Photo: Leigh Loftus
It was after 27 years of faithfully and enthusiastically eating pasta before I realized that “Baked Ziti” and “Baked Mostaccioli” were essentially the same thing. There are two different shaped noodles, but at the end of the day, it’s basically some type of tomato or meat sauce baked with cheese and tube shaped pasta.
Even though Baked Mostaccioli is probably more authentic on the grounds of it being more complicated to spell and pronounce, Baked Ziti has a certain ring to it that I’m just not willing to give up.
Photo: Leigh Loftus
Baked Ziti, as I insist on calling it, is a classic baked pasta dish and one of my childhood favorites. You start with a hollow, tube-shaped pasta, add some tomato or meat sauce, cheese and maybe some spices, And in today’s case, breaded chicken tenders to create a hybrid of my two favorite Italian takeout meals and the two things I would debate between ordering if I ever, for whatever reason, found myself in an Olive Garden.
In a word: insane. In every good sense of the word, that is.
- 1-16 ounce box ziti (whole wheat, if possible)
- 1 pound boneless, skinless chicken tenders
- 1 egg, lightly beaten
- ½ cup flour, for dredging
- 1 cup whole wheat breadcrumbs
- 1 Tablespoon olive oil
- 3 cups homemade or store-bought tomato sauce
- 2 cups part-skim mozzarella cheese
- Prepare the ziti according to package directions, cooking until just al dente. Drain in a colander and set aside.
- Prepare chicken: Dredge each chicken breast in the flour and tap off excess. Then, dip the chicken in the egg and let the excess drip off. Dip chicken in bread crumbs and dredge on both sides. Heat oil over high heat for about 2 minutes. Place chicken tenders in the pan and cook until golden brown on each side. Transfer to a baking dish and cook chicken for about 15 minutes or until juices run clear when sliced. [TIP: If you want to skip this step, use prepackaged, ready to eat chicken tenders. I've done this with organic chicken tenders and it was just as good as the completely homemade version).
- Let chicken tenders cool for about five minutes. Cut each tender into small, bite-sized pieces, about 1-inch each. In a deep 9x13 baking dish, toss chicken with al-dente pasta, marinara sauce and mozzarella cheese.
- Bake until cheese is melted and dish is heated throughout, between 25-30 minutes. Let cool before serving and garnish with Parmesan cheese, if desired.
16 Comments
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leslie
February 1, 2011 at 2:55 pmIts like two entrees had food sex and merged together !!!!! YUM I had two desserts do that once.
Sues
January 19, 2011 at 5:00 pmThis looks delicious! I love chicken parigiana and love the idea of eating it in ziti form. I could probably eat a huge bowl of it 🙂
and flowers pick themselves
January 19, 2011 at 11:33 amoooh, ziti sounds amazing right now!
xo Alison
polwig
January 18, 2011 at 3:18 pmI bet my kids would love this. They love breaded chicken, noodles of any kind and chicken parm so why not in one dish, certainly easier
Roz
January 18, 2011 at 1:48 pmThis looks delicious. Baked pasta is SOOO good. Have a wonderful day!!!
E.P.
January 18, 2011 at 1:23 pmThis sounds absolutely delightful and something that W and I are going to have to try when we get to cooking again.
Thanks for sharing! This sounds like the perfect wintery meal.
Kate
January 18, 2011 at 1:06 pmSo glad to see a baked ziti recipe on here! Definitely one of my favorite recipes my Mom made growing up, and I haven’t seen it at a restaurant in a long time. Can’t wait to make this!
Joanne
January 18, 2011 at 12:43 pmBaked ziti is one of my most favorite comfort foods ever….but I don’t usually order it because of that high calorie count. I’d much rather make it at home with real ingredients and this version sounds stellar!
Kate
January 18, 2011 at 12:34 pmBaked ziti is such a fantastic dish because its only slightly more difficult than boiling the noodles in the first place.
Island Vittles
January 18, 2011 at 11:11 amComfort food at it`s best — I`ve never actually had ziti, but I think it`s time I tried it! Theresa
kat
January 18, 2011 at 10:13 amSuch a comfort dish
mandy
January 18, 2011 at 9:23 amSounds delicious and I agree, you can’t go wrong with baked ziti.
Caroline
January 18, 2011 at 8:32 amBaked ziti is one of my ultimate comfort foods – I’m definitely bookmarking this recipe! Maybe I’ll make it on Friday when the high is supposed to be 6 degrees! Ack!
Lauren at KeepItSweet
January 18, 2011 at 6:19 amWhat a terrific idea! How could this be bad?!