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1
Bring a large pot of well-salted water to a rolling boil. Add the ziti or penne and cook to just under al dente — about two minutes short of the packet time. The pasta should still offer firm resistance at its core. Drain and set aside. Do not finish cooking: the oven will complete it.
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2
Set a heavy skillet over medium-high heat. Add the sausage, breaking it into coarse crumbles with a spoon, and cook until browned and cooked through, with no pink remaining. The rendered fat should be golden in the pan and the meat fragrant with fennel and garlic. Drain excess fat if necessary.
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3
In a large bowl, combine the drained pasta, marinara sauce, ricotta, browned sausage, and a portion of the mozzarella. Stir thoroughly so the ricotta is distributed throughout in irregular pockets — it is not layered, it is stirred in. The mixture should be uniformly sauced and the ricotta visible in creamy clumps. This is where the dish lives or dies: if the ricotta is massed in one place or the pasta is already fully soft, no amount of baking will correct it.
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4
Transfer the mixture to a 9×13 baking dish and spread it level. Scatter the remaining mozzarella evenly across the surface, then finish with the grated Parmesan.
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5
Bake at 190°C for 25 to 30 minutes. The dish is ready when the mozzarella is fully melted and golden-brown in spots, and the sauce is actively bubbling at the edges of the pan. The cheese should not be dry or rubbery — it should still have sheen at its centre with colour only at the peaks.
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6
Remove from the oven and allow to rest for five minutes before serving. When the first portion is lifted with a spoon, the mozzarella should pull in long, elastic strings.