• 1 pound of ziti pasta, cooked as directed and drained
• 1 pound of Italian sausage
• 1 onion chopped
• 1 2.25 oz. can of sliced ripe olives
• 2 cups of shredded cheese (I used Italian Style Six Cheese Blend, Mozzarella, Provolone, Parmesan, Asiago, Fontina and Romano)
• 1 15 oz. container of ricotta
• 1 egg
• 1 26 oz. jar of spaghetti sauce, divided
• minced garlic
• 1 cup shredded Parmesan

1. Preheat oven to 375. In a skillet, brown Italian sausage, onion and minced garlic. I love garlic, so I used 2 heaping soup spoons full. Drain.
2. Mix cooked pasta, 2/3 jar of spaghetti sauce, 2 cups shredded cheese, olives, ricotta and egg. Add Italian sausage mixture and combine well.
3. Place in 9 X 13 baking dish, top evenly with remaining 1/3 jar spaghetti sauce and sprinkle with 1 cup shredded Parmesan. Bake 40 minutes, remove from oven and let stand 10 minutes before serving.
4. This turned out really great. It satisfied my baked ziti craving, and Jon's need for meat. Pair it with a Caesar salad and some really nice garlic bread. It's a keeper!

I'm a huge fan of Italian food. And I LOVE baked ziti. One small problem, my husband likes meat. Never mind that there's LOTS of cheese in baked ziti, where's the meat? So, I scoured my recipe sources and combined several to make 'Michelle's Baked Ziti.' It was a hit, so here it is! :)