Baked Ziti

I'll be honest, this dish requires more work than my previous posts. It's still easy to make, it just requires more of your time. It is well worth it though. If you're ever trying to impress someone with a good homemmade italian dinner, this will do the trick.


Baked Ziti
1- 16 ounce package of ziti
1 pound ground beef* (or 1/2 pound ground beef and half pound sausage)
1 cup onions, diced
1- 26 ounce jar tomato and basil pasta sauce
1- 14.5 ounce can stewed tomatoes, undrained
1/2 tablespoon basil pesto (I omitted this)
2 cups Italian cheese blend
1- 15 ounce container Ricotta cheese

Cook and drain ziti.

Brown the meat and onions.

                                     

Stir in pasta sauce, tomatoes and basil presto. Simmer 5-10 minutes

Combine ricotta and 1 cup cheese and toss with pasta.

Pour pasta into a greased 9x13 dish. Put the meat mixture over the pasta and top with the remaining cheese.

Bake 12-15 minutes at 375 degrees

I paired the baked ziti with some garlic bread. Absolutely delicious :)