Spicy Ziti Marinara
Tender pasta in a fun commingling of spicy marinara and jalapeño-spiked Mexican cheese. The sauce is seasoned with pesto and herbs, so it’s an explosion of flavor from the first creamy bite to the last.
This recipe has just 7 ingredients
The sauce is a quick-and-easy blend of tomato sauce, pesto, and Italian seasoning. Sounds like a short list, but the sauce has incredible depth of flavor. Add the pasta, red pepper flakes, and 2 cheeses and you’re read to serve!
This is an excellent way to transform that can of tomato sauce in your pantry. When you add the basil pesto to the tomato sauce, you infuse it with garlic, pine nuts, parmesan cheese, and basil. It’s like you quickly turned the canned sauce into a bottle of hearty pasta sauce.
You can use other canned tomato products for the sauce. If you don’t have tomato sauce, you can use crushed or diced tomatoes or tomato purée.
I used ziti, but any pasta shape works. You can seriously choose any pasta shape you want, from long strands of spaghetti and linguine, to medium-size tubes and spirals, to short elbows! You might not even need to make a trip to the store for this one!
Spicy Ziti Marinara
Ingredients
- 1 pound ziti, or pasta shape of choice
- 28- ounce can tomato sauce, or diced or crushed tomatoes, or tomato puree
- 2 tablespoons prepared basil pesto
- 1 teaspoon Italian seasoning
- 1 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes, or more/less to taste, plus more for serving
- 1 cup shredded Mexican cheese blend with jalapeños, or a blend of mozzarella cheese and pepper jack cheese
- Grated or shredded parmesan cheese for serving
- Fresh basil for serving, optional
Instructions
- Cook the pasta according to the package directions. Drain and cover with foil to keep warm.
- Meanwhile, in a large saucepan, combine the tomato sauce, pesto, Italian seasoning, red pepper flakes, 1/2 teaspoon salt, and 1/4 teaspoon black pepper. Set the pan over medium heat and bring to a simmer.
- Reduce the heat to medium-low, partially cover and simmer for 10 minutes. Add the pasta and stir to coat and heat through. Season to taste with salt and black pepper.
- Spoon the pasta into shallow bowls and top with the Mexican cheese. Top with fresh basil, if using, and serve with parmesan cheese on the side.