Baked Ziti

Well this one was easy...Kevin wanted baked ziti and I offered to make it because I'm off this week. So we got all the ingredients and I went to it. It was pretty easy, but the tricky part was timing each part so they were all ready to blend together at the right time. My suggestion is start with the cheese mix, then start the pasta, and end with the onion mixture. :-)

Ingredients

• 1 pound ziti, rigatoni, or penne
• 1 medium onion, chopped
• 2 garlic cloves, minced
• 1 14 ounce can whole tomatoes
• 1 cup ricotta cheese
• 3 cups mozzarella cheese, shredded
• 1/4 cup Parmesan cheese, grated
• 1/3 cup parsley, chopped
• 1/2 Tbs dried basil (or 1/4 cup fresh, shredded)
• 1/2 Tbs dried oregano
• black pepper, freshly ground
• 1/4 tsp red pepper flakes
• 1/4 tsp salt
• 1/4 olive oil
• 1/4 cup bread crumbs

Directions

1. Cook the ziti to just before al dente.
2. Coat a 9'x12" baking dish with olive oil. Set aside.
3. In a skillet, heat the remaining olive oil over medium-high heat. Cook the onion until translucent.
4. Add the garlic and cook for 1 minute. Don't let the garlic brown.
5. Crush the tomatoes with your hands and add to the skillet. Add in the juice from the can.
6. Cook for 3-5 minutes.
7. In a large bowl mix the ricotta and mozzarella cheeses.
8. Add the parsley, basil, oregano, salt, red pepper, a few grinds of pepper, and mix.
9. Add the tomato-onion mixture and mix well.
10. When the ziti is drained add to the cheese mixture and toss well to coat the pasta.
11. Spoon the mixture into the baking dish.
12. Sprinkle the bread crumbs and Parmesan cheese on top of the pasta.
13. Bake at 400F for 20-30 minutes, or until lightly browned.
14. Allow to rest for 5 minutes before serving.

Source: http://www.bellaonline.com/articles/art30665.asp