Smoked Baked Ziti

1 hour Prep Time
40 minutes Cook Time
9 Servings

Learning that I can make baked ziti on my smoker has been a game changer. This Smoked Baked Ziti has all the best parts of traditional baked ziti – a flavorful sauce, tender pasta, and delicious melty cheese. It is so tasty and I know you will enjoy it!   @spinachandbacon   @thefeedfeed

Ingredients

Instructions

Step one

Brown the sausage (if you are using) in a large pan. Once it is cooked through, turn off the heat and set aside.

Step two

Make the sauce by adding the olive oil, minced garlic, tomatoes, dried onion, and 1/2 teaspoon sea salt to a medium saucepan. Bring to a boil, cover it, and then let it simmer on low heat for about 35 minutes. Crush the tomatoes with back of a spoon, add the basil leaves and then simmer for additional 15 minutes. If you are using sausage, add the cooked sausage to your sauce at any point.

Step three

Boil the pasta for 8 minutes and once it is done, add it to a bowl with 1 cup of sauce and mix.

Step four

Preheat a smoker to 350°F. 

Step five

Make the ricotta cheese mixture in a medium bowl by combining ricotta cheese, egg, 1 cup mozzarella cheese, the 1/2 cup parmesan.

Step six

Assemble the baked ziti in a 9×13 cast iron pan. Add half of your sauce to the bottom of the pan, followed by half of the ricotta mixture. Then, add the ziti, remaining sauce, remaining ricotta and top with a layer of mozzarella cheese.

Step seven

Place the baked ziti (uncovered) in the smoker for 35 minutes, or until top layer of cheese browns and bubbles.  Allow to cool 10 minutes before serving.

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