dee dee's meaty baked ziti
This was my first attempt at Baked Ziti. I made a marinara sauce that I use in many of my other dishes. You could save time by purchasing already made sauce but this sauce is so good I won't. Jimmy and I were both very pleased with this dish. Company worthy and will feed a crowd! Hope you enjoy!
prep time
20 Min
cook time
1 Hr 20 Min
method
Bake
yield
8 to 10
Ingredients
- 2 to 3 tablespoons olive oil, extra virgin
- 1 large onion, chopped
- 1 large green bell pepper, chopped
- 4 cloves garlic, minced
- 1 pound ground sirloin
- 1 package (19-oz) italian sausage, sweet casings removed
- 4 - (14.5-oz) cans diced tomatoes
- 1 - (8-oz) can tomato sauce
- 1 teaspoon red pepper flakes
- 2 teaspoons italian seasoning
- 1 teaspoon sweet basil, dried
- 1 teaspoon fennel seed
- - salt and pepper to taste
- 1 - (15-oz) carton ricotta cheese
- - (16-oz) mozzarella cheese, shredded
- - (8-oz) provolone cheese, shredded
- 1/2 cup parmesan cheese, grated
- 1 large egg
- 1 - (16-oz) box ziti cook not quite al dente
How To Make dee dee's meaty baked ziti
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Step 1Preheat oven to 375. Grease a large baking dish. NOTE: I used a 9 X 15 inch pan and I needed a larger pan. There was a little zitz and sauce left over.
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Step 2Heat olive oil in large pot over a medium heat. Add onion, pepper, and garlic; saute until tender.
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Step 3(Break up the Italian sausage). Add beef and sausage to sauteed veggies; brown meat and drain off grease.
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Step 4Add tomatoes, tomato sauce, red pepper flakes, italian seasoning, basil, fennel seed, salt and pepper; bring to simmer and reduce heat. Simmer over med/low heat for 20 minutes covered. Remove lid and simmer another 20 minutes, stirring occassionally to thicken. Taste test and add additional seasoning if desired.
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Step 5Cook ziti until not quite Al Dente. Drain ziti and rinse under cold water to stop the cooking process.
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Step 6In a large bowl mix ricotta, parmesan and egg; add mozzella (save 1 cup for topping) and provolone cheeses. Stir to combine. This mixture will be thick.
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Step 7Place 1/2 of noodles in large baking pan with all the noodles laying same direction. This takes a little time, but makes a really pretty presentation when you serve.
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Step 8With a cookie or ice cream scoop, place dollups of the ricotta mixture over the pasta reserving 1/2 for the 2nd layer. Spoon 1/2 of the meat mixture over cheese. Repeat layer. Top with the reserved cup of mozzarella.
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Step 9Bake 20 to 25 minutes or until you see bubbling around the edges. Remove from oven and let set for 5 to 10 minutes before serving.
- Last Step: Don't forget to share! Post a picture of your finished recipe here and on your favorite social network. Don't forget to tag Just A Pinch and include #justapinchrecipes!
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