Baked Ziti

INGREDIENTS

• 1 pound ziti noodles (or penne)
• 24 oz marinara sauce
• 1½ pounds ground beef
• 2 cups grated Mozzarella Cheese
• 1½ teaspoon oregano
• salt and pepper

INSTRUCTIONS

1. Cook pasta until it's al dente (do not overcook the pasta)
2. When baking pasta undercooking the pasta for a minute is so much better than overcooking it for a second.
3. While the pasta is cooking, brown the ground beef in a pan until it's thoroughly cooked.
4. In a large bowl place pasta, marinara sauce.
5. Add to it the ground beef, salt, and pepper to taste along with oregano, mix well.
6. In a 13x9 pan create 2 layers of the pasta mixture topping each with a cup of grated Mozzarella Cheese.
7. Cover the baked ziti with non-stick foil, or foil sprayed with oil so it doesn't stick to the cheese.
8. Remove the foil the last 5 minutes of baking.
9. Bake at 350 degrees for 30-45 minutes.
10. (If the pasta, sauce, and meat are hot going into the dish it will only take 15-20 minutes to bake)
11. If the pasta is made a bit ahead of time and has cooled off if the sauce if cold, or room temperature it will take longer to cook 30-45 minutes or until the cheese is melted and when you stick a knife into the center of the dish, the food is hot.

FULL RECIPES

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