{"id":1073,"date":"2025-02-08T09:01:29","date_gmt":"2025-02-08T09:01:29","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/wildeatsandtreats.com\/index.php\/2025\/02\/08\/turkey-sausage-ziti\/"},"modified":"2025-02-08T09:01:36","modified_gmt":"2025-02-08T09:01:36","slug":"turkey-sausage-ziti","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/wildeatsandtreats.com\/index.php\/2025\/02\/08\/turkey-sausage-ziti\/","title":{"rendered":"Turkey Sausage Ziti"},"content":{"rendered":"<h1>Delicious Turkey Sausage Ziti Recipe: A Comforting, Healthful Meal<\/h1>\n<p>If you\u2019re on the lookout for a hearty, yet healthy dish that doesn\u2019t compromise on flavor, this Turkey Sausage Ziti is the perfect match. Packed with savory turkey sausage and wholesome ingredients, this comforting bowl of pasta is a family favorite, guaranteed to bring everyone to the table.<\/p>\n<h2>Ingredients<\/h2>\n<ul>\n<li><strong>12 ounces whole wheat ziti pasta (approximately 340g)<\/strong><\/li>\n<li><strong>1 tablespoon olive oil<\/strong><\/li>\n<li><strong>1 pound (approximately 450g) turkey sausage, casings removed<\/strong><\/li>\n<li><strong>1 medium onion, finely chopped<\/strong><\/li>\n<li><strong>3 cloves garlic, minced<\/strong><\/li>\n<li><strong>1 red bell pepper, chopped<\/strong><\/li>\n<li><strong>1 can (14.5 ounces) crushed tomatoes<\/strong><\/li>\n<li><strong>1 can (8 ounces) tomato sauce<\/strong><\/li>\n<li><strong>1\/4 cup chopped fresh basil, plus more for garnish<\/strong><\/li>\n<li><strong>1 teaspoon dried oregano<\/strong><\/li>\n<li><strong>1\/2 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes (optional, adjust to taste)<\/strong><\/li>\n<li><strong>Salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste<\/strong><\/li>\n<li><strong>1 cup shredded part-skim mozzarella cheese<\/strong><\/li>\n<li><strong>1\/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese<\/strong><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h2>Preparation<\/h2>\n<h3>Step 1: Cook the Pasta<\/h3>\n<ol>\n<li>Begin by bringing a large pot of salted water to a boil. Add the whole wheat ziti pasta and cook it according to the package instructions until it is al dente.<\/li>\n<li>Once cooked, drain the pasta and set it aside. Reserve about 1\/2 cup of the pasta cooking water. This can be used later if needed to loosen the sauce.<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n<h3>Step 2: Prepare the Sauce<\/h3>\n<ol>\n<li>While the pasta cooks, heat the olive oil in a large skillet over medium heat.<\/li>\n<li>Add the turkey sausage, breaking it up with a wooden spoon. Cook until the sausage is browned and cooked through, approximately 5-7 minutes.<\/li>\n<li>Add the chopped onion and minced garlic to the skillet. Stir and cook until the onion is tender, about 3-4 minutes.<\/li>\n<li>Stir in the red bell pepper, and cook for an additional 2-3 minutes, until it starts to soften.<\/li>\n<li>Pour in the crushed tomatoes and tomato sauce, mix well. Add the fresh basil, oregano, red pepper flakes, salt, and pepper.<\/li>\n<li>Lower the heat to let the sauce simmer gently for about 10-12 minutes, allowing all the flavors to meld together.<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n<h3>Step 3: Assemble the Ziti<\/h3>\n<ol>\n<li>Preheat your oven to 375\u00b0F (190\u00b0C).<\/li>\n<li>Combine the cooked pasta with the sauce in the skillet or a large mixing bowl. Mix well to ensure the pasta is evenly coated with the flavorful sauce.<\/li>\n<li>If the sauce seems too thick, add a little of the reserved pasta water for desired consistency.<\/li>\n<li>Transfer half of the pasta mixture to a greased 9&#215;13-inch baking dish.<\/li>\n<li>Sprinkle half of the mozzarella cheese over the pasta. Layer with the remaining pasta mixture, and finish by sprinkling the remaining mozzarella and all of the Parmesan cheese on top.<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n<h3>Step 4: Bake the Ziti<\/h3>\n<ol>\n<li>Cover the baking dish with foil and bake in the preheated oven for 20 minutes.<\/li>\n<li>Remove the foil and bake uncovered for an additional 10-15 minutes, until the cheese is bubbly and golden brown.<\/li>\n<li>Let the dish rest for a few minutes before garnishing with more fresh basil and serving.<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n<h2>Recipe Summary<\/h2>\n<p>This Turkey Sausage Ziti is a delightful dish that serves 6 and will surely become a staple in your home. Each serving is approximately 450 calories, making it both a wholesome and satisfying meal. With a total preparation and cook time of about 50 minutes, it&#8217;s perfect for a comforting weeknight dinner or a special gathering. Enjoy the rich flavors and simplicity of this scrumptious ziti recipe!<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Delicious Turkey Sausage Ziti Recipe: A Comforting, Healthful Meal If you\u2019re on the lookout for a hearty, yet healthy dish that doesn\u2019t compromise on flavor, this Turkey Sausage Ziti is the perfect match. Packed with savory turkey sausage and wholesome ingredients, this comforting bowl of pasta is a family favorite, guaranteed to bring everyone to [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":3,"featured_media":1072,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","jetpack_publicize_message":"","jetpack_publicize_feature_enabled":true,"jetpack_social_post_already_shared":true,"jetpack_social_options":{"image_generator_settings":{"template":"highway","enabled":false},"version":2}},"categories":[70],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-1073","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-main"],"jetpack_publicize_connections":[],"jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/wildeatsandtreats.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/02\/image-55.png","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/wildeatsandtreats.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1073","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/wildeatsandtreats.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/wildeatsandtreats.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/wildeatsandtreats.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/3"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/wildeatsandtreats.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=1073"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/wildeatsandtreats.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1073\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":1074,"href":"https:\/\/wildeatsandtreats.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1073\/revisions\/1074"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/wildeatsandtreats.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/1072"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/wildeatsandtreats.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=1073"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/wildeatsandtreats.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=1073"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/wildeatsandtreats.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=1073"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}