Delicious Baked Ziti
11-15-2008, 01:51 AM
#1
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Thread Starter
Join Date: Feb 2003
Posts: 0
Delicious Baked Ziti
Ingredients:
- 1lb ground beef (I get ground sirloin from the butcher's case, costs the same as the leanest ground beef)
- one whole yellow onion, diced
- 8 ounces button (common) mushrooms, sliced
- 1 clove fresh garlic, minced
- fresh basil, chopped
- large can/normal plastic container of tomato sauce
- 16 ounce container of ziti
- Mozzarella cheese
- the usual salt/pepper/etc
Start out by browning the ground sirloin/beef in a large pan, drain the excess water/fat. Add garlic, onions, onions, mushrooms. If you can't figure out how to get this far you are ------- stupid.
Open your marinara/sauce of choice:
Mix the sauce into the ground beef mixture - after beef is browned and drained, this is the only pic I had:
Next, chop up some fresh basil. I love fresh basil. It makes the ziti taste fresh, and lends a natural sweetness.
Add the basil to the sauce, let it simmer on low heat:
Now, while the sauce is cooking, let's start the ziti itself. It's important to UNDERCOOK the ziti since it will be spending 25-45 minutes in the oven, most ziti directions say 8 minutes vs the "normal" 10 minute pasta cook time, but I prefer less than that.
Bang bang boogie:
Now, while the ziti simmers, slice up your block of mozzarella into thin slabs, or just use grated. I prefer the slabs as they make everything super cheesy, but I also stole some grated from Hitchhikkr as I am an -------. That's how I roll:
When the ziti is cooked - drain it - and put half of it into a deep baking or casserole dish. Pour half of the sauce on top of it, and layer that with half of the cheese. Put the other half of the ziti on top of this, finish it with the last of the sauce, and then top with the rest of the cheese. It should look like this:
Now, if you are immediately tossing this into the oven go for 325-350 degrees for ~25 minutes, until the cheese is a nice golden brown. I've "prepared" ziti to this stage before + then stuck it into the oven for the kid to cook when she gets hungry; when cold it takes more like 45 minutes for the ziti to cook through. The finished product should look like this:
- 1lb ground beef (I get ground sirloin from the butcher's case, costs the same as the leanest ground beef)
- one whole yellow onion, diced
- 8 ounces button (common) mushrooms, sliced
- 1 clove fresh garlic, minced
- fresh basil, chopped
- large can/normal plastic container of tomato sauce
- 16 ounce container of ziti
- Mozzarella cheese
- the usual salt/pepper/etc
Start out by browning the ground sirloin/beef in a large pan, drain the excess water/fat. Add garlic, onions, onions, mushrooms. If you can't figure out how to get this far you are ------- stupid.
Open your marinara/sauce of choice:
Mix the sauce into the ground beef mixture - after beef is browned and drained, this is the only pic I had:
Next, chop up some fresh basil. I love fresh basil. It makes the ziti taste fresh, and lends a natural sweetness.
Add the basil to the sauce, let it simmer on low heat:
Now, while the sauce is cooking, let's start the ziti itself. It's important to UNDERCOOK the ziti since it will be spending 25-45 minutes in the oven, most ziti directions say 8 minutes vs the "normal" 10 minute pasta cook time, but I prefer less than that.
Bang bang boogie:
Now, while the ziti simmers, slice up your block of mozzarella into thin slabs, or just use grated. I prefer the slabs as they make everything super cheesy, but I also stole some grated from Hitchhikkr as I am an -------. That's how I roll:
When the ziti is cooked - drain it - and put half of it into a deep baking or casserole dish. Pour half of the sauce on top of it, and layer that with half of the cheese. Put the other half of the ziti on top of this, finish it with the last of the sauce, and then top with the rest of the cheese. It should look like this:
Now, if you are immediately tossing this into the oven go for 325-350 degrees for ~25 minutes, until the cheese is a nice golden brown. I've "prepared" ziti to this stage before + then stuck it into the oven for the kid to cook when she gets hungry; when cold it takes more like 45 minutes for the ziti to cook through. The finished product should look like this:
11-15-2008, 02:06 AM
#2
3.0 BAR
Join Date: Jun 2006
Posts: 2,651
Re: Delicious Baked Ziti
Well done Davis. I just made cOmpl3x's pirogie cassy a couple nights ago.
Today I made some chedder, cream cheese, and ricotta cheese.
Now I plan on makeing this the next time I have any guests of any pestiege.
Today I made some chedder, cream cheese, and ricotta cheese.
Now I plan on makeing this the next time I have any guests of any pestiege.
11-15-2008, 02:46 AM
#6
0.0 BAR
Thread Starter
Join Date: Feb 2003
Posts: 0
Re: Delicious Baked Ziti
I suspect it's an east coast American-Italian thing. Ziti is a sliiiightly smaller tube than penne, no ridges on the outside, and straight cut ends instead of angled like American penne - penne in Italy comes in long "quills" that are broken into the familiar lengths by hand before cooking.
I know more about food than I do about cooking, sadly. Do you like wine?
I know more about food than I do about cooking, sadly. Do you like wine?
