Baked Ziti with Meatballs is comfort food at its best! Flavorful and juicy meatballs are combined with tender ziti pasta in a rich and cheesy marinara sauce, topped with extra mozzarella cheese!
¼teaspooncoarse sea saltplus more for seasoning pasta water
½cupItalian herb-seasoned bread crumbs
¼teaspoonWorchestire sauce
½cupmilk
1egg
1tablespoonlight brown sugar
½cupgrated parmesan cheesedivided
16oz.ziti noodlesuncooked
2tablespoonscanola oil
1recipe Marinara saucelink or 46 oz. jarred sauce
16oz.block full-fat mozzarella cheesegrated
Fresh basil for garnish
Instructions
Preheat oven to 400°F.
In a large bowl, combine ground pork, ground beef, onion flakes, oregano, black pepper, salt, bread crumbs, Worchestishire sauce, egg, milk, and ¼ cup parmesan cheese. Use gloved hands to mix the ingredients thoroughly.
Use a 2 tablespoon (or desired size) cookie dough scoop and form the meat mixture into balls. Roll in your hands for a tighter, more uniform meatball if desired.
Meanwhile, cook the ziti noodles according to package instructions to al dente. Drain.
Heat cooking oil in a skillet over medium heat. Brown the meatballs on all sides - they do not need to cook through to the center as they will continue cooking in the oven. Remove from heat.
Toss cooked ziti noodles with marinara sauce; adjust the amount of sauce to your personal taste. Mix 1 cup of mozzarella and ¼ cup of the parmesan cheese into the sauce/pasta mixture.
Spread the ziti/sauce mixture into a large oven-safe skillet or a 9x13 baking dish. Place the meatballs down into the pasta/sauce. Cover with the remaining mozzarella cheese.
Bake for about 20-25 minutes or until the sauce is bubbly and cheese is browned to your liking.