Baked Ziti With Italian Sausage - tubular pasta

Method

• Bring 4 quarts water to boil in large pot.
• Add pasta and 1 tablespoon salt and cook, stirring occasionally, until just beginning to soften, about 5 minutes.
• Reserve 1 1/2 cups cooking water, then drain pasta.
• Rinse pasta with cold water and drain again, leaving pasta slightly wet, leave in colander.
• Dry now-empty pot, add 1 tablespoon oil, and return to medium-high heat until shimmering.
• Add sausage and cook, breaking up meat with wooden spoon, until no longer pink, about 5 minutes.
• Stir in garlic and cook until fragrant, about 30 seconds.
• Stir in crushed tomatoes and tomato sauce, bring to simmer, and cook until slightly thickened, about 5 minutes.
• Let cool to room temperature, 30 to 45 minutes.
• Stir reserved cooking water, pasta, mozzarella and basil into cooled sauce; transfer to 13 by 9-inch baking dish.
• Combine ricotta, remaining 3 tablespoons oil, 1/2 teaspoon salt and 1/4 teaspoon pepper in bowl; cover.
• Wrap dish tightly with plastic wrap and refrigerate ziti and ricotta separately for at least 8 hours or up to 24 hours.
• Adjust oven rack to middle position and heat oven to 400F.
• Unwrap dish and cover tightly with greased aluminum foil.
• Bake casserole until beginning to bubble around edges, about 20 minutes.
• Remove foil and dollop rounded tablespoons of ricotta mixture evenly over top.
• Sprinkle with mozzarella and Parmesan and bake, uncovered, until casserole is hot throughout and cheese is melted and begins to brown, 15 to 20 minutes.
• Let cool for 10 minutes.
• Sprinkle with basil and serve.