Description

Baked Ziti is a comforting pasta dish that is made with simple ingredients in less than an hour. Serve it with a salad and garlic toast to complete the meal.

Ingredients

• Meat Sauce:
• 1 lb. ground beef
• 2 T. olive oil
• 1 white onion, diced
• 8 oz. sliced mushrooms, optional
• 5 cloves garlic, minced
• 6 oz. can tomato paste
• 28 oz. can crushed tomatoes
• 15 oz. can tomato sauce
• 1 T. dried basil
• 1 T. dried oregano
• 1/2 t. salt
• 1/4 t. ground black pepper
• Baked Ziti and Cheese Topping:
• 1 lb. ziti pasta
• 8 oz. cream cheese, at room temperature
• 8 oz. Ricotta cheese
• 1 c. shredded Parmesan cheese

Steps

1. Meat Sauce:
2. Pour olive oil into a large, deep skillet, over medium-high heat; add ground beef; brown, 5 minutes. Add diced onions and mushrooms; saute 5 - 7 minutes until onions are soft and translucent and ground beef is no longer pink. Add garlic and tomato paste; cook 2 minutes. Pour in crushed tomatoes and tomato sauce; stir in basil, oregano, salt and pepper; bring to a simmer; reduce heat to low; simmer until pasta while pasta cooks.
3. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Lightly grease a 9x13 inch baking pan.