Ziti Bake
Why I Love This Recipe
This is another one of my family's favorites. It's hearty and quite delicious.
Ingredients You'll Need
1 (16-oz.) pkg. ziti macaroni
1 lb. lean ground beef
1 (15 oz.) container ricotta cheese
1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese
1/4 cup chopped flat-leaf parsley
1 egg, slightly beaten
3/4 tsp. salt
1 (8-oz.) pkg. mozzarella, shredded
Spaghetti Sauce:
2 Tbsp. salad oil
1 medium onion, diced
1 medium garlic clove, minced
2 (15-oz. each) cans tomato sauce
1 (12-oz.) can tomato paste
2 tsp. brown sugar
2 Tbsp. chopped flat-leaf parsley
1 tsp. oregano leaves
1 tsp. salt
1/8 tsp. cracked black pepper
1 bay leaf
Directions
Prepare spaghetti sauce: In a 3-qt. saucepan over medium heat, in hot salad oil, cook the onion and garlic until tender, stirring frequently, about 10 minutes. Do not burn the garlic.
Add the tomato sauce and remaining ingredients and over high heat bring to boiling.
Reduce heat to medium-low, partially cover and cook for 30 minutes. Discard the bay leaf.
Meanwhile, in 8-qt. Dutch oven, prepare ziti as label directs; drain and set aside. In same Dutch oven over med-high heat, cook ground beef until well browned, about 10 minutes, stirring occasionally.
Preheat oven to 350º F.
Remove Dutch oven from heat; stir in ricotta, next 5 ingredients and half of the spaghetti sauce until well mixed. Add ziti and toss gently to coat well.
Spoon the mixture into 13 x 9” baking pan; pour remaining spaghetti sauce evenly over ziti mixture; sprinkle with mozzarella cheese. Bake 20 minutes or until hot and bubbly.
