Baked ziti is Italian comfort food at it’s best. My Maternal Grandparents came to America from Italy in the early 20th century so I come by loving Italian food naturally. I remember my dear Grandmother making pasta in my Mom’s kitchen. Although I didn’t hand make this pasta and the recipe uses your favorite jarred pasta sauce it is delicious. You certainly could make your own sauce and use it here. I also like to serve some sauce on the side for anyone who would like more along with freshly grated Parmesan cheese. This is a great family style company dish that can be dressed up with a great salad and garlic toast. Refrigerate leftovers and reheat in the oven, not the microwave. Be sure to use a large sauté pan or your mixture may overflow. Buon appetito!
Ingredients
- 1 pound ziti
- 1 lb ground beef
- 1/2 cup chopped onion
- 2 cloves garlic, minced
- 6 cups meatless spaghetti sauce, divided
- 1 cup pasta water, reserved from draining ziti
- 2 cups shredded Mozzarella cheese
- 1 cup grated Parmesan cheese
Instructions
- Slightly undercook ziti.
- Drain reserving 1 cup of pasta water, cover and set aside.
- Preheat oven to 375 degrees F.
- In large skillet over medium heat, cook beef, onion and garlic; stirring frequently 6 to 8 minutes or until beef is browned. Drain fat.
- Stir in 5 cups spaghetti sauce and reserved pasta water. Reduce heat and simmer 10 minutes. Mix the meat/sauce mixture with ziti. Spoon 1/2 of ziti mixture into 13x9x2" baking dish. Sprinkle with Mozzarella and 1/2 of Parmesan cheese. Top with remaining ziti mixture and remaining 1 cup spaghetti sauce. Sprinkle with remaining Parmesan cheese. Bake 25 - 30 minutes or until heated through.
