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Baked Ziti with Sausage and Peppers

Are you looking for something to feed a crowd over the holidays? This Ziti recipe makes a bunch and is a big crowd pleaser. You can even make it ahead of time and bake it or reheat it when you need it.

1 pound italian sausage sweet and hot is a good combo
2 tablespoons olive oil
3 cloves garlic finely chopped
1 green bell pepper peeled and cut 1/2-inch thick
2 red bell pepper peeled and cut 1/2-inch thick
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon crushed red pepper
2 28 ounce cans Italian tomatoes drained and chopped
1/2 cup dry red wine
2 teaspoons paprika
1 pound ziti pasta
6 ounces mozzarella cheese shredded (1 1/4 cups)
3/4 cup parmesan cheese (3 ounces ) plus more on top

Yields 8 servings

Heat a large nonreactive skillet. Add the sausage and cook over moderately high heat, turning, until nicely browned, about 10 minutes. Prick the sausage as it cooks to release the juices. Remove the sausage from the skillet and let cool slightly.

Reduce the heat to moderately low. Add 1 tablespoon of the oil and garlic to the skillet and cook, stirring, until golden, about 1 minute. Stir in the green and red bell peppers, salt and crushed red pepper and cook until the bell peppers just begin to soften about 10 minutes.

Meanwhile, cut the sausage into 1/2-inch slices. (The sausage will not be cooked all the way through.) Add the sausage slices, tomatoes, red wine and paprika to the skillet and bring to a boil. Reduce the heat to moderately low and simmer for 15 minutes.

Preheat the oven to 375 degrees. Cook the ziti in a large pot of rapidly boiling salted water until barely al dente, about 7 minutes. Drain and toss with the remaining 1 tablespoon olive oil.

Spread 1 cup of the sausage and pepper mixture in the bottom of a 3-quart shallow baking dish. Cover with one-third of the pasta, 1 1/2 more cups of the sausage and pepper mixture and one-third of the mozzarella and parmesan. Continue to layer the remaining ingredients, ending with the cheeses. Bake for 45 minutes, or until piping hot.