Baked Ziti with Mushrooms and Meatballs
Description
Serve your family a great pasta dish of meatballs, mushrooms, spaghetti sauce, mozzarella-cream cheese, and ziti or rigatoni. Serve it with a side salad and some garlic toast, if desired.
Ingredients
1 lb. ground beef
½ c. breadcrumbs
2 t. dried basil
2 t. dried oregano
1 t. salt
1 t. red pepper flakes
2 T. Worcestershire sauce
¼ c. milk
2 T. olive oil
1 onion, diced
1 lb. sliced mushrooms
24 oz. spaghetti sauce
1 lb. ziti or rigatoni pasta
8 oz. cream cheese, softened
8 oz. ricotta cheese
1 c. shredded Parmesan cheese
Directions
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Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Lightly grease a large baking sheet.
In a large mixing bowl, make meatballs by combining ground beef, breadcrumbs, basil, oregano, salt, red pepper flakes, Worcestershire sauce and milk; mix together until well mixed. Form into mini meatballs, using about 1 T. meat for each ball. Place meatballs on the prepared baking sheet. Bake for about 20 minutes.
While meatballs are baking, pour olive oil into a large dutch oven or an oven-safe pot, over medium-high heat. Add diced onion and mushrooms; saute for 5 - 7 minutes until onions are soft and translucent and mushrooms are cooked. Pour in spaghetti sauce; reduce heat; let simmer until pasta and meatballs are ready.
While meatballs are baking, cook pasta in well salted boiling water, according to package directions; drain.
Prepare cheese topping in a small mixing bowl by combining cream cheese and ricotta; mix until smooth.
Pour pasta into the large pot with the sauce. When meatballs are done, add them in and carefully stir, being careful not to break them up. Spread cheese mixture on top; sprinkle Parmesan cheese on top.
Reduce oven heat to 350 degrees. Place the entire oven safe pot in the oven. Bake for 20 minutes until cheese is melted and bubbly.
Serve hot.
8 servings.
*If you don't have an oven-safe pot, combine the pasta, sauce and meatballs in a lightly greased 9 x 13 baking dish; spread the cheese mixture on top; bake at 350 degrees for 20 minutes.