Vodka Sauce Baked Ziti

pasta / meat free / meal prep

Kiss your classic baked ziti goodbye, because we are using vodka sauce for this recipe.

Baked ziti is one of my all-time favorite dishes. I grew up on this pasta back home. For every big occasion I remember, there was always a baked ziti involved. Whether you had to bring something for a potluck, were bringing a family food who just had a baby, or had a massive graduation party, baked ziti was ALWAYS served.

Personally, my absolute favorite pasta sauce is vodka sauce. I love a little creaminess to my classic tomato sauce so this was always my chosen sauce. Using it for baked ziti was a no brainer! Its so easy to make and adds even EXTRA creaminess for those of us who just can’t get enough.

This recipe can all be made in one pot, as long as it’s large enough and is oven-safe. For this baked vodka ziti, you need to make a larger amount of pasta sauce than you normally would. This is because when you make it, the noodles are going to soak up a lot of that sauce. Your noodles should be swimming in sauce before you mix in the ricotta.

Here are the Ingredients for this Vodka Sauce Baked Ziti:

• Produce - Sweet Onion, Garlic, Basil

• Seasonings - Salt, Pepper, Red Pepper Flakes

• Pantry - Pasta, Vodka, Tomato Paste, Crushed Tomatoes

• Dairy - Butter, Parmesan, Mozzarella, Ricotta, Heavy Cream

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• Zucchini, Pea, and Goat Cheese Orzo Salad

• NY Deli Style Macaroni Salad

• Spring Pasta Salad

• Grinder Sandwich Pasta Salad

Yield 6-8

Author Casey Cheek

Prep time

10 Min

Cook time

45 Min

Total time

55 Min

Print

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Vodka Sauce Baked Ziti

Gooey, cheesy baked ziti in vodka sauce and baked until bubbly!

Ingredients

• 1 lb pasta (mezzi rigatoni, rigatoni or classic ziti)
• 4 tbsp butter
• 1/2 sweet onion, chopped fine
• 3 cloves garlic, minced
• pinch of red pepper flakes
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 1/2 tsp black pepper
• 1/4 cup tomato paste
• 1/4 cup vodka
• 1 1/2 cups crushed tomatoes or tomato sauce
• 2 cups heavy cream or half and half
• 1 cup + 1/2 cup ricotta
• 1 cup + 1/2 cup shredded mozzarella
• 1/4 cup parmesan
• fresh basil, chopped
• grated parmesan

Instructions

1. Preheat oven to 350 F.
2. Cook pasta in salted water according to package directions.
3. In a large oven-safe pan, make the vodka sauce. You can also use a non-oven safe sauce pan and transfer everything to a baking dish. Melt the butter and add the onions. Cook until softened and then add the minced garlic and red pepper flakes. Sauté until fragrant.
4. Add in the tomato paste and cook until it turns dark red. Stir in the vodka and let it cook off after about 4 minutes.
5. Add in the crushed tomatoes and season with salt and pepper. Cook for another 5 minutes.
6. Slowly stir in half the cream while still whisking. Let the sauce thicken before adding the other half. Simmer until sauce is thickened.
7. Stir the cooked pasta into the sauce. Get all the noodles coated. There will be more sauce that usual, but this is what you want.
8. Fold in 1 cup of ricotta and 1 cup mozzarella into the pasta. Transfer to a baking dish if you are using one.
9. Sprinkle the remaining shredded mozzarella and dollop the remaining ricotta on top.
10. Cover the pan with a lid or tin foil and bake for 10 minutes. Remove the lid or tin foil and bake for another 10 minutes until the cheese has completely melted on top and the pasta is bubbling.
11. Serve with fresh basil, cracked black pepper and some grated parmesan!

Notes

To freeze, assemble the pasta before it is ready to be baked. After topping with the mozzarella and ricotta, cover and freeze. To reheat, cover with tin foil and cook at 400 F for 65-75 minutes from frozen.

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