotta mixture with the ziti and set aside again.
• 4. Mix the jar of pasta sauce and the basil crushed tomatoes together then set aside.
• 5. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
• 6. Assemble: 1/3 of the sauce- followed by 1/2 of the ziti/ricotta/mozzarella-followed by the meatballs- then -- 1/3 sauce - followed by the rest of the ziti/ricotta/mozzarella mix- followed by the last 1/3 of the sauce followed by the rest of the mozzarella and sprinkled with the parmesan cheese.
• 7. Bake, loosely covered with foil for 30 minutes. Remove foil and bake for another 20-30 minutes. Let sit at least 10 minutes before serving.

BAKED ZITI WITH MEATBALLS

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
• In a large bowl, combine bread crumbs, eggs, milk, 1/2 cup of the Romano and the parsley, and mix well. Season with salt and pepper. Add beef and gently combine, being careful not to overwork the meat. Shape into bite-size meatballs. Roll each meatball in flour to coat, shaking off excess.
• In a large pot, bring 6 quarts of salted water to a boil. Add pasta and cook until al dente, about 8 minutes. Drain pasta in a colander and set aside. If not using immediately, cover top with plastic wrap so that pasta does not dry out. Do not rinse pasta with water since you want to retain the pasta's natural starches so that the sauce will cling to the ziti.
• In a large skillet heat the oil over medium-high heat. When almost smoking, add meatballs in batches and without moving or turning the meat, allow it to brown for about 3 minutes. Turn meatballs and brown other side. Continue to cook until all sides are golden brown. Remove meatballs to a plate.
• In a large bowl, combine the tomato sauce and ricotta and mix well. Add the cooked ziti and meatballs and toss gently.
• In a large greased baking dish, pour in pasta mixture. Sprinkle the mozzarella, Parmesan, and remaining Romano all over the top. Dot with the butter. Place baking dish on top of baking sheet covered with aluminum foil to collect any drippings from the dish. Bake until top is golden brown and bubbly, about 30 to 40 minutes.

BAKED ZITI WITH TURKEY MEATBALLS

Steps:

• Make meatballs:
• In a bowl stir together well turkey, garlic, bread crumbs, onion, pine nuts, parsley, egg, salt, and pepper and form into meatballs about 1 inch in diameter. In a large heavy skillet heat 2 tablespoons oil over moderately high heat until hot but not smoking and cook half of meatballs, shaking skillet, until browned and cooked through, about 4 minutes. Transfer meatballs to paper towels to drain and brown remaining meatballs in remaining 2 tablespoons oil in same manner.
• Preheat oven to 375°F. and oil a 3- to 4-quart gratin dish or other shallow baking dish.
• In a kettle of salted boiling water cook pasta until just al dente, about 8 minutes, and drain well. In a small bowl toss together mozzarella and Romano.
• Spoon about 1 1/2 cups tomato sauce and half of meatballs into prepared dish and spoon half of pasta on top. Spread half remaining sauce and half cheese mixture over pasta. Top with remaining meatballs and drop dollops of ricotta over meatballs. Spread remaining pasta over ricotta and top with remaining sauce and remaining cheese mixture.
• Bake ziti in middle of oven 30 to 35 minutes, or until golden, and let stand 10 minutes before serving.

GIADA'S BAKED ZITI WITH MEATBALLS

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
• In a large bowl, combine bread crumbs, eggs, milk, 1/2 cup of the Romano and the parsley, and mix well. Season with salt and pepper. Add beef and gently combine, being careful not to overwork the meat. Shape into bite-size meatballs. Roll each meatball in flour to coat, shaking off excess.
• In a large pot, bring 6 quarts of salted water to a boil. Add pasta and cook until al dente, about 8 minutes. Drain pasta in a colander and set aside. If not using immediately, cover top with plastic wrap so that pasta does not dry out. Do not rinse pasta with water since you want to retain the pasta's natural starches so that the sauce will cling to the ziti.
• In a large skillet heat the oil over medium-high heat. When almost smoking, add meatballs in batches and without moving or turning the meat, allow it to brown for about 3 minutes. Turn meatballs and brown other side. Continue to cook until all sides are golden brown. Remove meatballs to a plate.
• In a large bowl, combine the tomato sauce and ricotta and mix well. Add the cooked ziti and meatballs and toss gently.
• In a large greased baking dish, pour in pasta mixture. Sprinkle the mozzarella, Parmesan, and remaining Romano all over the top. Dot with the butter. Place baking dish on top of baking sheet covered with aluminum foil to collect any drippings from the dish. Bake until top is golden brown and bubbly, about 30 to 40 minutes.