BAKED ZITI!

If you ask anyone from my Dad's side of the family what their favorite dinner is, they will say "Grandma's Baked Ziti." So since I've been trying to break the redundant dinner problem in my house, I had the amazing idea of making this old family favorite. To my great pleasure, the finished product tasted just like Grandma's and was devoured by all. Please enjoy the step-by-step directions below...

Hopefully, my one blog follower will break free from making stews to try this recipe!


INGREDIENTS:
(may be halved)


1 pound ground beef
1 pound ground Italian sausage
1 medium white onion, chopped

1 pound ziti noodles (I used Rigatoni because I like the ridges)

2 tablespoons butter
4 tablespoons garlic, finely crushed
1 green bell pepper, diced
1 red bell pepper, diced
1 pound mozzarella, shredded

salt
pepper
oregano
basil






1. Brown the ground beef and sausage together. When the meat is close to being finished, add the chopped onions. Strain the meat of it's fat and set aside.










2. In the same pan, add the butter, bell peppers, chopped mushrooms, garlic, salt, pepper, oregano and basil. Saute until the peppers are soft, but not mushy.









3. In the meantime, cook the noodles as directed on the package and then set them aside.













4. Add the cans of diced tomatoes and the can of tomato sauce and the browned beef and sausage. Let simmer on low heat, stirring occasionally for about 15 minutes.








5. In the meantime, in a greased 9X13 inch glass baking dish, add a thin layer of the cooked pasta noodles.








6. When the meat sauce is done simmering, stir it well and then add a small layer over the top of the first layer of pasta. Liberally spread the shredded mozzarella on top.








7. Add another layer of the cooked pasta and top with more cheese.








8. Add another layer of meat sauce until the baking dish is full. Then spread another generous layer of shredded cheese.






9. You will need to cover the baking dish with aluminum foil, but you don't want the foil to get stuck to all the cheese while it's baking, so you can stick several tooth picks in the casserole and then cover it with the foil.



10. Place in the pre-heated oven and bake at 350 degrees for 30 minutes.



11. Remove aluminum foil and bake for another 10 minutes to somewhat brown the top.



*All casseroles turn out better when they are allowed to sit and cool slightly for about 10 minutes after baking. This enables you to scoop out servings without it falling apart.



Here is the final product...



BUON APPETITO!