Baked Ziti
 
 
Ingredients
  • 1 pound ziti noodles (or penne)
  • 24 oz marinara sauce
  • 1 1/2 pounds ground beef
  • 2 cups grated Mozzarella Cheese
  • 1 1/2 teaspoon oregano
  • salt and pepper
Instructions
  1. Cook pasta until it's al dente (do not overcook the pasta)
  2. When baking pasta undercooking the pasta for a minute is so much better than overcooking it for a second.
  3. While the pasta is cooking, brown the ground beef in a pan until it's thoroughly cooked.
  4. In a large bowl place pasta, and marinara sauce.
  5. Add to it the ground beef, salt, and pepper to taste along with oregano, and mix well.
  6. In a 13x9 pan create 2 layers of the pasta mixture topping each with a cup of grated Mozzarella Cheese.
  7. Cover the baked ziti with non-stick foil, or foil sprayed with oil so it doesn't stick to the cheese.
  8. Remove the foil during the last 5 minutes of baking.
  9. Bake at 350 degrees for 30-45 minutes.
  10. (If the pasta, sauce, and meat are hot going into the dish it will only take 15-20 minutes to bake)
  11. If the pasta is made a bit ahead of time and has cooled off if the sauce is cold, or room temperature it will take longer to cook 30-45 minutes or until the cheese is melted and when you stick a knife into the center of the dish, the food is hot.
Recipe by Created by Diane at https://www.createdby-diane.com/2012/02/baked-ziti.html