Ground Turkey Baked Ziti

Submitted by KIMMIE KOO

"Delicious dish your guests will surely enjoy. Best when served with freshly baked bread and a fresh toss salad."

 

• Ready In: 1hr
• Ingredients: 11
• Yields: 1 9x13 pan
• Serves: 8

ingredients

• 1 lb ziti pasta (slightly undercooked)
• 1 lb cooked ground turkey or 1 lb ground beef
• 26 ounces favorite spaghetti sauce, divided
• 1 (15 ounce) can diced tomatoes
• 8 ounces part-skim ricotta cheese
• 1 teaspoon garlic salt
• 1 teaspoon oregano
• 1 teaspoon parsley
• 1 teaspoon onion powder
• 1 teaspoon ground black pepper
• 12 ounces mozzarella cheese

directions

1. Preheat oven to 375°F.
2. In a large mixing bowl, blend the ricotta cheese and seasonings until thoroughly mixed.
3. Stir in the diced tomatoes, meat, and half of your sauce. Add the ziti, and stir until all the pasta is coated.
4. Spread half of remaining sauce on bottom of a 9x13 baking pan. Place your ziti mixture on top of it. Spread remaining sauce over the top. Sprinkle your mozzarella on top of the sauce.
5. Cover with aluminum foil and bake for 45 minutes. For a crisper top remove the aluminum foil and place under your broiler for the last 10 minutes of baking time.

Reviews

[Jessica W.]

My husband is a VERY finicky eater, and he had 2 helpings of this! I couldn't be more pleased. I used a 5 cheese sauce in a jar and it was great. Oh, also I used 3/4 bag of small-medium shells, since I didn't have any ziti on hand. I didn't have onion powder, but ground up some dried minced onion and added a little more salt. The other folks aren't kidding, this makes a LOT. It was just my husband and I and we ate 3/4 of 1 "row" from the pan. It's bigger than a 9x13 pan too. So needless to say there is a TON left over. I may consider freezing this....

 

[Bartmas]

I made this and sent it off with my husband to work. It was a huge hit with everyone. Everyone thought it was a tasty dish. I used Napa Valley Creamy Marinara sauce with mine. Thanks for an easy tasty recipe.

 

[Marg (CaymanDesigns)]

Much easier to make than lasagna with a similar taste. I served it with Caesar salad and sour dough bread. It makes a LOT! After feeding my family of four, I still had 5 servings of leftovers. My family thought it might be better made with twisty noodles, but then it wouldn't be baked "ziti" now would it??

 

[brandtcp]

I made this for a church function and everyone loved it. I doubled the receipe making two trays and added a little more ground beef and i/2 onion instead of powder onion for more taste. I also added an extra jar of sauce. I like the tip of putting extra on the bottom of the pans. I still cant believe how tasty they were. I am sending the receipe to my sister in Ireland along with the name of the website so she can try them herself. yum yum!!!

 

[quixoposto]

I used a spicy pasta sauce that really zinged this. Easy and flavorful.