Baked Ziti
A fabulous Pioneer Woman recipe…when you want a little change from Lasagna…
Mamma Mia…is this good! It was so easy too! I’ve been on a real pasta kick lately with this pregnancy, and this recipe from Pioneer Woman did not disappoint. At one point a few weeks ago, I told my husband that I had cooked an Italian pasta related meal for the last five meals. I’m sure he noticed but was too fearful to say anything and was just glad I was cooking again!
Give this one a try, and you too, will not be disappointed!
Baked Ziti
Ingredients
- 2 tbsp olive oil
- 1 tsp minced garlic
- 1 onion, chopped
- 2 lbs. ground round
- 1 28 oz. can whole tomatoes with juice
- 2- 14 oz. cans of tomato sauce
- 1 tsp dried oregano
- 1 tsp dried basil
- 1/2 tsp red pepper flakes
- Salt and pepper, to taste
- 1 16 oz box Ziti Or Mostaciolli (cooked until almost al dente)
- 1 15 oz container of cottage cheese
- 1 16 oz. block of mozzarella, shredded
- 1/2 cup grated or shredded Parmesan
- 1 egg, slightly beaten
- fresh chopped parsley (optional)
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 375.
- In a large pot, brown ground beef. Add onions and garlic. Saute for about 10 minutes or until onions are softened. Drain off some of fat, if necessary.
- Add whole tomatoes and squish with a wooden spoon. Add tomato sauces and seasonings.
- Let simmer for about 25 minutes. (In the meantime, boil your pasta).
- Remove 3 to 4 cups of sauce to a bowl to cool.
- In a separate LARGE bowl, mix together cottage cheese, 2 cups of mozzarella, Parmesan, egg, and salt and pepper.
- Drain pasta, rinse under cool water. Add to cheese mixture and stir. Add cooled meat sauce and stir.
- Spray a large casserole dish with cooking spray. Add half the pasta mixture to the bottom of the dish. Layer half the remaining meat sauce on top of pasta. Sprinkle some mozzarella. Repeat layers once more.
- Bake for 20 minutes. Garnish with fresh chopped parsley if desired.
Notes
Adapted from The Pioneer Woman
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I love pastas and baked ziti is one of my favorites! This looks so good! 🙂
Hi Taren, this looks delicious and I totally love pasta of all kinds! Thank you so much for sharing at Best of the Weekend – pinning to our party board! Hope you have a wonderful week!
This looks QUITE amazing, Taren! Such gorgeous photos!!
I just keep scrolling and scrolling through your blog and everything looks so good!! I’ve been wanting to try this ziti. Good to know you loved it.
Thanks for stopping by to visit!
Making this right now with a few subs… turkey meat instead and i dont do cottage cheese… i have greek yogurt.. can i use that?
I’ve never tried yogurt with it. I usually use that as a sour cream substitute but not for cottage cheese. Please let me know how it turns out. Hope you love it!
How much does this recipe make? I have my church dinner tonight and I need to make sure i make enough 🙂 Thank you
Hi April! I would say it will feed about 6-8 adults and it would go even further with a salad and bread. Thanks for visiting!!
This dish is calling my name. Yum!
Thanks so much Rachel!
Can the Baked Ziti dish be prepped and put in the fridge for a day or two and then baked or frozen and then baked and if so best temperature and time to cook please? I am doing a very large party and making this as one of three pasta dishes and would like to make it Thursday and serve it on Saturday.
Hi Rebecca! Yes, you can refrigerate it and then bake it. I recommend freezing it if you need to wait longer than a few days in the future. Because it will be cold, bake it at 375, cover it with foil, and increase the cooking time to make sure it is warmed through in the center. Bake it for about 35-45 minutes, remove the foil, and bake for another 5 minutes. Check to make sure the center seems warmed through completely. Enjoy!