Baked Ziti and Tomato Salad

This is a fantastic recipe for baked ziti - the secret is the sauce... the flavors are perfect. If you like a spicy meat sauce use spicy sausage. If you like a more mild flavor then use sweet or mild flavored sausage. I will definitely be keeping this in the rotation for a relatively easy Italian meal. This will make a bunch so you will have plenty of leftovers - yum! If you let the ricotta and egg come to room temperature it mixes a lot easier and has a creamier consistency. The tomato salad is something my mom used to make pretty often when we had Italian for dinner so it's a staple for us too!

Meat Sauce

Baked Ziti
10-12 servings

Baked Ziti

ingredients

• 1 lb ziti noodles
• 3 cloves garlic, minced
• 1 large onion, diced
• 1 lb Italian sausage (spicy or mild)
• 1 lb ground beef
• 28 oz can whole tomatoes with juice
• 2 (14.5 oz) cans tomato sauce
• 2 tsp Italian seasoning
• 1 tsp red pepper flakes
• S & P
• 15 oz whole milk ricotta at room temp
• 1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese
• 1 1/2 lb grated mozzarella cheese
• 1 egg at room temp
• freshly minced parsley and/or basil

directions

1. Heat olive oil in a large pot over medium heat. Add the onions and garlic and saute for 5 minutes. Remove the casings from the sausage and beef and add to the pot, breaking up with a wooden spoon until browned. Drain off half of the fat.

2. In a medium bowl, using your hands gently break up the whole tomatoes with their juice. Once they're broken up add to the pot, salt & pepper to taste, Italian seasoning & red pepper flakes. Stir together and then simmer for 45 minutes. Taste and adjust seasonings, if needed but it should be dang tasty! Remove 4 cups of the sauce to glass bowl/pitcher and set aside to cool.

3. Preheat oven to 375º. In a bowl, mix ricotta, 2 cups of grated mozzarella, Parmesan, egg, 1/2 tsp each of salt and pepper. Gently stir together until just combined, do not over mix.

4. Cook the noodles until just under "al dente". You don't want the noodles too soft as they will continue cooking in the oven. Drain and rinse under cold water to stop the cooking. Pour into a large bowl with the cheese mixture and toss to slightly combine - you want large lumps so don't over mix this either. Add the cooled meat sauce and toss to combine.

5. Add half of the coated pasta to a large casserole dish. Spoon half of the sauce over top and spread around. Then top with mozzarella, repeat with another layer of pasta, sauce & mozzarella.

6. Bake for 20 minutes, until bubbling. Remove from oven and let rest for 5-10 minutes. Sprinkle the parsley/basil over top before serving. 

Tomato Salad

8-10 servings

Tomato Salad

ingredients

• 3 tomatoes, sliced
• 1 small white onion, minced
• handful basil, chopped
• 1/2 tsp dried oregano
• S&P
• drizzle of balsamic vinegar & olive oil
• 1/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese

directions

Layer the sliced tomatoes in any arrangement you desire, top with the next 6 ingredients. Serve.

Enjoy!

This recipe was adapted from Pioneer Woman.