Two Cheese Ziti Recipes

BAKED ZITI II

Steps:

• Bring a large pot of lightly salted water to a boil. Add ziti and cook for 8 to 10 minutes or until al dente; drain and rinse.
• In a medium bowl, mix ziti, ricotta cheese, mozzarella cheese, egg and 1 1/2 cups spaghetti sauce.
• Preheat oven to 375 degrees F (190 degrees C).
• Lightly grease a 9x13 inch baking dish and spoon in ziti mixture. Top with remaining spaghetti sauce, followed by Parmesan cheese.
• Bake in preheated oven for 30 minutes; let stand for 15 minutes before serving.

FIVE-CHEESE ZITI AL FORNO

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 350°. Cook the pasta according to the package directions for al dente; drain., Meanwhile, in a large saucepan, combine the marinara sauce, Alfredo sauce, 1 cup mozzarella and the ricotta, provolone and Romano. Cook over medium heat until sauce begins to simmer and cheeses are melted. Stir in cooked pasta; pour mixture into a greased 13x9-in. baking dish. Top with remaining mozzarella cheese., In a small bowl, stir together Parmesan, bread crumbs, garlic and olive oil; sprinkle over the pasta., Bake, uncovered, until mixture is bubbly and topping is golden brown, 30-40 minutes. Let stand 10 minutes before serving. Garnish with fresh parsley or basil if desired.Freeze option: Cool the unbaked casserole; cover and freeze. To use, partially thaw in the refrigerator overnight. Remove from the refrigerator 30 minutes before baking. Preheat oven to 350°. Cover casserole with foil; bake 50 minutes. Uncover; bake until heated through and a thermometer inserted in center reads 165°, 15-20 minutes longer.

OLIVE GARDEN FIVE-CHEESE ZITI AL FORNO

Steps:

• PREPARE THE ZITI SAUCE:.
• Combining all ingredients for the Ziti Sauce in a large bowl; cover and refrigerate until ready to use.
• PREPARE THE ZITI TOPPING:.
• In a medium-size bowl, whisk together the first four ingredients for the Ziti Topping.
• Add the garlic, oil, and parsley and mix until thoroughly blended. Cover and refrigerate until ready to use.
• WHEN READY TO PREPARE THE WHOLE DISH:.
• Preheat oven to 375 degrees F. Spray a 13-by-9-inch baking dish or large casserole with non-stick spray.
• Prepare the pasta according to package directions.
• Pour 1/2 cup of prepared ziti sauce into the prepared dish, and spread it evenly over the bottom using a spoon.
• When pasta has finished cooking, drain the water and pour the hot pasta into the bowl of remaining sauce. Mix thoroughly; pour into the baking dish.
• Spread 1 cup of shredded mozzarella over the pasta and sauce mixture.
• Top the mozzarella with the prepared Ziti Topping, spreading evenly.
• Place pan on center oven rack and bake until top is golden brown and cheese is bubbling, about 30 to 40 minutes.
• Remove and serve immediately.
• From: Olive Garden Restaurant.

BAKED ZITI RECIPE (WITH RICOTTA)

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 350°F.
• Cook the pasta according to package instructions. Drain and set aside.
• In a skillet, brown the ground beef with the finely chopped onion on medium heat. Mix and break apart the meat with a meat chopper while cooking.
• Once the meat is cooked add in the minced garlic, Italian seasoning, salt, and black pepper and mix until combined.
• Add in the marinara sauce and crushed tomatoes to the meat and bring to a light simmer. Add the pasta into the meat mixture and mix until fully combined.
• In a 9x13 casserole dish add a layer of the pasta mixture and top with half of the ricotta cheese by spreading all over the pasta. Then top with half of the mozzarella cheese and half of the parmesan cheese.
• Repeat again with second layer of the pasta mixture and cheeses.
• Cover the baking sheet with foil and bake at 350°F for 20-25 minutes covered. Remove the foil and bake an additional 10-15 minutes uncovered, until the cheese is bubbly.
• Enjoy.

TWO-CHEESE ZITI

Steps:

• Cook ziti according to package directions. Meanwhile, in a large nonstick skillet, melt butter. Stir in the flour, salt and pepper until smooth; gradually add milk. Bring to a boil; cook and stir for 2 minutes or until thickened. Remove from the heat; stir in cheeses until melted., Drain ziti; add to sauce and stir to coat. Transfer to a shallow 1-1/2-qt. baking dish coated with cooking spray. Cover and bake at 350° for 20 minutes., In a small bowl, combine bread crumbs and butter; stir in cheeses. Sprinkle over ziti. Bake, uncovered, for 5-10 minutes or until heated through and topping is lightly browned.

OLIVE GARDEN FIVE CHEESE ZITI AL FORNO

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 375 degrees.
• Cook the pasta one minute shy of the directions on the box and drain.
• In a large metal bowl add the pasta, marinara sauce, alfredo sauce, ricotta cheese and fontina cheese and mix well.
• Add to a large oven safe skillet or 9x13 pan.
• Mix the mozzarella, panko, romano, parmesan and garlic together and add the topping over the pasta.
• Bake for 30-35 minutes uncovered until golden brown and bubbly.

CREAMY BAKED ZITI RECIPE

Steps:

• Preheat your oven to 425 degrees.
• Cook the ziti in a large saucepan according to package instructions. Drain the ziti and keep it in the colander while you reuse the pot to create the pasta sauce.
• Open the can of tomato sauce and mix it in the pasta pot with the Italian seasoning and onion powder. Cut the cream cheese into small cubes and put it in the tomato sauce mixture.
• Heat the sauce over medium heat, stirring until the cream cheese is melted and incorporated into the tomato sauce. If this takes too long, you can use a stick blender to blend the cream cheese into the sauce.
• Stir the browned ground beef into this mixture until it is fully mixed. Take it off the heat and set it aside.
• In a medium-sized mixing bowl, mix together the garlic, parsley, and eggs. Stir in the Parmesan cheese.
• Stir the cooked and drained pasta into the tomato sauce in the pasta pot.
• Spray a 9 by 13 pan with cooking spray. Put half of the ziti and sauce mixture in the pan. Spread the garlic, parsley, Parmesan, and egg mixture on top of this layer.
• Add the rest of the ziti on top of this layer. Sprinkle mozzarella on the top of the ziti.
• Cover the pan with aluminum foil and bake the dish in the oven for fifteen minutes. Remove the foil and bake it for an additional ten to twenty minutes or until the cheese on top is lightly browned.
• Remove the pasta from the oven and let it sit for about five minutes. Serve the pasta with a side salad and crusty bread.