I believe it has been well established that my brothers are the more adventurous culinary wise.
I am a picky eater, and with that obviously comes a limited availability of options as far as food.
But the twins, as I call them, are not so confined. They are willing to try anything within reason, and as such, they have a much wider range of dishes they enjoy.
One such dish they are particularly fond of is baked ziti.
The oldest of the two, though it is only by one minute, discovered he loved the five cheese ziti frozen meals that you find at the grocery store.
However, at $3 or more a box, it adds up quickly.
So, they decided to try their hand at making the dish at home.
They assembled the ingredients and set about bringing the idea to life.
It was a resounding success. They cleaned the pan.
Since then, it has been a staple of supper time at our house.
They even made it this past weekend after a busy day of preparing everything for the upcoming hunting season.
They called it quits and the first thing one said to the other was, “How about ziti for supper?”
The answer was, of course, “Yes!”
That is one of the beauties of this dish. It is incredibly simple, and it requires little preparation on the front end.
Like many pasta dishes, the boiling of the pasta is the main time consuming part.
I cannot speak to the taste of the dish. As I mentioned, I am a picky eater and pasta does not fall into my wheelhouse.
I eat macaroni and cheese, but that is as far as I venture into the pasta world.
I used to eat spaghetti when I was younger, however, as is often the case, my taste changed.
I can no longer stomach the thought of eating the dish.
However, that is neither here nor there.
Ziti is the focus here.
Another pro of the meal is that it can feed several people with little work. Meat can also be added to the dish if so desired, adding another layer of texture and flavor.
With so many people having work, school, etc. it is nice to sit down around the table for a hot meal, especially with the cooler weather soon coming (hopefully).
This dish allows more quality time with less fuss.
BAKED ZITI
24-ounce jar pasta sauce
16-ounce package ziti pasta
1 pound ground beef (optional)
8-ounce package mozzarella cheese
- Boil the pasta and drain.
- Brown the ground beef.
- Mix the pasta with the sauce and meat.
- Pour into a 9-by-13-inch casserole pan.
- Top with the mozzarella cheese.
- Bake at 350 degrees until heated through and the cheese is suitably melted.
- Note: The recipe can be downsized for a smaller serving.
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