casseroles
pasta
baked
chicken
comfort food
easy
entertaining
italian
This video is unavailable because we were unable to load a message from our sponsors.

If you are using ad-blocking software, please disable it and reload the page.
Playing How To Make No-Boil Creamy Baked Ziti with Chicken and Cherry Peppers By Rachael

How To Make No-Boil Creamy Baked Ziti with Chicken and Cherry Pe…

Idina Menzel Explains Why She Changed Her Last Name

How This Man Lost Half His Weight (200 lbs!)

How to Make La Gustea-Style Fettuccine | Rachael Ray

Jerry O'Connell and Rebecca Romijn + Rach's Skirt Steak Carne As…

HGTV's Mina Starsiak Hawk Gives Us a Tour of Her Newly Renovated…

How to Make Family-Style Chicken Parmigiana

FULL Renovation of This 116 Year Old Mansion Has Us in Awe

Inside Arthur & Sons—a New Red-Sauce Joint in NYC From Top NYC C…

Home Gym Design Ideas That Make It More Beautiful AND Functional

How to Make Creamy Saffron Ricotta Pasta | Rachael Ray

Broadway Star Idina Menzel and Her Sister + OMG! Fettuccine That…

How to Make BBQ-Rubbed Roast Chicken for Pitas, Flautas + Egg Ro…

How to Make Korean-Style Braised Short Ribs with Cucumber Salad …

FBI's Jeremy Sisto on Daughter Using Wife's Maiden Name

How to Make Jambalaya | Rachael Ray

How to Make Classic Tot Hotdish | Tater Tot Casserole with Groun…

"New Kids on the Block" Singer Jonathan Knight Talks Crying on N…

"New Kids on the Block" Singer Jonathan Knight Shares the Band's…

12-Year Old Farmer Has Goal to Make $100k With His Veggie Stand …

A quick food processor tomato sauce and a smart technique that allows you to put the dry pasta directly into the casserole before baking makes this dish a cinch.

Ingredients

For the Cheese Mixture and Ziti:
  • 1 pound ziti rigate
  • ¾ cup pickled cherry pepper rings, chopped, plus 2 tablespoons brine
  • 1 ½ cups ricotta cheese
  • 1 ½ cups half-and-half or cream
  • 1 cup grated Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese, or about 2 ounces
  • 1 egg
  • ½ cup parsley tops, finely chopped (reserve a little for topping cooked ziti)
  • A few grates of nutmeg
  • 1 rotisserie chicken, skin and bones removed and meat chopped or pulled into small pieces
  • One 12-ounce sack of provolone and mozzarella blend
For the Food Processor Marinara:
  • One 28-ounce can chopped or whole San Marzano tomatoes
  • One 14-ounce can tomato sauce, or 2 cups tomato puree
  • 2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil (EVOO)
  • 2 fat cloves garlic, crushed
  • A few leaves of basil, torn
  • 1 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes
  • 2 tablespoons hot Italian pickled cherry pepper brine
  • 1 ½ teaspoon dried oregano, or about half a palmful

Yield

Serves: 6

Preparation

Preheat oven to 400˚F.

Place tomatoes in a food processor and add puree, EVOO, garlic, basil, red pepper flakes, cherry pepper brine and oregano, pulse a few times then puree.

In a large bowl, combine ricotta, half-and-half or cream, grated Parm, egg, all but about 2 tablespoons of parsley, and nutmeg, stir then fold in chicken, cherry peppers, cherry pepper brine and dry ziti.

Pour half the raw tomato sauce in 9x13 pan and add ziti and top with remaining sauce, cover pan tightly with foil and bake 45-60 minutes, until pasta is just tender, uncover and top with provolone and mozzarella and bake 15 minutes to brown, then top with more parsley and cool a few minutes to serve.