Who doesn’t love baked ziti? It’s easy to cook. Kids love it. Adults love it. And it’s so comforting. Here’s my recipe, using part-skim cheese (less guilt).
The recipe calls for tomato sauce. I get my tomato sauce from one of my favorite local Italian restaurants – Remo’s in Stamford.
Ingredients
8 ounces ziti rigate or other short pasta. I prefer Mezi Rigattoni (from Barilla)
2 cups part-skim ricotta
1 large egg, lightly beaten
3/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese
2 cups shredded part-skim mozzarella
1 jar (24 to 26 ounces) tomato sauce (about 3 1/2 cups)
salt and pepper, to taste
Directions
1. Preheat oven to 450 degrees. Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Cook the pasta until al dente (follow the directions on the package).
2. In a bowl, combine ricotta, egg, 1/4 cup Parmesan, and 1/2 cup of mozzarella. Season with salt and pepper.
3. In the bottom of a shallow pan (about 8×8), spread half the tomato sauce. Top with the cooked pasta. Layer with ricotta mixture, then the remaining sauce. Sprinkle the top with remaining 1/2 cup Parmesan and mozzarella.
4. Bake for about 25 minutes, until top is browned and sauce is bubbling. I prefer a crunchy top, so 26 to 28 minutes is ideal.
Let the baked ziti cool for several minutes before serving. You don’t want to serve a messy meal. =)
