Gorgonzola Baked Ziti

Keith's Recipes

Gorgonzola Baked Ziti

A sharp and tangy baked pasta that's a step away from the norm. Delicious and interesting Gorgonzola dinner for cheese and pasta lovers.

So, I was trying to think of other things to mae with Gorgonzola cheese crumbles, and I do like just about any pasta dish, so this came to mind. The first time I made it, I just tried stirring most of the ingredients together - and I did it with sausage medallions, but I think layering will really work better, and crumbling the sausage will provide better consistency.

Baked Ziti with Gorgonzola Cheese

Serves about 6

• 1 1/2 pounds Italian sausage (I prefer hot venison sausage, but hot or sweet sausage will work, and pork or beef sausages are just fine as well)
• 1 Tbsp. olive oil
• 4 cloves garlic, chopped
• 1/4 tsp. crushed red pepper
• 1/2 tsp. oregano leaves (if you're using fresh, you can cut that in about half)
• 1 can condensed whole milk (10 oz.)
• 1 package (8-9 oz.) coiled or tube-type pasta (ziti, rotel, penne, etc.)
• 16 oz. (about) buffalo milk mozzarella, shredded or grated (fresh mozzarella also works)
• 8-10 oz. Gorgonzola crumbles
• 8 oz. fresh Parmesan, grated
• 4 medium roma tomatoes, diced

Prepare fillings. Brown your meat in olive oil, add garlic, oregano, and pepper. add in milk and bring to a boil, stirring constantly. Reduce heat to low and simmer about 5 minutes. Remove from heat.

While meat is browning, begin pasta. Keep an eye on the pasta, as you will only want to cook it about 2/3 done. The rest of the cooking will happen in the oven. Drain pasta and blanch in cold running tap water.

When the pasta is ready (remember, only about 2/3 cooked), pour some cream from the filling into a 13"x9" baking pan to just cover the bottom and keep the pasta from sticking. Pour in a layer of pasta - about 1/3 of what you have and spread it out more or less evenly. Cover evenly with all the tomatoes and Gorgonzola. Add another layer of pasta. Cover with the filling, pouring the remaining cream over the layers, and add about 2/3 of the Parmesan. Add the remainder of the pasta. Cover with the mozzarella. Garnish with additional red pepper flakes.

Bake at 350° for 30 minutes or until the top has golden points. About 15 minutes into baking, sprinkle with Parmesan.

Serve with salad and garlic herb bread. The remaining Parmesan can be used at the table as a garnish.