Mamas Meaty Garlic Baked Ziti Food

BAKED ZITI

Steps:

• Preheat the Oven - Set the oven rack to the middle position and the temperature to 375°F (190ºC).
• Cook the Pasta - In a large dutch oven or pot, bring water to a boil. Add 1 tablespoon of salt and stir to dissolve. Add in the ziti. Cook it according to package directions until al dente, about 9 to 10 minutes. Drain in a colander, and rinse with cool water for about 30 seconds to immediately stop the cooking process. Separate them with a spoon so they do not stick together. Leave some moisture on the surface and set it aside.
• Brown the Sausage - Heat olive oil in the dutch oven or pot over medium heat. Add the sausage. Break into smaller pieces, and cook until browned, about 4 to 5 minutes.
• Cook the Aromatics - Reduce the heat to medium-low and add the onion, garlic, and 1 teaspoon of Italian seasoning. Sauté until onions are translucent, about 3 minutes.
• Add the Tomatoes - Add the tomato paste and cook for 1 minute. Add the crushed tomatoes, diced tomatoes, 1 teaspoon salt, and ¼ teaspoon black pepper. Stir and simmer for 10 minutes. Season with more salt and pepper to taste. Reserve 2 cups of the meat sauce.
• Sauce the Pasta - Add the ziti to the meat sauce and stir to combine. Set aside.
• Make the Cheese Mixture - In a medium-sized bowl, stir together ricotta cheese, 1 cup mozzarella cheese, ¼ cup parmesan cheese, 1 teaspoon Italian seasoning, 1 teaspoon salt, ¼ teaspoon pepper, parsley, and egg.
• Layer the Casserole - In a 13-inch by 9-inch baking dish add half of the pasta. Evenly dollop with half of the ricotta cheese mixture. Spread half of the reserved meat sauce on top. Add the remaining pasta on top, followed by the ricotta cheese mixture and the remaining meat sauce. Evenly sprinkle 1 cup of mozzarella cheese and ¼ cup of parmesan cheese on top.
• Bake - Loosely cover the baking dish with greased foil so that it does not touch the pasta. Bake for 30 minutes. Remove the foil and bake until the cheese is melted and lightly golden brown, about 15 minutes.
• Serve - If desired, garnish with chopped parsley and parmesan cheese.

MEATY BAKED ZITI

Steps:

• Heat a large pot over medium-high heat. Cook and stir sausage and ground beef in the hot skillet until browned and crumbly, 5 to 7 minutes. Add tomato sauce, whole tomatoes with juice, onion, garlic, Italian seasoning, basil, sugar, and red pepper flakes; bring to a simmer. Reduce heat to medium-low and simmer for 30 minutes to 1 hour. Turn off the heat. Transfer 3 cups sauce to a bowl and leave remaining sauce in the pot; allow to cool while you prepare ziti.
• Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F (190 degrees C).
• Bring a large pot of lightly salted water to a boil. Add ziti and cook, stirring occasionally, until tender yet firm to the bite, about 11 minutes. Drain ziti and rinse under cool water to stop it from cooking.
• Combine ricotta, 2 cups mozzarella, Parmesan, egg, 2 tablespoon parsley, and pepper in a bowl; stir together with a few turns but do not mix completely. Pour drained ziti into the bowl and toss until slightly combined with large lumps. Add the reserved 3 cups meat sauce and toss to combine.
• Place 1/2 of the pasta mixture into a 9x13-inch casserole dish. Spoon 1/2 of the remaining sauce over top, layer with 6 slices of provolone and 1 cup mozzarella. Repeat layers: pasta mixture, remaining sauce, 6 slices provolone, and 1 cup mozzarella. Cover with foil.
• Place on a baking sheet and bake in the preheated oven until bubbling, 30 to 40 minutes. Remove foil and bake until cheese is fully melted and slightly browned, 5 to 10 more minutes. Remove from the oven and sprinkle with parsley. Let stand 5 minutes before serving.

BAKED ZITI

Steps:

• Heat the olive oil in a pot over medium heat. Add the garlic and onions and saute until starting to soften, 3 to 4 minutes. Add the ground beef and sausage and cook until browned. Drain off almost all of the fat, leaving a bit behind for flavor and moisture. Add the tomato sauce, tomatoes, Italian seasoning, red pepper flakes and some salt and pepper. Stir, bring to a simmer and simmer for 25 to 30 minutes. Remove 3 to 4 cups of the cooked sauce to a bowl to cool down.
• Bring a large pot of water to a boil and add some salt. Cook the ziti until not quite al dente.
• Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F.
• In a bowl, mix 2 cups of the grated mozzarella, the ricotta, Parmesan, parsley, eggs and some salt and pepper. Stir together just a couple of times (do not mix completely).
• Drain the pasta and rinse under cool water to stop the cooking and cool it down. Pour it into the bowl with the cheese mixture and toss to slightly combine (there should still be large lumps). Add the cooled reserved meat sauce and toss to combine.
• Add half the coated pasta to a large casserole dish or lasagna dish. Spoon half of the remaining sauce over the top, then top with half the remaining mozzarella. Repeat with another layer of the coated pasta and the remaining sauce and mozzarella.
• Bake until bubbling, about 20 minutes. Let stand 5 minutes before sprinkling with chopped parsley to serve.

EXTRA MEATY BAKED ZITI

Steps:

• Cook pasta according to package directions.
• Meanwhile, in a skillet, cook beef, onion, and garlic over medium heat until no longer pink; drain.
• Stir in spaghetti sauce.
• In a bowl, combine the eggs, ricotta, Italian seasoning or parsley if desired, 1 1/2 cups mozzarella and Parmesan.
• Drain pasta; add to cheese mixture and stir to coat evenly.
• Spoon a third of the meat sauce into a greased 9x13 pan; top with half of the pasta mixture.
• Repeat layers, ending with meat sauce.
• Cover and bake at 350 for 40 minutes.
• Uncover; sprinkle with remaining mozzarella cheese.
• Bake 5-10 minutes longer or until cheese is melted.
• Let stand for 15 minutes before serving.

MAMA'S MEATY GARLIC BAKED ZITI

Steps:

• 1. In large skillet, cook sweet sausage in 3/4 cup of water.
• 2. Prep your baking dish, I use a 3 qt rectangular dish, line the bottom with a light layer of sauce (basically so the pasta doesn't stick to the bottom). But be careful not to use too much, it will bubble over the top.... trust me. ha ha
• 3. Time to chop the garlic. Once done, put butter in large skillet with garlic and simmer for about 2 minutes, then add the hamburger. Once the hamburger is done, drain it and set it aside.
• 4. Okay, now, boil large pot of water (I usually use 2 large pots so the noodles aren't overflowing). Add the noodles and cook until done. Drain.
• 5. In a large mixing bowl, mix ricotta, hamburger, noodles and about 4 cups of sauce (or more to your liking), sprinkle some shredded cheddar cheese in the mix.
• 6. Add mixture into the baking dish evenly. Top with the sausage (cut into quarters) and shredded cheddar cheese evenly.
• 7. Bake at 375 degrees (uncovered) for about 35 minutes, or until cheese is nicely baked on top.