Baked Ziti

This recipe makes a ton, great for keeping some for your family while assembling a pan for a family who needs a meal. I usually do 2 13x9s or 1 13×9 and 2 8x8s. You can freeze it as well.

ziti or penne (2 lbs dry)
1.25 lb mild italian sausage, casings removed and crumbled
10 oz mushrooms, sliced (I use baby bella)
1 sweet onion, chopped
2-3 cloves of garlic, minced
2 jars of spaghetti sauce (2 1/2 jars is better if you are going to freeze it.)
1 pound of italian cheese (a combo of sliced provolone and grated mozz. or “italian blend” grated)
1 1/4 c. sour cream
1 1/4 c. ricotta
parmesan cheese

Preheat the oven to 350 and start making the pasta.

Saute onions until translucent in a dutch oven, add sausage and mushrooms and cook until everything is done. Drain sausage grease off. Throw in the garlic and cook another minute. Add spaghetti sauce and simmer 15 minutes or so. Mix together the sour cream and ricotta. Mix the cooked pasta and the sausage-sauce mixture.

Assemble as follows: layer of pasta/sauce, 1/2 cheese (either a layer of sliced provolone or just 1/2 the grated), 1/2 sour cream-ricotta, repeat, then end with a last layer pasta and parm on top. If you have extra pasta, freeze it as “penne with meat sauce” as a quick lunch or dinner sometime when you need it.

The baked ziti needs to bake until everything is melted and warmed through (~30 minutes, more if its straight from the freezer). I bake it mostly covered and then uncovered at the end.