Cheesy Zucchini and Italian Sausage Ziti
Easy delicious one-skillet dish that is a definite crowd pleaser! Serve with a big green salad on the side.
Ingredients
- 3 to 4 cups marinara sauce can substitute a large jar of Rao's sauce
- 3 to 4 zucchini peeled, sliced and quartered
- 1 shallot chopped fine
- kosher salt, freshly ground black pepper, red pepper flakes to taste
- 1½ pounds good quality spicy Italian sausage can substitute mild sausage; if using sausage links, remove from casings
- ½ cup ricotta cheese
- ½ cup fontina cheese grated
- ½ cup parmesan cheese freshly grated; reserve some for serving
- 1 pound ziti
- chopped fresh parsley or dried parsley for serving
Instructions
- Put a large pot of salted water on the stove to boil.While the water is heating, in a large skillet with a lid, drizzle a small amount of olive oil in the bottom and add the Italian sausage. Over medium heat, brown the sausage, breaking it into pieces as it cooks. When it is almost cooked through, add in the shallot and the zucchini. Season with a bit of salt, pepper, and red pepper flakes. Cook, stirring constantly, until sausage is completely cooked , shallot is translucent, and zucchini is softened up a bit.
- Now add in the marinara sauce. Heat this zucchini sausage mixture over medium heat until just under boiling, nice and bubbly. Simmer, partially covered, for about 10 minutes. While the sauce is simmering, check to see if water is boiling and then add the ziti. Stir pasta occasionally while cooking to prevent it from sticking together.
- While the ziti is cooking, melt the ricotta cheese into the sauce, stirring until well blended. Then add in all of the fontina and most of the parmesan cheese, reserving a bit of the parmesan for serving. Stir until all the cheeses are well incorporated into the sauce.
- When the ziti is al dente, do not drain. Instead, take a large slotted spoon or pasta claw and drop the cooked ziti by spoonfuls directly into the zucchini sausage sauce. Stir until well combined.
- When all combined, serve Cheesy Zucchini and Italian Sausage Ziti immediately, sprinkled with a bit of parmesan cheese and parsley. A big green salad and some warm Chicago Italian bread are perfect sides with this dish. Mangia!