Baked Ziti

Garlic. Tomato Sauce. Pasta. Crusty bread. Italian food rocks! Its probably my favorite type of food, which in a way kind of stinks since Jeremy doesn't care for tomatoes or tomato sauce (but he loves ketchup..go figure!). He will amuse me every once in awhile though and eat spaghetti or lasagna. When I asked him if he thought he would like this baked ziti from Cook like a Champion and he said, "Sure, go ahead and make it!" I was thrilled! I think the only reason why is because its full of cheese too, which he loves. Anyway, this ziti is awesome! Its so super simple, but full of flavor. We served it with garlic Texas toast for a very filling meal!



Original Source: Everyday Food

Ingredients
Coarse salt and ground pepper
8 ounces ziti rigate (ridged) or other short pasta
1 cup part-skim ricotta
1 large egg, lightly beaten
3/4 cup finely grated Parmesan
1 cup shredded part-skim mozzarella
1 jar (24 to 26 ounces) best-quality tomato sauce (about 3 1/2 cups)

*note: I also add about 1-2 tsp of dried parsley to the cheese/egg mixture*

Preheat oven to 450°.

Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Cook pasta until al dente, according to package instructions; drain and reserve. In a small bowl, combine ricotta, egg, 1/4 cup Parmesan, and half the mozzarella; season with salt and pepper. In the bottom of a shallow 2-quart casserole dish, spread half the tomato sauce. Top with ziti, then ricotta mixture and remaining sauce. Sprinkle with remaining 1/2 cup Parmesan and remaining mozzarella. Place casserole on a rimmed baking sheet, and bake until top is browned and sauce is bubbling, 20 to 25 minutes.