I’m all about quick meals I can fix for my family that are tasty. With two little ones, I need things with a low amount of ingredients and something a picky two year old will like. So, here is the best tasting quick baked ziti I know how to fix. Feel free to throw in cooked stripes of chicken or cooked ground beef for a heartier dinner. Personally, after watching “Fast Food Nation” I think it’ll be a while before I eat meat again.

This is what you’ll need:
One box of Ziti pasta
1 jar of your favorite spaghetti sauce
mozzarella cheese
parmesan cheese
8oz ricotta cheese

Preheat your oven to 350 degrees

Boil a big pot of water. Also, ignore the fact that we’ve begun painting our kitchen. Err, I started it and then halfway died of a serious cold, so it’s all ghetto right now.

Add the pasta to the boiling water. Feel free to sprinkle a little salt in as well.

In a very large mixing bowl add the ricotta cheese

Then add the spaghetti sauce.

Add about a hand full of mozzarella cheese

After the pasta cooks about ten minutes, drain it, and also reserving 1/2 cup of the pasta water.

Add pasta to the mixing bowl

Add 1/2 cup of reserved pasta water to bowl & mix.

And make sure your husband plays with the light filter on your camera so all your pictures come out shoddy.

Spread mixture into a 9x 13 dish sprayed with cooking spray. *Or you can use two 9×9 dishes and freeze one*

Cover with more mozzarella cheese.

J likes loads & loads of cheese.

Then sprinkle with a few tablespoons of parmesan cheese.

Cover with foil. It honestly doesn’t have to be perfect.

Pop it in the oven. I should honestly clean the oven if I’m going to take pictures of the inside!

Set your timer

After the timer beeps, uncover the ziti

Add the cheaters bread (2 for $3.00 at kroger)

And bake for 10-12 minutes more (which basically means 11 minutes)

Poor hungry family

Take it out of the oven and you have the easiest baked ziti ever!

Your family will be pleased!

(please stop staring at the oh so messy laundry “room”)

Easy Baked Ziti

1 pkg. (16 oz.) ziti pasta
1 jar (26 oz.) spaghetti sauce
1 container (15 oz.)  Ricotta Cheese
1 pkg. (8 oz.) Shredded Mozzarella Cheese, divided
1/4 cup  100% Grated Parmesan Cheese

PREHEAT oven to 350°F. Cook pasta as directed on package. Drain pasta, reserving 1/2 cup of the pasta cooking water.

MIX spaghetti sauce, ricotta cheese and reserved 1/2 cup pasta cooking water in large bowl. Add pasta and 1/2 cup of the mozzarella cheese; mix lightly. Spoon into 13×9-inch baking dish sprayed with cooking spray; sprinkle with remaining mozzarella cheese and the Parmesan cheese. Cover.

BAKE 30 min.; uncover. Bake an additional 10 min. or until heated through.

Posted: 02|9|08 at 9:16 pm. Filed under: Photo Cooking.
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