The Well-Fed Newlyweds: Baked Ziti

Baked ziti is one of my long-standing go-to dishes. I’ve been making variations of it for years. Sometimes it’s the old cheesey standby. Sometimes I add chicken sausage. Sometimes vegetables. Sometimes I leave out the ricotta, which basically turns it into something else all together. However you make it, it’s pretty much a guarantee that baked ziti will be delicious.

Besides its taste, one of the things I like best about baked ziti is how quickly it comes together. Boil some noodles, stir in some cheesey goodness, and pop it in the oven. It needs a little time to cook, but the active prep work is practically non-existent. You can have dinner on the table without breaking a sweat – which I love, because making dinner causes me to break a sweat far more often than I’d like!

Baked ziti is also a perfect dish for those times when you’d like to bring dinner to someone. I made this particular version for my dear friends on the night they brought their beautiful baby girl home from the hospital. I split the recipe into two pans, giving half to them, and reserving the other half for when I go out of town in a few days. Yep, that’s one more thing that’s great about baked ziti – it freezes like a dream. It’s the perfect dish to make ahead and store in the freezer. You know, just in case you happen to have a significant other who begs you not to leave… at least not without leaving a fully stocked fridge behind.

Baked Ziti

Ingredients:
16 oz. ziti or penne pasta (I like penne rigate. The lines help hold the sauce.)
26 to 28 oz. jar marinara sauce, divided
15 oz. ricotta cheese, part-skim or whole milk
2 cups shredded mozzarella cheese
3 T. grated Parmesan cheese, divided
1/2 tsp. garlic powder
1/4 freshly ground black pepper
1 egg, lightly beaten

Directions:
Preheat oven to 375 degrees.

Cook the pasta according to package directions. Stop cooking the pasta when it is just slightly undercooked; it will continue cooking in the oven. Drain the pasta and set it aside.

In a large bowl, add 1 1/2 cups of the marinara sauce, the ricotta cheese, mozzarella cheese, 2 tablespoons of the Parmesan cheese, garlic powder, pepper, and egg. Stir well to combine.

Add the cooked pasta to the cheese mixture. Stir well to combine.

Pour a small amount of the remaining marinara sauce into a 9x13-inch baking dish. (You can also use a 3 quart casserole dish or two smaller dishes such as 8x8 or 9x9-inch baking pans.) Shake the dish or use a spoon to lightly coat the bottom of the dish with the sauce.