Baked Ziti

Here is another One Dish Wonder. I don't know what it is about this I like so much, maybe the fact that it is super easy, only has a few ingredients, and tastes great. Probably not the most healthy meal, I justify this because I made this after my very first time Cross Country Skiing, I deserve this! I didn't have a huge portion either. 

Yes, the picture is Horrid.

I am off bread... for the time being and I was being lazy, so there was no other side. I thought slightly about making a salad, that is all it was... a thought. 

I will put the recipe below.... but need to say, I never seem to make anything as the recipe says... I think its an illness. This calls for 1/3 lb ground beef... um excuse me, please, who has 1/3 lb of ground beef? I buy ground beef in bulk generally, so I had them frozen in 1 lb baggies..... therefore, I used a pound.... in a sense I kind of trippled the recipe... 

What I mean by I kind of...... I couldn't get the lids of Ryan's spices... the part with the holes... it hurts my nails and they are quite difficult to remove, therefore, I just kept the lids on and dumped in what I thought looked reasonable. This makes me feel like I know what I am doing.... like I am that good at cooking. :)

Again, this is another recipe that has diced tomatoes. Ryan took it upon himself to 'puree' the tomatoes while in the pan. Using our hand held blender.... interesting, I know. 

(Yes, I have made the recipe from the original, it still tastes great)

Beef Baked Ziti

Serves 8

12 oz uncooked ziti pasta

2 tsbp olive oil

2 minced cloves garlic

1/3 lb lean ground beef

1 tsp dried oregano (I add more)

1 tsp dried thyme (add more)

1 tsp dried rosemary (again, add more)

1/2 tsp black pepper

salt, to taste

28 oz canned crushed tomatoes

1 C shredded mozzarella cheese

Preheat oven to 350

Cook pasta according to package, drain, set aside.

Heat oil in sauce pan over medium heat; add garlic & saute 2 minutes. Add beef, cook until browned; drain fat, set back on heat.

Add oregano, thyme, rosemary S&P stir well. Cook until herbs fragrant (~2 min) Add tomatoes, bring to a boil, reduce heat and simmer for 5 minutes. 

Spoon a small amount of mixture into the bottom of a 4 qt casserole dish-- just enough to cover the surface. Top with 1/2 the ziti, next layer with 1/2 of remaining beef mixture and 1/2 mozzarella. Layer again topping with cheese. Bake until cheese is golden and bubbly- about 30 minutes.