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Baked Ziti

A baked pasta dish with ziti, marinara sauce, cheeses, herbs, and breadcrumbs.

From the Wikibooks Cookbook · 13 ingredients
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Why it works: Basil and oregano match in chemistry and in kitchens. They rank in the top 1% of all ingredient pairs, and cooks put them together in 1,390 recipes. Both carry estragole, which smells anise, licorice. The science ↓

Baked Ziti

Serves 8
Oven425 °F (225 °C)
Time20 minutes

Ingredients

Directions

Prepare

  1. Preheat oven to 425 °F (225 °C).

  2. Coat a large baking dish with olive oil.

  3. Mix ricotta, egg, basil, oregano, parsley and about half of the mozzarella and Parmesan in a large bowl until well incorporated. Season with salt and pepper.

  4. Cook ziti in a large pot of salted water until al dente. Drain well.

Assemble

  1. In a large bowl or pot, toss ziti with marinara sauce and red pepper flakes until noodles are covered. Stir in ricotta mixture and fold until it begins to melt.

  2. Pour mixture into greased dish and spread it out with a spoon. Sprinkle remaining mozzarella and Parmesan over the top, then sprinkle bread crumbs over cheese.

Bake and serve

  1. Bake at 425 °F (225 °C) for 20 minutes or until cheese on top turns golden and begins to bubble.

Nutrition, whole recipe (rough)

1165Calories
57 gProtein
32 gFat
155 gCarbs
What these numbers assume: 13 portions
IngredientPortion assumedkcal
Flour1 cup (125g) all-purpose455
Pasta1 cup cooked (140g)220
Ricotta Cheese1/2 cup (124g) part-skim174
Parmesan Cheese1 oz (28g)110
Mozzarella Cheese1 oz (28g)85
Egg1 large egg (50g)78
Tomato1 medium (123g)22
Chili1 tsp (2.7g)8
Black Pepper1 tsp ground (2.3g)6
Oregano1 tsp dried (1.8g)5
Basil5 leaves fresh (2.5g)1
Parsley1 tbsp chopped fresh (3.8g)1
Salt1 tsp (6g)0

One typical portion per ingredient; the recipe's quantities are not counted. A rough guide only, not for medical or dietary planning.

Recipe from the Wikibooks Cookbook.

Steps grouped into stages for easier reading; the method is the source's own.

Explore the science

The flavor team

The pairs that carry this dish. Each one is judged two ways: how much their aromas overlap, and how often cooks already put them together.

  1. Basil + oreganotop 1% of all pairs
    Smell alikestrong
    Cooked together1,390 recipes

    Shared aroma: estragole (anise, licorice).

  2. Basil + parsleytop 1% of all pairs
    Smell alikestrong
    Cooked together2,351 recipes

    Shared aroma: myristicin (spice, warm).

  3. Oregano + parsleytop 2% of all pairs
    Smell alikestrong
    Cooked together1,184 recipes

    Shared aroma: estragole (anise, licorice).

  4. Pasta + oreganotop 3% of all pairs
    Smell alikestrong
    Cooked together364 recipes

    Shared aroma: nonanal (fat, citrus).

  5. Pasta + basiltop 4% of all pairs
    Smell alikestrong
    Cooked together853 recipes

    Shared aroma: nonanal (fat, citrus).

Ranks compare each pair with 20,000 random ingredient pairs on CompKitchen. How we score pairs

What each ingredient does

Ziti
Provides the starchy body that holds the sauce and cheese together in the baked dish.
Marinara sauce
Adds moisture and acidity so the pasta stays saucy as it bakes.
Mozzarella
Melts into a stretchy layer and browns on top when baked.
Ricotta
Adds creaminess and moisture to the filling, softening as it bakes.
Parmesan cheese
Adds salty, savory flavor and helps the top brown.
Egg
Binds the ricotta mixture so it sets and holds together when baked.

The step that matters

Folding in the ricotta mixture. Fold gently so the ricotta stays in soft pockets rather than breaking down into the sauce. Overmixing can make the dish dense and uneven.

Swap the oregano

How well each one fits the dish's main ingredients (pasta, sauce, parmesan cheese, egg, basil, parsley, bread):

  1. Capersfits better
  2. Tarragonfits about as well
  3. Oreganothe original
  4. Marjoramfits about as well

Fit is the average pairing score against pasta, sauce, parmesan cheese, egg, basil, parsley, bread. Candidates are from the same food group and used in at least 100 recipes.

“What each ingredient does” and “The step that matters” were written by Claude from this recipe’s own method and reviewed in samples by CompKitchen.

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