Baked Ziti
Ingredients:
Salt and pepper
1 pound Italian sausage, preferably bulk or ground meat of any
type, or a combination
1 large onion, diced
1 tablespoon minced garlic, optional
1 (28-ounce can) tomatoes, chopped, with liquid
1 pound ziti or other large cut pasta
1 pound mozzarella, grated or chopped
Olive oil or butter as needed
1/2 cup freshly grated Parmesan, optional
1. Bring large pot of water to boil; salt it. Heat oven to 400F.
2. Distribute meat in large skillet over medium high heat and cook,
undisturbed, until browned on one side, about 5 minutes. Stir,
cook another 2 minutes undisturbed, then add the onion and
garlic, if using. Lower heat to medium and continue to cook,
stirring occasionally, until vegetables are soft; add tomatoes
and bring to a boil. Simmer while cooking pasta, stirring and
seasoning with salt and pepper to taste; do not let sauce become
too thick.
3. Cook pasta until just tender; it should still be too hard to
eat. Drain it (do not shake the colander; allow some water to
cling to the noodles) and toss it with the sauce and half the
mozzarella. Grease a 9-by-13-inch baking dish and spoon mixture
into it. Top with remaining mozzarella and the Parmesan if
using. Bake until top is browned and cheese bubbly, 20 to 30
minutes.
B-man
