Baked Ziti - or Penne!

by Tiffany J.
from Virtuous Daughters e-newsletter "Snippets," Fall 2023~Issue 11

I tried making this dish for dinner tonight, and Mark said he felt like we were at a fancy Italian restaurant...I then decided the recipe is a keeper and copied it into my recipe binder! :)

• 2 T. olive oil
• 1 onion, diced
• garlic powder to taste
• 2 lb. Italian sausage (or 1 lb. sausage & 1 lb. ground beef)
• 28 oz. diced tomatoes, with juice
• 28 oz. tomato sauce
• 2 tsp. Italian seasoning
• 1/2 tsp. red pepper flakes
• salt & pepper, to taste
• 16 oz. ziti or penne pasta, cooked until not quite al dente & rinsed to cool
• 15 oz. ricotta cheese
• 6 c. mozzarella cheese
• 1/2 c. parmesan cheese
• 1 egg

1) Heat the olive oil in a pot over medium heat. Add onion and garlic and saute until starting to soften. Add sasuage/beef and cook until browned. Drain off fat.

2) Add tomatoes, tomato juice, salt, pepper, Italian seasoning, and red pepper flakes. Stir and simmer for 25-30 minutes. After that, remove 3 cups of the sauce to a separate bowl to cool.

3) Preheat oven to 375.

4) Mix ricotta, 2 cups mozzarella, parmesan, egg, salt, and pper in a separate bowl. Stir together slightly.

5) Pour pasta into cheese mixture and toss to slightly combine. (Large lumps are fine.) Add the cooled meat sauce and toss to combine.

6) Add half of the coated pasta to a large casserole dish. Spoon half of the remaining sauce over the top, then top with half of the remaining mozzarella. Repeat with another layer of pasta, sauce, and mozzarella. 

7) Bake for 20 minutes, or until bubbling. Remove from oven and let stand 5 minutes before serving. Sprinkle chopped parsley over pasta before serving.