Baked Ziti

April 19, 2022

1 hour 20 minutes

easy

8

I love lasagna and I would have it more often if I had the time. Me being who I am, I have to boil my lasagna noodles because I’m not with the oven ready/no-boil business. Unfortunately for me, that’s the part that makes the process a little longer, what are you gonna do shrugs! I’m gonna make Baked Ziti when I’m in a pinch.

The ingredients are similar to lasagna minus the grated Parmesan cheese; I would add it though, just because. I used ground beef in the video but I have ground Turkey pictured above. I like both but I’d have to go with ground beef for the win, it just tasted better to me.

This recipe makes a great week day meal, it comes together in about an hour and is very filling. Add some Texas toast on the side of it to make it even more yummy. Hope you guys try this recipe.

Watch me make Baked Ziti here:

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Extra Large Cutting Board

Mini glass prep bowls

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Ingredients

Adjust Servings

	1lbs ground beef
	2 (26oz) jars of prepared pasta sauce
	½ cup onions, diced
	½ cup bell peppers, diced
	6 garlic cloves, crushed
	2 teaspoons dried basil
	2 teaspoons dried oregano
	½ teaspoon dried rosemary
	½ teaspoon fennel seeds
	½ tablespoon sea salt
	1 tablespoon all purpose seasoning
	1 (16oz) ricotta cheese
	2-3 cups of shredded mozzarella cheese

Directions

1.

Preheat oven to 375 degrees

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2.

Add water and salt to a medium pot, and bring to a boil.

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3.

In another medium pot on low-medium heat add ground beef, onions, garlic and cook for about 3-5 minutes or until meat is browned.

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4.

Add salt, all purpose seasoning, fennel seeds, mix well and cook for about another minute. Pour in pasta sauce and rinse each jar out with ½ cup of water. Add basil, oregano, rosemary and mix well. Allow it to simmer on low for about 10-15 minutes then remove from heat. Taste for salt and adjust to your preference.

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5.

While sauce simmers add ziti to boiling water and cook until al dente. Drain and add to sauce and mix very well.

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6.

Add half of the pasta and sauce mixture to an 11x13 inch baking dish followed by ½ of the ricotta cheese (dolloped across the layer) then followed by the shredded cheese. Repeat that step again with the remaining half of pasta and sauce mixture, ricotta cheese and shredded cheese.

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7.

Bake for about 30-35 minutes uncovered until the cheese is melted. Use your broiler for the last 5-10 minutes to ensure the cheese on top is melted. Serve with garlic bread and enjoy!

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Notes

This recipe can also be made with ground turkey. I've tried with both and they're both good.

Make sure you mix your ricotta very well, spread it out in the dish and add a lot of mozzarella on top.