BAKED ZITI

Baked Ziti is a family favorite! It’s filled with ground beef, zesty tomato sauce and lots of melted cheese! It’s so hearty and delicious and can satisfy the pickiest eaters!

Baked Ziti

Ingredients
1 lb ziti noodles (I prefer rigatoni)
1 lb ground beef
1/2 onion diced
4 garlic cloves, minced
2 teaspoons dried basil
2 teaspoons dried oregano
28 oz can crushed tomatoes
16 ounces tomato sauce
12 oz mozzarella cheese, shredded (3 cups)
15 oz ricotta cheese

Directions
Preheat oven to 350°.
Cook pasta according to package instructions. Drain and set aside.
Season ricotta cheese with salt and pepper.
Heat oil in a pan over medium high heat and sauté ground beef. Season with salt and pepper and cook for 5 minutes or until browned. Drain excess liquid.
Add a little more oil to the pan along with onions and garlic, and cook for 3 minutes.
Stir in basil and oregano.
Stir in crushed tomatoes and tomato sauce. Season generously with salt and pepper (it will not be salty when added to the pasta) and bring to a boil. Lower heat to medium low and let simmer 5 minutes.
In a 9 x 13 baking dish layer in order
- Half of the noodles
- Half of the meat sauce
- Half of the mozzarella cheese
- Ricotta cheese
- Rest of the noodles
- Rest of the meat sauce
- Rest of the mozzarella cheese
Bake for 30 minutes, until cheese is nice and bubbly.