Cheesy Baked Pasta With Sausage and Ricotta

By Melissa Clark

Updated January 23, 2025

  • Cheesy baked pasta with sausage and ricotta is shown garnished with basil in a skillet with a portion scooped out and served on a small white plate.
    David Malosh for The New York Times. Food Stylist: Simon Andrews
Media 1 of 3
Total Time
45 minutes
Rating
5(11,971)
Comments
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Like a cross between baked ziti and sausage lasagna, this mozzarella-topped pasta is rich with ricotta and crushed tomatoes — and cooks entirely in one pan, including the pasta. The Italian sausage adds meaty depth to the sauce, but vegetarians can leave it out or use their favorite plant-based sausage instead.

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Ingredients

Yield:4 servings

  • 3 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil

  • ¾ pound bulk hot or mild Italian sausage (pork, chicken or turkey)

  • 4 garlic cloves, thinly sliced

  • 1 teaspoon dried oregano

  • ½ teaspoon fennel seeds, coarsely crushed

  • Pinch of red-pepper flakes, plus more for serving (optional)

  • 1 (28-ounce) can whole peeled tomatoes with their juices

  • 1 (14-ounce) can crushed or strained tomatoes

  • 2 bay leaves

  • Kosher salt

  • 12 ounces dried pasta, such as small shells, farfalle or other shaped pasta

  • 8 ounces fresh mozzarella, torn into bite-size pieces

  • 6 ounces whole-milk ricotta (about ¾ cup)

  • ⅓ cup grated Parmesan

  • ¼ cup basil leaves

  • Black pepper, for serving

Ingredient Substitution Guide
Nutritional analysis per serving (4 servings)

89 grams carbs; 135 milligrams cholesterol; 1020 calories; 23 grams monounsaturated fat; 6 grams polyunsaturated fat; 22 grams saturated fat; 54 grams fat; 10 grams fiber; 1400 milligrams sodium; 47 grams protein; 13 grams sugar

Note: The information shown is Edamam’s estimate based on available ingredients and preparation. It should not be considered a substitute for a professional nutritionist’s advice.

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Preparation

  1. Step 1

    Heat oven to 425 degrees. Heat oil in a 12-inch ovenproof skillet over medium-high. Crumble sausage into skillet, using a spoon to break it into small pieces. Cook until starting to brown, stirring occasionally, 5 to 7 minutes. Stir in garlic, oregano, fennel seeds and red-pepper flakes (if using), and cook another 1 to 2 minutes.

  2. Step 2

    Stir in whole tomatoes and their juice, using a spoon to break them up. Add crushed tomatoes, bay leaves and 2 teaspoons salt, and bring to a simmer. Simmer for 10 minutes to thicken slightly.

  3. Step 3

    Stir in pasta and 1 cup water and return to a simmer. Continue to simmer for 2 minutes, stirring frequently to make sure pasta doesn’t stick to the bottom of the pan. Remove from heat, pluck out the bay leaves, and fold in about a third of the mozzarella.

  4. Step 4

    Top pasta with remaining mozzarella and dollops of ricotta. Sprinkle with Parmesan, then transfer to oven. Bake until pasta is tender when poked with a fork, and cheese is bubbly and lightly golden, 18 to 22 minutes. (If you’d like a more deeply browned topping, run the pan under the broiler for 1 or 2 minutes.) Remove from oven and let cool slightly before serving. Top with basil, plenty of black pepper, and more red-pepper flakes, if you like.

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Ratings

5 out of 5
11,971 user ratings
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Comments

Steel Magnolia

Rather than put four ounces of unused sausage in the freezer and four ounces of unused pasta in the pantry, we used the full pound of each, upped the measures of strained tomatoes, fennel and oregano by a third, and added a half cup of red wine. Turned out perfectly. We’ll put this one in rotation. The fennel and the fresh basil really take it up a level.a

steve

Another Melissa Clark. She can do no wrong.

TomMom

Let me start by saying that Melissa Clark’s recipes make dinner time at my house easier, more interesting, and more fun for me as a cook. We eat better because of the talented staff at the NYT. This recipe was a big hit with everyone from the picky kids to the grandparents in attendance that night. I loved the ricotta addition. Whole San Marzano tomatoes are a must. I used orecchiette pasta and it was perfect.

Katrina

I've made exactly as is and had great results. Last night, I used a jar of Rao's sauce from Costco + 1/3 cup extra water in lieu of the two cans of tomatoes. Was yum!! The ricotta really mellows the acidity when you mix the final product together in your bowl :)

Lauren

I cooked the pasta separately al dente, just because that’s how I prefer to make a pasta al forno. Used one can of tomate pulp and one can of whole peeled that I mashed up while it was cooking down. Combined the cooked pasta with the sausage, tomato sauce and the firmer cheese, put the globs of ricotta on top. Broiled for about 13min because after 10min, it was still to wet on the bottom. Tasted good, but I should have mixed the ricotta in with the other cheese, as it dries out in the oven.

Brian A

Delicious. But good luck folding a few ounces of fresh motz into the dish without each one finding the other and melding into a gooey lump. Maybe by fold we mean “tuck”? I would fold in ricotta, then poke a few bits of motz into the dish, followed by dotting both cheeses across the top as instructed. But by all means don’t try to “fold” mozzarella into a hot dish like it’s going to be a good partner and just ooze in between each little bit. You’ll be sad.

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