Baked Beef Ziti
Servings: 8
Ingredients
- 12 oz ziti pasta uncooked
- 2 tsp olive oil
- 2 cloves garlic minced
- 1/3 lb 93% lean ground beef
- 1 tsp dried oregano
- 1 tsp dried thyme
- 1 tsp dried rosemary
- 1/2 tsp salt
- 1/2 tsp ground black pepper
- 28 oz canned crushed tomatoes
- 1 cup part-skim mozzarella cheese
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350 degF.
- Cook pasta according to package directions; drain and set aside.
- Meanwhile, heat oil in a medium saucepan over medium heat; add garlic and cook 2 minutes. Add beef and cook until browned, breaking up meat with a spoon as it cooks, 3 to 5 minutes; drain off any fat and set pan back over medium heat.
- Add oregano, they, rosemary, salt and pepper; stir to coat beef. Cook until herbs become fragrant, about 2 minutes. Add tomatoes and bring mixture to a boil; reduce heat and simmer for 5 minutes.
- Soon a small amount of beef-tomato mixture into bottom of a 4-quart casserole dish (just enough to cover surface); top with half of cooked ziti. Next, layer with half of remaining beef-tomato sauce and half of mozzarella cheese. Layer with remaining ziti and then top with remaining beef-tomato sauce; sprinkle with remaining mozzarella cheese. Bake until cheese is golden and bubbly, about 30 minutes. Slice into 8 pieces and serve.