Baked Ziti With Crunchy Italian Salad And Garlic Bread Recipes

BAKED ZITI WITH CRUNCHY ITALIAN SALAD AND GARLIC BREAD

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 450 degrees. Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Cook pasta until al dente, according to package instructions; drain and reserve.
• In a small bowl, combine ricotta, egg, 1/4 cup Parmesan, and half the mozzarella; season with salt and pepper.
• In the bottom of a shallow 2-quart casserole dish, spread half the tomato sauce. Top with ziti, then ricotta mixture and remaining sauce. Sprinkle with remaining 1/2 cup Parmesan and remaining mozzarella. Place casserole on a rimmed baking sheet, and bake until top is browned and sauce is bubbling, 20 to 25 minutes.
• Meanwhile, prepare garlic bread: Make deep, even cuts into the bread, about 1/2 inch apart, without cutting through the bottom. In a small bowl, combine butter and garlic; season with salt and pepper. Brush garlic butter between cuts in bread. Wrap bread loosely in aluminum foil, and bake with ziti during last 10 minutes of baking.
• In a large bowl, whisk together vinegar and oil; season with salt and pepper. Add endive and arugula, and toss to coat. Serve baked ziti with salad and garlic bread.

ITALIAN BAKED ZITI

Steps:

• In a large saucepan, cook beef and onion over medium heat until meat is no longer pink. Add garlic; cook 1 minute longer. Drain. , Stir in the spaghetti sauce, tomatoes, tomato paste, water, parsley, Worcestershire sauce, basil and 1/2 teaspoon oregano. Cover and simmer for 3 hours, stirring occasionally. , Cook pasta according to package directions; drain. In a large bowl, combine the ricotta, mozzarella, 2 tablespoons Parmesan, egg, salt and pepper., Spread 1 cup meat sauce into a greased 13x9-in. baking dish. Layer with half of the pasta, a third of the meat sauce and half of the cheese mixture. Repeat layers. Top with remaining sauce. Sprinkle with remaining Parmesan and oregano. , Cover and bake at 350° for 1 hour or until heated through.

VEGETARIAN ITALIAN BAKED ZITI

Steps:

• Heat olive oil in a 12-inch skillet over medium-high heat. Add mushrooms, onion, bell pepper, celery, and garlic; saute until tender, 5 to 7 minutes. Stir in spaghetti sauce, tomatoes, parsley, 1 teaspoon oregano, and basil. Cover, reduce heat, and simmer for 2 hours.
• Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Oil a 9x13-inch baking pan.
• Just before the sauce is finished, bring a large pot of lightly salted water to a boil. Add ziti and cook, stirring occasionally, until tender yet firm to the bite, about 11 minutes. Drain.
• Combine cottage cheese, mozzarella cheese, 1/2 of the Parmesan substitute, egg, salt, and pepper in a bowl. Mix remaining Parmesan substitute and 1/2 teaspoon oregano in another small bowl.
• Spread 1 cup sauce in the bottom of the prepared pan. Layer 1/3 cup ziti, 1 cup sauce, and 1/3 cottage cheese mixture; repeat layers twice more. Top with any remaining sauce, then sprinkle with oregano-Parmesan blend.
• Cover with foil and bake in the preheated oven until bubbly, about 1 hour.

OTORO'S ULTIMATE BAKED ZITI

Steps:

• To make the sauce: heat 2 tablespoons olive oil over medium-high heat in a 5 quart pot. Add onions and mushrooms, season with salt and pepper and cook 3-5 minutes.
• Add garlic (reserve 1 teaspoon) and ground round and season with salt and pepper, continue to cook until meat is cooked through. Drain off excess fat if desired.
• Add all your tomato products, wine, parsley stems and bay leaf. Bring to a boil then turn down to simmer. Taste the sauce, if it seems too sour add a bit of sugar. Stir occasionally.
• To make the meatballs: in a nonreactive bowl mix the remaining pound of meat with 2 T. parsley, breadcrumbs, 2 eggs, 1 t. garlic, 1/2 cup Parmesan/Romano cheese, 1 t. salt, pepper to taste, and 2 T. olive oil.
• Shape into balls about the size of a cherry tomato, brown in a skillet with a little bit of olive oil. Drain on paper towels. They don't need to be cooked through, they will finish cooking in the sauce.
• Add the meatballs to the sauce along with the remaining herbs, simmer 30-45 minutes longer.
• Cook the ziti in boiling water slightly firmer than al dente. Drain.
• In the pasta cooking pot, add the pasta along with several ladles of sauce, meatballs, half the remaining Parmesan and half the mozzarella, stir to combine.
• Mix the ricotta with the egg until smooth.
• In a large baking dish, add a couple ladles of sauce to the bottom of the dish. Add half the pasta mixture, then spread all the ricotta in one even layer. Then a layer of mozzarella and Parmesan. Repeat with remaining pasta, then cheeses. I usually have a little pasta left that won't fit in the dish so don't worry, it makes a nice little snack while you wait.
• Cover with foil and bake at 350ºF for 45 minutes, then uncovered for an additional 15-30 minutes until bubbly.
• Let sit 10 minutes before serving with a big spoon. Bon Appetito.

NICOLE'S BEST BAKED ZITI

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F (190 degrees C). Lightly grease a 9x13-inch baking dish.
• Bring a large pot of water to a boil. Add 1 tablespoon kosher salt to the boiling water and stir in pasta. Cook until just about tender to the bite, about 8 minutes (or 1 to 2 minutes less than package instructions).
• At the same time, heat a large, deep skillet or saucepan over medium-high heat. Add sausage and beef and cook, crumbling with the back of a spoon, until browned, about 5 minutes. Add onion, garlic, 3/4 teaspoon salt, 1/2 teaspoon pepper, and pepper flakes; cook until onion is translucent and softened, 3 to 5 minutes.
• Drain pasta and return to the pot. Add about 1/2 cup marinara; toss to coat and let sit until needed.
• Add remaining marinara sauce to the browned meat mixture. Pour 1/4 cup water into each jar, shake to release any leftover sauce in the jar, and pour into the skillet. Stir and bring to a simmer. Reduce heat to medium-low and cook, stirring occasionally, for 10 minutes.
• Stir ricotta cheese, 1/2 cup Parmesan cheese, egg, parsley, basil, and remaining 1/4 teaspoon each salt and pepper together in a bowl.
• Add 2 cups meat sauce to the pasta; toss to coat.
• Spread 1/2 cup meat sauce into the bottom of the prepared baking dish. Add ½ of the pasta mixture and top with 2 cups meat sauce. Lightly dollop and spread ricotta mixture over the top and sprinkle evenly with 1 1/2 cups mozzarella cheese. Add remaining pasta mixture, remaining meat sauce, and remaining mozzarella on top. Sprinkle evenly with remaining 1/4 cup Parmesan.
• Bake in the preheated oven until golden and bubbly, 25 to 30 minutes. Let stand 10 minutes before serving.

ITALIAN BAKED ZITI (AUTHENTIC)

Steps:

• Add tomato sauce,rosemary,oregano,chili peppers,sugar and basil to a pot.
• Bring to boil and simmer one hour. Remove chili peppers.
• Cook pasta to al dente (little chewy). You don't want to overcook it as it cooks in the baking also.
• Remove sausage from casing and cook in 1/2 cup olive oil over medium high till browned.
• Add cooked sausage and all the oil (don't drain)to the tomato sauce and mix.
• Add cooked pasta into a 9x13 baking pan.
• Add the sausage and sauce over top and toss.
• Add parmesan on top and then cover with shredded mozzarella.
• Cover with foil and bake 30 minutes at 350°F (put toothpicks so cheese doesn't stick).
• Remover foil and continue to bake 10 minutes (watch cheese so it doesn't burn).
• Remove from oven and let set 10 minutes before serving to allow it to set.