How to Make Appetizing Baked Ziti Variation

Baked Ziti Variation. Our baked ziti recipe is a dish all cooks should have in their repertoire. Baked macaroni dishes like ziti combine cooked pasta with a sauce, vegetable, and/or meat -- and plenty of cheese. All the ingredients are layered or tossed into a casserole dish and baked in the oven for less than an hour.

Baked ziti is lasagna's delicious cousin and a long-time favorite comfort food. Because of the savory richness of the cheese, meat and sauce it's very filling and great for large gatherings. Also, the baked ziti you made last night tastes even better as leftovers, so save some for later. You can have Baked Ziti Variation using 24 ingredients and 7 steps. Here is how you achieve that.

Ingredients of Baked Ziti Variation

1. Prepare 48 oz of spaghetti or tomato sauce.
2. Prepare 3 lb of Ground beef.
3. Prepare 1 lb of spicy Italian sausage.
4. Prepare 32 oz of tri color Garden Rotini Pasta.
5. You need 32 oz of ricotta cheese.
6. You need 1/2 cup of grated parmesan cheese.
7. You need 1/4 cup of grated Extra sharp white cheddar cheese.
8. It's 1/4 cup of grated Monterey jack cheese.
9. You need 1/2 cup of crumbled feta cheese.
10. It's 16 oz of sliced mozzarella cheese.
11. Prepare 1/2 cup of merlot red wine.
12. You need 2 clove of garlic (minced).
13. Prepare 4 of eggs (whisked).
14. Prepare 1 tsp of fresh basil (chopped).
15. You need 1 tsp of oregano (chopped).
16. You need 1/2 tsp of rosemary (chopped).
17. Prepare 1/2 tsp of thyme (chopped).
18. You need 1/4 cup of parsley (chopped).
19. You need 1 tbsp of Extra virgin olive oil.
20. Prepare 4 medium of mushrooms (minced).
21. You need 1 pinch of lemon pepper.
22. It's 1 pinch of White or black pepper.
23. You need 1 pinch of Sweet chili powder.
24. You need 2 pinch of crushed sea salt.

This baked ziti with meat is absolutely awesome just like it is and I recommend at least trying it before making changes. However, there are a few subtle ways you can tweak this recipe for a new flavor twist. Here are a couple of suggestions. Make it with meatballs instead of meat sauce; Try using all sausage or no sausage at all This ziti casserole is a simple combination of a seasoned tomato sauce and ground beef, baked to perfection with a melty mozzarella cheese topping.

Baked Ziti Variation step by step

1. In small sauce pan, saute mushrooms, garlic, rosemary and thyme with olive oil. carefully add merlot. and let simmer for 20 mins..
2. in large sauce pan with medium heat, add spaghetti sauce, oregano. carefully add ingredients from saute pan into sauce. let simmer for 45 mins to an hour or more depending on preference..
3. brown the ground beef and spicy sausage and drain grease, then set aside..
4. in large mixing bowl, add ricotta, eggs, basil, parsley, cheddar, jack, parmesan, feta and dry seasonings, with large spoon mix until blended..
5. boil dry pasta for 6 minutes until al-dente or use fresh and then mix with spaghetti sauce until covered..
6. preheat oven to 350.
7. in 2 13x9 deep baking or casserole pans layer pasta on bottom, then layer ground beef and sausage then cover with ricotta cheese mix, then layer again with pasta topped with slices of mozzarella. do the same for both. bake in oven for 45 mins or until cheese bubbles on top or for 75 mins if you like your top layer slightly crunchy. let cool for 5 mins, dish out and enjoy with a side of garlic toast and a glass of red wine..

You might want to use macaroni in the recipe, or use a mini penne or a similar tubular pasta. Try RICOTTA CHEESE instead of sour cream and skip the provolone for a real Italian version of Baked Ziti. Mix an egg into a pound of ricotta to make it nice and creamy, and toss with the ziti. Layer sauce first (so you don't need to butter the pan), then ziti/cheese, mozzarella, sprinkle with parm and a little dried oregano or basil, then. Even before tasting the baked ziti from Parm, I had been dreaming of spooning a thick cream sauce all over my baked ziti, but I had been worried it was too much of a divergence from the classic dish.