Name: Easy Ziti Bake
Cuisine: American
Ingredients: 12 ounces uncooked ziti or small tube pasta; 1 pound 80% ground beef; 1 pound mild Italian sausage; 2 teaspoons dried Italian seasoning, divided; 1 jar (24 ounces) spaghetti sauce; 2 large eggs, beaten; 15 ounces ricotta cheese; 2-1/2 cups shredded mozzarella cheese, divided; 1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese; Crushed red pepper flakes and dried basil, optional

Easy Ziti Bake

Z is for Ziti!

This year I'm participating in a bi-weekly challenge with some blogging friends to post recipes using all of the letters in the alphabet. It can feature a food that begins with the letter of the week or the recipe name can contain the week's letter.

I'm wrapping up with Easy Ziti Bake from Taste of Home. The hardest part of the whole dish was actually getting the ziti! First my grocery pickup substituted rigatoni. My husband nicely offered to pick some up and came home with more rigatoni. Third time was the charm!

The original recipe called for two pounds of ground beef but I used one pound and a pound of ground mild Italian sausage. I browned them in the same skillet and then drained them.

You can use homemade sauce if you like but in keeping with the "easy" theme I used store bought. We are Ragu fans, for this I used a chunky sauce that already contains herbs and garlic. If yours doesn't, add 1 teaspoon of Italian seasoning or to taste.

I prefer whole milk ricotta over skim. If you aren't a ricotta fan you can use cottage cheese. I added a bit of Italian seasoning and mixed it with eggs, parmesan and mozzarella cheese. Stir in the drained ziti until well combined.

Add about a third of the meat sauce to the bottom of a 13x9 baking dish. Top with half of the pasta mixture. Repeat again and then top with the meat sauce (didn't get a pic, you get the gist). Cover and bake it for 40 minutes or until it's 160 degrees.

Top with more of the mozzarella cheese and bake it uncovered for about 5 to 10 minutes more or until the cheese is melted. Remove from the oven and sprinkle with basil, if desired. Let it stand for about 15 minutes so everything can come together.

Look at those beautiful layers! We're fans of carbs so I'd serve this with some kind of bread or Italian Herb muffins. A simply dressed green salad would be nice as well. I added a sprinkle of crushed red pepper flakes to my serving and it was perfect.

Thank you again to Wendy for hosting the 2024 Alphabet Challenge and to the other bloggers for sharing their recipes this year! Check them out using the links down below! You can see all of the recipes I've made for the challenge here- Alphabet Challenge 2024.

Easy Ziti Bake

Ingredients

12 ounces uncooked ziti or small tube pasta
1 pound 80% ground beef
1 pound mild Italian sausage
2 teaspoons dried Italian seasoning, divided
1 jar (24 ounces) spaghetti sauce
2 large eggs, beaten
15 ounces ricotta cheese
2-1/2 cups shredded mozzarella cheese, divided
1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese
Crushed red pepper flakes and dried basil, optional

Instructions

Cook pasta according to package directions, drain and set aside.
Meanwhile, preheat oven to 350°. In a large skillet, cook ground beef and Italian sausage over medium heat until no longer pink; drain. Stir in spaghetti sauce and 1 teaspoon Italian seasoning.
In a large bowl, combine eggs, ricotta cheese, 1 teaspoon Italian seasoning, 1-1/2 cups mozzarella cheese and the Parmesan cheese. Add to cheese mixture and stir until blended.
Spoon a third of the meat sauce into a greased 13x9-in. baking dish; top with half of the pasta mixture. Repeat layers. Top with remaining meat sauce.
Cover and bake 40 minutes or until a thermometer reads 160°. Uncover; sprinkle with remaining mozzarella cheese. Bake 5-10 minutes longer or until cheese is melted. Let stand 15 minutes before serving.

Notes

Source: https://www.tasteofhome.com/recipes/easy-ziti-bake/

Freezing uncooked baked ziti: To freeze uncooked baked ziti, follow the recipe through step 4 (just before baking). Wrap the baking dish tightly in a double-layer of foil. Freeze for up to three months. To cook, thaw overnight in the fridge. Once thawed completely, bake, covered at 350° for an hour, then remove the cover and bake for an additional 15 minutes or until the cheese is lightly browned and bubbling.

Freezing cooked baked ziti: To freeze cooked baked ziti, first allow the ziti to cool completely. Cover tightly with a double-layer of foil and freeze for up to three months. Pre-cooked baked ziti can be reheated from frozen—just pull the ziti out of the freezer while the oven preheats to let the dish warm up before putting it in the hot oven. Then, bake, covered, at 350° for an hour and 15 minutes. Remove the cover and bake for an additional 15 minutes or until the cheese is bubbly.