Baked Ziti

Ingredients

• 6 cups uncooked ziti pasta
• 3 1/2 cups spaghetti sauce, divided
• 2 cups ricotta cheese
• 2 cups shredded mozzarella cheese
• 1/4 cup fresh parsley, chopped
• 1 egg, slightly beaten
• 1 teaspoon dried oregano
• 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
• 1/4 teaspoon black pepper
• 1 tablespoon parmesan cheese, grated

Directions

1. 1

   Cook ziti for 10 minutes in a large pot of boiling, salted water; drain.

2. 2

   In a large bowl, mix cooked ziti, 1 1/2 c of spaghetti sauce, ricotta cheese, mozzarella cheese, parsley, egg, oregano, garlic powder, and pepper.

3. 3

   In a 3 quart casserole dish, pour 1/2 cup of spaghetti sauce to coat the bottom of the dish.

4. 4

   Spread ziti mixture evenly over the sauce.

5. 5

   Top with remaining spaghetti sauce.

6. 6

   Sprinkle with Parmesan cheese. (you can cover and freeze for later at this point).

7. 7

   Bake covered at 375 degrees for 30-35 minutes fresh, or around 1 hour if frozen, until hot and bubbly, and hot in the center.

8. 8

   Note: you may add 1 lb of cooked and drained ground beef in with the ziti mixture if you would like. You will need to add a little more sauce to the mixture if you add ground beef.