This is one I’m pretty proud of, because I figured it out all by myself. I love good baked ziti at Italian restaurants, but I couldn’t ever find a recipe that looked like what I was eating. So after some experimentation, this is what I came up with. And even my toddler will eat it – once we convinced her to try it even though the noodles were not shaped like spaghetti noodles!
12 ounces penne pasta
8 oz ricotta cheese (sometimes I use a little more)
1/4 cup grated parmesan
1/8 teaspoon each: ground nutmeg, black pepper, and garlic powder
liberal dash of each: ground thyme, dried oregano, onion powder, and cajun seasoning (cajun is optional)
3/4 tsp seasoned salt
1 1/2 cups shredded mozarella cheese
1 large can of your favorite spaghetti sauce
Cook the pasta as directed. Heat the oven to 350 degrees. Mix the ricotta, spices, and parmesan in a medium sized bowl. Start with a thin layer of tomato sauce in the bottom of an 8×8″ glass baking dish. Next, put down a layer of half your cooked noodles. Spread half the ricotta mix on top, sprinkle liberally with half the mozarella, and top with a layer of tomato sauce. Make sure you get the sauce into the edges of the pan, so the noodles on the side don’t dry out. Make your second layer in the same order; pasta, ricotta, mozarella, and sauce. Layer plenty of sauce on the top, again to keep your noodles from drying out. Bake for about 40 minutes, until cheese is gooey in the middle.
Makes about 6-8 servings, depending on how much you eat!
This is really good with any kind of garlic bread or even just toast on the side, as well as green veggies to round out the meal.
