Baked Ziti With Thick Rich Meat Sauce

Rita~'s Note:

This does make enough to feed 12 very fillingly! Using Rich Thick Meat Sauce for a Crowd! which is a large amount that we top the baked ziti additional sauce and then freeze the remaining cooled sauce in 1 cup amounts for future use. The pasta is under cooked by 4 minutes it will finish when baked and it will absorb the liquid from the sauce making it yummier. This is very hearty, comforting, and satisfying because Mom's will know their families are getting many nutrients that they need.

• Total Time: 1 hrs
• Prep Time: 30 mins
• Cook Time: 30 mins

Ingredients:

Servings: 12

• 5 -6 cups pasta sauce with meat (Rich Thick Meat Sauce for a Crowd!)
• 1 lb ziti pasta or 1 lb penne pasta, under cooked

Cheese Filling

• 3 cups ricotta cheese
• 2 cups shredded mozzarella cheese
• 1/4 cup grated parmesan cheese
• 1 egg, slightly mix
• 1 tablespoon dried parsley
• 1/2 teaspoon black pepper

Topping

• 1 cup mozzarella cheese, shredded
• 1/4 cup grated parmesan cheese

Directions:

1. Prepare sauce and keep under a low flame.
2. Preheat oven to 350.
3. Mix the cheese mixture together.
4. Mix pasta with 1/3 - 1/2 of the cheese mixture till creamy and gooey.
5. Place 1 1/2 cups sauce in bottom of a 10x13 casserole dish.
6. Top with 1/2 of the pasta.
7. Spread the remaining cheese on the pasta.
8. Top with 2-3 cups of the meat sauce.
9. Top with remaining pasta; 1 cup sauce; 1 cup mozzarella; then top with grated cheese.
10. Bake for 30 minutes. Placing foil on the rack below to catch any spillage that may occur for this is packed with goodness.
11. Meanwhile let the sauce keep simmering to use if desired on top of the baked ziti.

Reviews

[alelbryant777]

This was amazing! I made some minor changes but I'm sure it would have been great following the original recipe. I halfed the recipe and mixed a homemade red wine marinara sauce with half a pound of ground turkey instead of using the meat sauce this called for. I used a mixture of whole wheat and regular penne, and instead of ricotta I used marscapone cheese and it was super delicious.

[KozMD]

Delicious!! I made this for a party and it fed all of us with plenty of leftovers - which were just a delish as the first time around. I also used whole wheat ziti pasta and the meat sauce recipe recommended.

[YummyNina]

This meal was fantastic! I made my own version of the thick meat sauce. My daughter actually asked to take some left overs for lunch. (she NEVER does that) We all really enjoyed it! Thanks