Baked Ziti | simple recipe

There is nothing better than preparing a delicious oven baked pasta
when you have crowd of people in house.
This simple step by step classic baked pasta recipe is great for a weekdays family dinner,
or, family gathering, family picnics, little league games or during the Big Game.

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Ingredients: for 6 servings

12oz ziti, rigatoni, or penne pasta
2 tbsp olive oil
3 garlic cloves minced
1/2 small onion finely chopped
1 (28oz) tomato puree or passata
1 branch of fresh basil
1 cup ricotta cheese
2 cup grated mozzarella cheese
1/4 cup grated parmesan
1 tsp of chopped fresh basil
1 tsp each of salt and pepper
1 tsp of sugar (optional)

Directions:
In a large pot over medium heat,
add olive oil, and onion, cook the onion for 3 minutes,
then, add the garlic and cook 30 seconds longer.
Stir in the crushed tomatoes, or tomato puree,
season with salt pepper and fresh basil,
let simmer 15 to 20 minutes, stirring occasionally.
Meanwhile, bring a large pot of lightly salted water to a boil,
add ziti pasta, and cook halfway through so that it
doesn't overcook during the baking in the oven!
Preheat the oven to 400°F
Then, in a large bowl, mix together half of the tomato sauce,
half of the mozzarella cheese and half of the parmesan, and add the ricotta.
Add the pasta when ready and mix all well.
Place pasta mixture in a 9×13-inch baking dish, top with
the remainder of the tomato sauce, the mozzarella cheese and parmesan,
Bake 20 to 25 minutes in the preheated oven until heated through
and cheese has melted and the top is slightly golden browned.

And Please....For the mozzarella cheese, use whole milk mozzarella
it melts much better and tastes awesome.

Ricotta cheese is the traditional addition to baked ziti, but if you want more than just pasta and cheese replace the tomato sauce with meat sauce or, add cooked meatballs on top or Italian cooked sausages and bake all in one baking sheet.
Or add fried eggplant or, like Italians do, add fried zucchini.
Also, you can replace the ricotta with bechamel sauce.

To prepare ahead:
Follow the first few steps , then cover and refrigerate, up to 10 hours or overnight. When ready to bake, remove from the refrigerator and let sit at room temperature for 30 minutes while the oven preheats. Bake as directed.