Baked Ziti

Another quick meal. Boil the pasta, make a quick red sauce, and mix up the cheese filling. I decided on individual servings instead of a big dish full of baked ziti. A little sauce in the bottom of the dish. Layer the pasta with the cheese, cover with the sauce, sprinkle with chopped up mozzarella and grated parmesan. Bake. Dinner is done.

Sauce

2 teaspoons olive oil
2 cloves garlic, minced
28-ounce can of crushed tomatoes Escalon's 6-in-1 tomatoes are my favorite - I order them by the case
1 tablespoon fresh parsley
1 teaspoon dried basil
1/2 teaspoon dried oregano
1/4 teaspoon celery seed
salt & pepper to taste

Heat oil in saucepan. Add garlic. When garlic is cooked (not browned), add tomatoes. Season sauce with the herbs and salt & pepper. Simmer 10 - 15 minutes.


Cheese Filling

15 ounces whole ricotta
4 ounces mozzarella, shredded or grated
1 egg
1 tablespoon parsley, chopped
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/8 teaspoon pepper

Mix all ingredients together.

Preheat oven to 350 F.

Cook 8 ounces of ziti.

Cover bottom of baking dish(es) with sauce. Layer pasta and cheese filling until dish is full, ending with pasta layer. Spoon sauce over top, sprinkle with additional grated mozzarella and parmesan. Bake 25 - 35 minutes, until cheese is bubbly.