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Cheesy and Meaty Baked Pasta Recipe
October 8, 2020
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Cheesy and meaty. Do I really need to go any further? My comfort pasta dish is a weekly indulgence of mine. I've found the most important quality is getting the proportions right.
How much meat should you use? How much cheese? How much spice?
Yes, it seems simple, but don't be so easily deceived. Getting these variables right can mean the difference between good and seriously phenomenal.
We think we hit it right on the head.
Here's our meaty, cheesy baked pasta recipe.
Enjoy!
Table of Contents
Ingredients
- 1 bag uncooked ziti pasta (12 oz)
- 1 pound ground beef or Italian sausage (450 g)
- 14 oz. ricotta cheese (400 g) (cannot use frozen ricotta cheese)
- 1 yellow onion, diced
- 1 egg
- 3 teaspoons garlic, minced
- ½ teaspoon salt
- ½ teaspoon freshly ground pepper
- 1 teaspoon oregano, dried
- 2 jars spaghetti sauce (700 g) Stay away from overly sweet spaghetti sauce.
- 1 package Italian cheese blend
Steps
1) Grease a large 12x12 baking dish (or something similar). Preheat your oven to 350°F(175°C).
2) First you will cook your pasta. Fill a large pot with water; lightly salt. Once boiling, stir in your dry pasta, return to a boil, and cook around 7 minutes (until pasta is cooked through but still firm). Drain in a colander and set aside.
3)Heat a large pan over medium heat, add your ground beef or sausage, and cook until browned. Drain any excess fat, and set aside. (If your sausage is in a casing, squeeze it out of the casing and only cook the innards).
4)In a large bowl, mix together the onion, egg, ricotta cheese, garlic, and oregano. Add the cooked pasta, the cooked meat, ½ cup of spaghetti sauce, salt and pepper, and mix until everything is well-incorporated.
5) In your prepared baking dish, start with a layer of spaghetti sauce, using about a ½ cup. Next layer will be half of your pasta & meat mixture. Spread everything out evenly until adding your next layer.
6)Continue layering with ½ of your shredded cheese, then the remaining pasta comes next. Add another ½ cup of spaghetti sauce, and then the remaining cheese.
7) Cover your dish tightly with aluminum foil and bake in the preheated oven for 20 minutes. After this time, remove the aluminum foil, and cook for 10-20 minutes, until all cheese is completely melted.
Let your dish cool for 10 minutes before serving. Enjoy with a green salad and a nice glass of red wine.
Cheesy and Meaty Baked Pasta Recipe
A fatty, filling pasta dish that contains the perfect proportion of meat, cheese and spice.
Print Recipe Pin Recipe
Prep Time 10 minutes mins
Cook Time 45 minutes mins
Total Time 55 minutes mins
Course Main Course
Cuisine American
Servings 3 People
Equipment
12x12 Baking dish
Large pot
Medium-Large pan
Medium-Large Bowl
Ingredients
- 1 Bag Ziti pasta (12 oz) Uncooked
- 1 Lb Ground beef
- 12 oz Ricotta cheese
- 1 Yellow onion Diced
- 1 Egg
- 3 tsp Garlic Minced
- 1/2 tsp Salt
- 1/2 tsp Freshly ground pepper
- 1 tsp Oregano Dried
- 2 Jars Spaghetti sauce (700g)
- 1 Package Italian cheese blend
Instructions
Grease a large 12x12 baking dish (or something similar). Preheat your oven to350°F(175°C).
First you will cook your pasta. Fill a large pot with water; lightly salt. Once boiling, stir in yourdry pasta, return to a boil, and cook around7 minutes(until pasta is cooked through but still firm). Drain in a colander and set aside.
Heat a large pan over medium heat, add yourground beef or sausage, and cook until browned. Drainy any excess fat, and set aside.(If your sausage is in a casing, squeeze it out of the casing and only cook the innards)
In a large bowl, mix together the onion, egg, ricotta cheese, garlic, and oregano. Add the cooked pasta, the cooked meat, ½ cup of spaghetti sauce, salt and pepper, and mix until everything is well-incorporated
In your prepared baking dish, start with a layer of spaghetti sauce, using about a ½ cup. Next layer will be half of your pasta & meat mixture. Spread everything out evenly until adding your next layer.
Continue layering with½ of your shredded cheese, then theremaining pastacomes next. Add another½ cup of spaghetti sauce, and then theremaining cheese
Cover your dish tightly withaluminum foil, and bake in the preheated oven for 20 minutes. After this time, remove the aluminum foil, and cook for10-15 minutes, until all cheese is completely melted.
(Let your dishcool for 10 minutesbefore serving. Enjoy with a green salad and a nice glass of red wine.)
Keyword Baked Pasta Recipe, baked ziti pasta
Concluding
We hope this delicious pasta dish was to your standard. Let us know by leaving a comment below. We'll continue to tweak here and there, but for now, this is our favorite new discovery.
Cheers
Kristina
About the author
Kristina is a world-traveling foodie whose mission is to explore and recreate the most delicious cuisine. While still an avid traveler, Kristina has taken culinary refuge in the great country of the Czech Republic. When she isn't nannying or exploring the beautiful city of Prague, she's sharing her favorite recipes on the web.
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