I love the classic baked Italian dishes like Baked Ziti and Lasagna. My beef (pun intended) is that the mindset is that these offerings are only for big gatherings, that you make enough to feed a crowd. As a result, the prep and assembly can be time-consuming (and you still end up usually having enough food for half a week).
But a less-is-more approach, as well as having our Basic Bolognese already on hand, can make enough for a hearty family dinner in a relatively short amount of time.
Fine: If you want to make enough for the whole neighborhood, or you want to eat baked ziti every day for a while, increase the ingredients and measurements accordingly as well as the size of your baking vessel.
Either way: Buon Appetito!
Easy Baked Ziti
4
servings15
minutes40
minutesIngredients
1/2 pound 1/2 ziti
1-1/2 cups 1-1/2 Ricotta cheese
1 pound 1 Mozzarella, shredded
2 cups 2 Basic Bolognese
1 cup 1 grated Pecorino
Directions
- Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.
- Add a handful of Kosher salt to a pot of boiling water, and then add the pasta.
- Stir until the boil returns. Cover and cook until al dente.
- Drain the pasta and cool with cold water to stop the cooking process. Set aside to drain & dry.
- In a large mixing bowl, combine all of the Ricotta, 3/4 of the Mozzarella, and 3/4 of the Pecorino.
- In a medium-sized baking pan, add half of the cheese mixture.
- Top the cheese with all of the Bolognese.
- Cover the Bolognese with the rest of the cheese mixture.
- Top the cheese mixture with the remaining Mozzarella (spreading evenly).
- Spread the remaining Pecorino evenly over the top.
- Bake for 30 minutes (or until the top is crusty and bubbling).
- Remove from oven and let rest for 10 minutes before serving.
- Enjoy!
Notes
- The Basic Bolognese recipe is linked in the story.
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