Baked Ziti with Meat Sauce #ItalianFood

I'm back with yet another pasta dish.  You all know how much I adore pasta.  Not only is it easy to make but it's filling and I love it.  One of my all time favorite pasta dishes is Baked Ziti.   I like it because the flavors really come out when you bake them in the oven.

Usually when I make baked ziti it's simply pasta, sauce, and cheese.  Sometimes I'll add in a bit of ricotta cheese as well to make it a little bit fancier.   It's perfect for a vegetarian meal whenever I'm in a pinch.

However, sometimes I want to make it a bit heartier so I add in some vegetables and ground beef.  It only takes a few extra minutes to make this version and it's really tasty.  The vegetables are sauteed together in a little bit of olive oil and then added to the ground beef.

After everything is mixed with the pasta I mix in some mozzarella cheese in the pasta and top it off with cheese as well.  It all bakes in the oven until it's bubbly and delicious.  This is one of my favorite easy weeknight meals and it's a great way to sneak in some vegetables when you are feeding the kids!

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Baked Ziti with Meat Sauce

Yield: serves 8

Prep Time: 15 minutes

Cook Time: 30 minutes

Total Time: 45 minutes

Baked pasta mixed with vegetables, ground beef, and cheese.

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Ingredients

• 1 lb. ziti or penne
• 1 lb Certified Angus Beef brand Ground Beef
• 1 Tablespoon Italian Seasoning
• 1 Tablespoon olive oil
• ½ onion, chopped
• 4 garlic cloves, minced
• 1 bell pepper, chopped
• 2 jars marinara sauce
• 1 c. sour cream
• 2 c. mozzarella cheese, shredded

Instructions

1. Preheat the oven to 375 degrees. Spray a 9 x 13 baking dish with cooking spray.
2. Cook the pasta according to the package directions. Drain and place in the baking dish.
3. Heat the ground beef in a large skillet over medium heat. Cook for 5-7 minutes or until the beef has browned. Stir in the Italian Seasoning and then drain any excess fat.
4. Add the olive oil to the beef along with the onions, garlic, and pepper. Saute for 5 minutes or until the vegetables begin to soften.
5. Add the marinara to the skillet and cook for 5 minutes.
6. Pour the beef and vegetable mixture into the pan with the pasta. Add the sour cream and 1 cup of mozzarella cheese and mix until well combined.
7. Sprinkle the remaining cheese over the top of the dish. Bake for 20 minutes.
8. Turn the oven to broil and broil on high for 1-2 minutes or until the cheese is golden brown.

Notes

A Hezzi-D Original recipe

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