• 1/4 cup olive oil • 1 medium yellow onion, finely chopped • 4 cloves garlic, finely chopped • salt and pepper • 2 tbsp tomato paste • 1 (28-ounce) can whole peeled tomatoes • 1 (28-ounce) can tomato purée • 3/4 tsp red pepper flakes • 16 ounces/1 lb ricotta • 1/2 cup heavy cream • 1/2 cup finely grated Parmesan or Pecorino, plus more for grating on top • 1 pound ziti or rigatoni • 1 pound fresh mozzarella, cut into 1/2-inch pieces Heat oil in medium heat. Add onion, garlic, salt, pepper & cook until onion is translucent (not brown, 8 min). Add tomato paste & cook until it turns oil orange (2 min). Crush whole tomatoes by hand & add to pot and add the tomato puree. Season with salt, pepper, chili flakes. Scrape bottom of pot to loosen bits stuck. Bring to simmer and cook (stirring occasionally) until sauce has thickened, 20-30 min. In bowl combine ricotta, heavy cream, 1/2 cup Parmesan, salt & pep. Set aside. Boil pasta. Remove pasta when it is 2 minutes shy of being fully cooked. Drain pasta, adding 1 cup pasta water to tomato sauce. Add 2 cups sauce to pasta to evenly coat. Layer tomato sauce into baking dish. Layer dish accordingly: pasta, sauce, 1/2 ricotta mixture, mozzarella, sauce. Repeat. Bake on rimmed baking sheet for 35 mins at 350 degrees.

When she said 1 pound of pasta will feed 6-8 people, I realised this is why I'll never have abs. #truthhurts

“Call me old fashioned . . I’ve been called worst” lmao saaaame .

My daughter made this last Christmas Eve. It was so delicious that we have decided to make it our Christmas Eve tradition. Thanks NYT Cooking. Merry Christmas!

I made this last Sunday and ate from it through the week. Delicious and, when cost is broken out by serving, a wonderful and budget happy meal. Disclaimer: I'm one of those single people who will eat leftover pasta straight out of the fridge.

I absolutely love Alison Roman's videos. She makes things seem so simple and approachable and FUN. I hope she continues to be a feature on this channel! Also, that ziti looks decadent. My goodness.

Ya know. I usually watch KZfaq cooking videos mainly for entertainment and inspiration. But adding cream to keep the cheese soft and avoid the grainyness?!?! I BEEN DONE LERNT 🙌🏼👏🏼🙏🏼

Dear the NYT cooking, why don't you send Alison to travel (and discover) Italy and its cuisine! and do a series about it. For me Alison has that charm, the one Jamie Oliver has

Have become obsessed with Alison Romans recipe

Omg omg Alison makes my day! I seriously rewatch the stew video for like 5 times in 2 days. Every time in my kitchen, Alison cooking on the background as my main music. I just admire her confidence

Love this video - I really like that she showed me how to make a marina sauce from scratch (something that I had been wanting to learn). The cook/host has a lot of personality, and when she engages with the crew behind the scene, I felt like I was there with them. When she shared why she used the pasta I thought it was a great personal share!!

I made this last night and it was wonderful. Alison Roman you are my new favourite chef. I learnt so much from this video, like how much oil to use when frying onions (I’d never used so much before but it worked great) salting the onions as they fry, frying the tomato paste in the oil, adding four big punches of salt to my pasta water, not over cooking the pasta. Each little tip from you that I followed contributed to the best pasta bake I’ve ever made. Thank you on behalf of me and everyone I will feed this to.

I like to use a potato masher to crush tomatoes in the pot. It also turns your potato masher into a multi tasker, ..bonus!

Alison is my favorite to watch and to try to recreate her recipes. She has personality and teaching ability to boot. Love her and her recipes.

I’ve been wanting to make this ever since I saw this video and I finally made it tonight. I used penne and I was skeptical about a pound being enough pasta, but honestly with the amount of cheese you put in this dish you will be set for dinner for nearly a week lol. It still tasted amazing, but don’t skimp on any sauce either-use all of it!

Love that you speak to my taste! Every recipe I’ve made of yours has been golden!

Love watching you cook and your banter , Thanks Alison

I wish NYT cooking does more videos with Alison Roman.I have watched this over and over again.

Watched this on Monday, made it on Wednesday. This is soooo good. It is also my first time making baked ziti. The way she describes everything made me want some immediately. The instructions are perfect but i made a few substitutions. I used ground turkey with her tomato sauce recipe and added provolone to the top layer. Make this pasta recipe ASAP. IT IS GOOD

My mama made ziti all the time during my childhood. Excited to try this version!

I just made two of these. So good and so simple. If you have any Calabrian chili paste or oil it’s a great addition to the sauce.

Made this recipe last night - SO GOOD! And honestly easy to make once youve done it once or twice. I made half the recipe and it feed my family of 4 with some to spare for the next day. Cant wait to make again!

Just made this a second ago; it's absolutely amazing.

this is one of the only baked ziti or lasagna recipes i havent screamed at through the computer. i completely agree, keep it simple!!! and it will be perfect

Made this the other day ! Halved the recipe and this is The Best Baked Ziti I have tasted in my lifetime! Thank You 🙏🏼

I am so happy that I found this channel! You are so sweet and funny! Thank you 🙏

She makes it so authentic..very well done

I literally will never get sick of Alison and these videos. MORE!

I just made it for Christmas Eve and it came out great!! (I did add some ground beef and some Italian seasoning in the sauce other than that I followed the recipe. I saw somewhere in the comments that the recipe on NY Times says to bake it at 425 so I did that for around 30 mins covered and 5 mins uncovered and added an extra 2mins with the broiler on to brown the cheese.)

You know what I hate, I have to subscribe to find out that it is probably baked at 350° for 20 minutes. I actually broiled it a bit to get the top to be how Alison and I dig it. The recipe is for any pasta bake ever. It's delicious! Thanks. I used organic Leguma Regata pasta and my own Alfredo sauce. Exquisite!

Got to try this, and I don’t cook. I did it, made it, shared it, and it was delicious. Your recipe, but mostly “hints” were so helpful!

Alison makes those dishes look so delicious you can't help but watch and learn how to make them yourself, I'm going to make one of them tonight for dinner.

You are an absolute treasure, and smart. Thank you very much for the recipe/demo.

Your videos are my favorite of ALL💐 I love your apt and kitchen

I made this recipe when the weather was still cool. I loved it. I will definitely make it again in the fall.

This sounds like the perfect, easy, alternative to slaving over lasagne. Thank you :)

binge watching your videos LOVE THEM ALL. hi from Trinidad

This looks absolutely stunning and delicious. Using homemade sauce and the best cheeses (i.e. no additives) and an empaneled cast iron baking dish makes dishes like this and lasagna on an entire different level.

I made this last weekend for company...so good!

This is a really great recipe, I made it and I LOVED it!! I defiantly recommend.

I love Alison Roman!!!! NYT please get her her own tv show! I’ll be making this ziti for my family. So yummy and simple. Mother of 3 loves a simple & easy recipe. Thanks Alison!

Yay finally a yummy Baked Ziti Recipe, I can’t wait to try this

Wow, fantastic rendition of this classic dish!

We cooked this recently and it was sooooo yummy. Had enough to eat it for a 3 days and didn’t get sick of it 🔥❤️😍🤤

I have that tube tomato paste! I love it, it lasts forever and it’s so convenient.

Obsessed with this ziti! In my rotation forever. Did it exactly as she said.

Christmas Dinner, Thanks Alison!!!!!😍😀

Right on! Rigatoni is my favorite pasta shape. Lots of surface inside and out.

I made this tonight, it was super good! My family said this is a keeper

My husband is the pickiest man in t he world. I made your baked ziti and he loved it!! Thank you for your recipe! Im not much of a cook, but i will not only be making this again, but i will making this sauce again too! So freaking easy and so delicious!

works great! Will say that a bit of nutmeg and an egg works wonders in the ricotta mix

You Go Girl.. Great Recipe.. Thanks..!

I keep coming back to her video for recipe ...it's good

I hope you are compensated extremely well. You are the only reason I subscribe to Cooking@NYT.

I think I've never seen this recipe being made anywhere else and by any other American cook, while she made it in the exact same way we do in Italy

Ugh it looks delicious 🤤 I wish she used a bigger spoon to scoop up more at the end

That DOES LOOK EFFING AMAZING!!!! I believe using those 2 excellent brands of canned tomatoes makes all the difference. They cost 2 to 3 dollars more than the regular generic brands but definitely higher quality tomatoes.

I love the California Olive Ranch olive oil she's using. So good.

I always add just a touch of nutmeg in the ricotta.

Oh my gah !!! 🤤 that baked ziti is beautiful!!!!! Definitely going to try it.

Alison sez, "The sauce is saucy." Everything is everything! WooHoo!

Calabro is my absolute favorite grocery store ricotta. Whenever I buy it I eat at least half the container with a spoon.

More Alison, please,,👏🏽👏🏽

Very delicious and looks yummy

Looks heavenly.

I made this last night....oowee! Whole family enjoyed food!

Just made this, man alive it’s good! 👌

Thank you for not over-enunciating every ingredient. It saps the joy out of many cooking programs and is annoying AF. ☺️👍

I love this recipe!!! So good, best ever❤

Well done.... perfect

Doing this😋Thanks!

Thanks for leaving in the funny bits. 👏🏽 She is so relatable! Great recipe too 😏

I love this recipe! 3rd time I’ve made this

love the snarky subtitles. Makes life fun

This is seriously the best thing I’ve ever made!

Me 10 seconds in: so no fuckin baked ziti? Me 2 seconds later with my best Paulie Walnuts voice: Rigatoni a la Tony

I made this but added fresh basil/parsley and 2 eggs WOW immaculate 🤤👌🤗

That is a good looking dish! Now I am hungry! Thank you for sharing.

I love the fact that her baking dishes look "lived in"!

Tonight! Simple the best! Thanks Alison

I am drooling as I type this!

love it ....and will make it with sausage and pepperoni.......yum!!

This dish is so delicious. It was worth all the stomach pains from being lactose intolerant.

That moment when you notice a video only 8 minutes after being uploaded. 👌

Love the way she talks with her hands!

Fascinating!!

its the little touches i enjoyed- adding the pasta water to the sauce to keep its sauciness when it gets to the oven, choosing the right ricotta, the al al dente, keeping the sauce simple, rigatoni instead of ziti, crushing the tomatoes by hand- that make this fun to watch. sometimes when yr making food for lots of people you forget some of these small steps that really make the dish that much more enjoyable.

THANK GOD! She is one of the first cooks I have heard to say keep the pasta alal dente before alal dente!

Love, love, love her videos. 😍

I LOVE the NYC kitchens that haven’t been renovated!

looks delicious

This was delicious. I didn't have time to make the homemade sauce so I used a cheat. And I only had one pound of mozzarella but it turned out so good! My husband was hooked!

That looks so delicious. I got acid reflux just watching this.

ive been dying to make baked ziti so i followed this recipe tonight and just put it into the oven. i used ziti noodles tho. the only thig i forgot was the heavy cream, but it looks good for me ill tell you when it is finished how it came out.

Yummmm...definitely doing it

Made my version of this last night amazing

I love your cooking!

🎶Alison🎶 I had such a good time hanging out with you cookin n your kitchen Thanks for the invite Sis, can't wait to do it again ♡

I add ground turkey to the pot after the onions and garlic then paste then tomatoes my baked ziti has a meat sauce and I also use rigatoni

Made this. Damn it was super duper good. Great recipe. It’s a classic!