Description
Easy to make, this classic Italian recipe is the ultimate dinner comfort food.
Ingredients
Scale
- 2 teaspoons olive oil
- 1 pound ground beef
- 1 cup diced onion (about 1/2 an onion)
- 3 cloves garlic, minced
- 1 teaspoon kosher salt
- 2 teaspoons Italian seasoning
- ½ teaspoon black pepper
- 28 ounce can tomato sauce
- 28 ounce can crushed tomatoes
- 1 pound penne pasta
- 2 cups shredded mozzarella cheese, divided
- ½ cup parmesan cheese, shredded
Instructions
- Step 1: Heat in the oil in a large saucepan over medium high heat.
- Step 2: Crumble in the ground beef and cook until no longer pink, using a spoon to break up the meat.
- Step 3: Add in the onions and cook for another 5 minutes, until onions are softened.
- Step 4: Stir in the garlic, Italian seasoning, salt, and pepper, and cook for 2 minutes.
- Step 5: Pour in the tomato sauce and crushed tomatoes and bring to a low simmer.
- Step 6: Cover and simmer for 30 minutes.
- Step 7: While the sauce cooks, preheat oven to 375 degrees.
- Step 8: Boil the penne short of 2 minutes of the recommended cooking time so that it is very al dente.
- Step 9: Drain the pasta.
- Step 10: In a large bowl, combine the pasta, meat sauce, parmesan, and 1 1/2 cups of mozzarella.
- Step 11: Toss to combine and pour into casserole dish or 9 x 13 baking pan.
- Step 12: Top with the remaining 1/2 cup of mozzarella cheese.
- Step 13: Cover with foil and bake for 30 minutes until bubbly.
- Step 14: If desired, broil for 2-3 minutes to brown top slightly.
- Step 15: Let sit for 5 minutes before serving.
Notes
Prepare ziti up to a day in advance and bake prior to serving. Add 10-20 minutes to baking time to ensure that the ziti is properly heated through.
- Prep Time: 20 minutes
- Cook Time: 40 minutes
- Category: Main Course
- Method: Baking
- Cuisine: Italian
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1 serving
- Calories: 481 kcal
- Sugar: 5 g
- Sodium: 950 mg
- Fat: 22 g
- Saturated Fat: 10 g
- Unsaturated Fat: 12 g
- Trans Fat: 0 g
- Carbohydrates: 38 g
- Fiber: 3 g
- Protein: 27 g
- Cholesterol: 65 mg
Keywords: baked ziti, meat sauce, penne pasta, Italian dinner, comfort food