Baked Ziti (with lots of cheese)

If you switch out the mozzarella cubes for shredded, your final version won’t look like this. But it will be just as delicious and gooey.

Like peanut butter and jam, pasta and cheese just go together so well and easily. With all the varieties of each at your command, putting together a great combination is just trial and error. This baked ziti recipe uses three different kinds of cheese and blends them into a symphony of flavor and texture.

SOFTWARE

·         16 oz. ziti

·         Water

·         15 oz. ricotta cheese

·         1 c. Parmesan cheese, divided, shredded or grated

·         2 eggs

·         4 heavy pinches of kosher salt, divided

·         20 grinds of freshly ground black pepper

·         2 T. dried Italian seasoning

·         3 c. of your favorite tomato sauce, divided

·         8 oz. mozzarella cheese, cut into cubes or shredded

METHOD

1.       Heat oven to 350 degrees.

2.       In a large pot over medium heat, add the ziti, enough water to cover by an inch, and 2 pinches of the kosher salt. Cook according to the package directions but shorten the cooking time by 4-5 minutes. You want the pasta to be tender but firm.

3.       Drain the pasta of the cooking water and rinse with cold water.

4.       In a large bowl, mix the ricotta cheese, 3/4 cup of Parmesan, eggs, remaining salt, pepper, and Italian season. Stir to combine.

5.       In another large bowl, mix the cooked ziti and 2 cups of the tomato sauce.

6.       In an 11x8 baking dish, layer half of the ziti mixture in the bottom.

7.       Cover the ziti with the cheese mixture and half of the mozzarella.

8.       Top with the remaining ziti, the rest of the Parmesan and mozzarella, and the remaining cup of the tomato sauce.

9.       Bake for 35 minutes.

10.   Serve while hot with additional cheese, if desired.

11.   Enjoy.

VARIANTS

The type of tomato sauce you use can bring additional flavors to the dish. A fra diavlo sauce brings heat, while a meat sauce adds additional textures. Garlic is always a nice addition to pretty much any pasta dish. And yes, you can mess around with the pasta designs as well, but then it really isn’t baked ziti at that point, is it?