Baked ziti is my go-to dish. Pot-lucks. Christmas parties. Funerals. If there is an event that I need food for, it's pretty much a sure thing that I will be bringing baked ziti. This is one of those dishes that is completely awesome as leftovers. There are some dishes that just get better the longer it gets to sit with all the spices and flavors sinking into it.
Also, ziti is perfect when you are making a dish for someone else, because it's basically just cheese, tomato sauce and pasta. It's hard to go wrong there. You can spruce this dish up lots of different ways, but here is my version of the recipe. I've been making this for the past eight years and I have finally got it just right.
- One box ziti noodles (16 oz)
- One jar of tomato sauce
- 15 oz ricotta cheese
- One pack of sliced mozarella
- One package of shredded mozzarella
Now, I know you all have your favorites, but I will tell you what I think tastes best after testing all of my ingredients for so many years. I really like getting ziti that has wide openings so that more of the ricotta can get stuffed inside. I used to make my own tomato sauce, but lately I have been using Classico Four-Cheese and it is delicious! It's not too heavy for the dish and doesn't make you feel like your stomach is going to explode after you eat it. I like to get shredded cheese that is a mix of mozzarella and cheddar and I put mozzarella slices on top because I think it just seals everything into the dish and helps the pasta hold everything together.
- Boil pasta
- Mix pasta with ricotta until ricotta is evenly mixed throughout the pasta
- Put half of pasta in the bottom of the dish
- Layer sauce and shredded cheese over pasta
- Put the remaining pasta in dish
- Put remaining sauce over pasta
- Cover pasta and sauce with mozzarella slices
I usually bake this for about 30-45 minutes on 350 degrees. If you really want the flavors to sink in, prepare this dish the night before and let it set in the refrigerator overnight before baking it. I hope y'all enjoy this as much as I do!
