baked ziti

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Servs: 4  Prep: 30m  Cook: 60m  

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Ingredients [?] Change Serving Size Add all ingredients to Shopping List

  •   Ziti
  •   2 lbs of uncooked ziti pasta (2lbs= 2 boxes)
  •   2 lbs of ground beef (if vegetarian add 2-3 packages of morning star beefless crumbles)
  •   3lbs of Ricotta Cheese
  •   One Egg (beaten)
  •   Parmesan Reggiano Cheese
  •   1 lb of Mozzarella Cheese (sliced)
  •   Salt and Pepper
  •   SAUCE:
  •   4 cans of crushed/puree/ or whole plum tomatoes (the largest can)
  •   1-2 large Vidalia Onion (diced)
  •   Fresh Basil Leaves (chopped)
  •   4-6 cloves of garlic (minced)- use more or less garlic to your taste
  •   Salt and Pepper
  •   Extra Virgin Olive Oil
  •   Dried Oregano (about a tablespoon)
  •   Splash of Red wine Vinegar
  •   Couple spoonfuls of sugar (to you liking)
  •   Dried Pepper Flakes or one small Red Chili Pepper
  •   2 bay leaves

Instructions

  1. -Sautee ground beef in pan with Extra Virgin Olive Oil
  2. -Start the Sauce Recipe via instructions below
  3. -Cook the ziti per box instructions with a little salt in water for flavor
  4. -Once the sauce has been made and beef sauteed, add the beef to the sauce and let the meat sauce simmer over for about an hour or so.
  5. -Next drain the ziti and place back in the pot you cooked it in.
  6. -Add the beaten egg, ricotta cheese, 3/4 of the container of Parmesan Reggiano Cheese, and Salt and pepper (to taste) to the cooked ziti in the pot.
  7. -Add about 3/4 or so of the meat sauce to Ziti/cheese mixture in pot, and mix all ingredients together well.
  8. -Scoop ziti into tin/oven safe dish (you want to layer the ziti, and have about 3-4 layers, so divide up evenly)
  9. -Laddle about 1/3 of remaining portion of meat sauce on top of ziti followed by 1/3 of sliced mozzarella cheese and repeat steps with ziti/sauce/mozzarella until all used up.
  10. -For the top laye r, sprinkle the remainder of the Parmesan Reggiano Cheese on top of the sauce followed by the final layer of mozzarella cheese.
  11. - Cook in oven @ 375 degrees for one Hour (place tin foil over ziti for 1st 1/2 hour and then remove for last 1/2, this prevents over cooking/burning of the cheese)
  12. Sauce Instructions:
  13. -Sautee Onion and Garlic over medium heat in a few tablespoons of extra virgin olive oil until onion is translucent, about 2-3 minutes, be careful to not burn the garlic, it will make the garlic bitter.
  14. -Add Dried oregano and salt and pepper to onion and garlic.
  15. -Add Dried pepper flakes or Red chili pepper (if you add the pepper, pierce it with a knife before placing it in the pan)
  16. -cook about 2 minutes longer and then add cans of the tomatoes (if you add the whole tomatoes, add the juices and DO NOT crush the tomatoes up yet, that will happen at the end).
  17. -Add 2 Bay leaves and splash of red wine vinegar.
  18. - Sautee/simmer over low heat (covered) for at least 2 hours.
  19. - At this point, if you added the whole tomatoes, go ahead and crush them up in the pan (if you crushed them when you first put them in the pan, your sauce would taste bitter)
  20. - Add salt/pepper if it needs more, and at this time, i normally sprinkle a teaspoon- 3 teaspoons of sugar if needed.
  21. - Remove the 2 bay leaves & chili pepper and add the cooked ground beef or meatless morning star crumbles.
  22. - Cook an additional 30min to an hour.
  23. - Right before sauce is ready to use, mix in your chopped basil leaves. (fresh spinach also goes well with this sauce and you would add it at this time)

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