My son is a beast (in a good way). He's 18-years-old, six-foot-three, and a wet sweater away from 200 pounds. He hits the gym nearly as often as I hit the sack. The problem is that the kid can eat. And eat...And eat...
I used to ply the boy with eggs, but that was before eggs became a luxury item. Then I remembered how my mother used to feed my beast of an older brother back in the day, when he hit the gym as often as I hit the mall: Baked Ziti!
It's a simple dish with low-budget ingredients (and one precious egg!) that goes a long, long way. Well, in the case of my son, maybe four meals...
Baked Ziti
8
servings20
minutes1
hourIngredients
1 lb. 1 ziti
1-1/2 lb. 1-1/2 ground chuck
1 lb. 1 Ricotta cheese
1 lb. 1 low-moisture mozzarella cheese, shredded
1 cup 1 Pecorino Romano cheese
16 oz. 16 Passata or tomato puree
1 1 yellow onion, diced
1/4 cup 1/4 Extra Virgin Olive Oil
1 1 egg
Salt & Pepper
Directions
- Add the olive oil to a large sauté pan over medium heat.
- When the oil shimmers, add the diced onions.
- Season the onions with salt & pepper and sauté, stirring often, until translucent (8-10 minutes)
- Raise the heat to medium high and add the ground chuck.
- Season the meat with S & P and gently brown (adjusting heat if necessary) and tossing/stirring often.
- When the meat is browned (10-12 minutes), drain the excess fat and add the jar of passata.
- Blend the passata with the meat and onions.
- Bring the mixture to a boil and then lower to a simmer.
- Bring a pot of water to a boil.
- Add 1/4 cup of salt and the ziti.
- Return to a boil and cook the pasta until al dente (around 10 minutes).
- Drain the pasta and run under cold water to stop the cooking. Set aside.
- Combine the cheeses with the egg in a large bowl (saving 1 cup of shredded mozzarella) and mix thoroughly.
- Add the cooled pasta with the cheese mixture and blend thoroughly.
- Preheat the oven to 375 degrees.
- Once the meat sauce has thickened (s/b 20 minutes total), take it off the heat and allow to cool.
- Once the meat is somewhat cool, add it to the cheese mixture.
- Grease a baking pan with olive oil and add the complete mixture (tapping the bottom of the pan to release air pockets).
- Sprinkle the top evenly with the remaining mozzarella.
- Bake for 30 minutes or until the top starts to brown in patches.
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