Now And Later Baked Ziti Recipes

Steps:

• Bring a large pot of lightly salted water to a boil. Add ziti pasta, and cook until al dente, about 8 minutes; drain.
• In a large skillet, brown onion and ground beef over medium heat. Add spaghetti sauce, and simmer 15 minutes.
• Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Butter a 9x13 inch baking dish. Layer as follows: 1/2 of the ziti, Provolone cheese, sour cream, 1/2 sauce mixture, remaining ziti, mozzarella cheese and remaining sauce mixture. Top with grated Parmesan cheese.
• Bake for 30 minutes in the preheated oven, or until cheeses are melted.

Steps:

• 1.Cook the beef and onion in an 8-quart saucepot over medium high heat until the beef is well browned, stirring often. Pour off any fat. 2.Stir the sauce, ziti and 2 cups mozzarella cheese in the saucepot. Spoon the beef mixture into 2 (12 1/2 x 8 1/2 x 2-inch) disposable foil pans. Top with the remaining mozzarella and Parmesan cheeses. 3.Bake at 350 degrees F for 30 minutes or until the beef mixture is hot. To make ahead and freeze: Prepare the ziti as directed above but do not bake. Cover the pans with foil and freeze. Bake the frozen ziti, uncovered, at 350 degrees F for 1 hour or until it's hot. Or, thaw the ziti in the refrigerator for 24 hours, then bake, uncovered, at 350 degrees F for 45 minutes or until it's hot. Serving Suggestion: Serve with zucchini cut into thinly sliced ribbons (use vegetable peeler) and sauteed in olive oil. Sprinkle with grated parmesan. For dessert serve lemon sorbet with a mint sprig.

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 400˚F (200°C). Grease a 3-quart baking dish with the butter.
• Heat the olive oil in a large pot or Dutch oven over medium heat. Once the oil begins to shimmer, add the onion and cook, stirring often, until softened and translucent, about 10 minutes. Add the garlic, red pepper flakes, and oregano and cook until aromatic, about 1 minute. Add the tomato paste and cook, stirring to coat the aromatics, until the tomato paste is deep brick-red, about 2 minutes.
• Add the whole tomatoes and their juices, using a potato masher or your hands to crush them into the sauce. Add 2 teaspoons of salt and 1 teaspoon of pepper and stir to combine. Bring the sauce to a boil, then reduce the heat to low and simmer until thickened, 20 minutes.
• Add 1 cup of ricotta, the Parmesan, remaining teaspoon of salt, and remaining teaspoon of pepper to a medium bowl and stir to combine.
• Reserve 2 cups of tomato sauce in a bowl, then add the ricotta-Parmesan mixture to the remaining tomato sauce in the pot and stir to combine.
• Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil over high heat. Add the pasta and cook until 2 minutes shy of al dente. Drain the pasta in a colander.
• Add the drained pasta tomato-ricotta sauce and stir until well coated.
• Add half of the pasta to the prepared baking dish. Cover with 1 cup of the reserved tomato sauce, ¾ cup of the mozzarella, and ½ cup of the remaining ricotta. Add the remaining pasta, then repeat with the remaining cup of tomato sauce, ¾ cup of mozzarella, and ½ cup of ricotta.
• Bake until the mozzarella is golden brown and the tomato sauce is bubbling, 25-30 minutes.
• Garnish with the basil before serving.
• Enjoy!