Amy's Baked Ziti

Submitted by Aimchick

"Actually I prefer to use cavatelli( double elbows). I love this in the winter but sometimes you just have to have it in the summer too. It seems like a lot of ingredients now that I am writing it down, but so worth it. It may seem strange, but I use the frozen spinach still frozen--makes it easier to cook and doesn't cause a liquid problem!"

 

• Ready In: 1hr 5mins
• Ingredients: 12
• Serves: 8

ingredients

• 1 lb cavatelli (pasta)
• 1 lb lean ground beef
• 3⁄4 cup white onion, diced
• 3 garlic cloves, finely chopped
• 1⁄2 tablespoon olive oil
• 3⁄4 cup frozen chopped spinach, cut in small pieces
• 1 cup shredded part-skim mozzarella cheese
• 2 cups part-skim ricotta cheese
• 1⁄4 cup fresh basil leaf, torn
• 1⁄2 cup fat free feta cheese, crumbled
• 4 cups tomato sauce
• 4 slices sharp provolone cheese (deli)

directions

1. In a large pot, boil the pasta until it is almost cooked, drain and return to pot.
2. In a skillet, sauté onion, garlic and chopped spinach until the onions are tender.
3. Remove from pan.
4. Using the same pan, brown ground beef, drain grease and let stand on a paper towel to drain further.
5. In a medium bowl, combine ricotta, basil and the onion mixture.
6. Combine pasta, tomato sauce, meat, ricotta onion mixture, feta and mozzarella and stir until even.
7. Pour into 2 9x9-inch baking dishes, top with provolone slices and bake at 450° for about 20 minutes.
8. Let stand 10 minutes before serving.