Every year my dad, brother, uncle and cousin all head Upstate NY to go deer hunting. They stay in a camper (with satellite TV, full bathroom, and heat) and eat like kings. So every year I make a huge baked ziti for them to have one night. It is easy to make and tastes really good on a cold November night after sitting outside all day.
Ingredients:
2 lbs penne rigate pasta
3 lbs container ricotta cheese (my favorite is Polly-O Old Fashioned Style)
1 egg
1 tsp Italian herbs (I use dried for this)
1 lb mozzarella cheese, grated
1.5 quarts of homemade tomato sauce
2 half tray aluminum pans
Make the 2 pounds of penne rigate according to the box directions and cook until al dente. You do not want to over cook this or else it will be mushy after baking. It is better to under cook it than over cook.
Meanwhile, place the ricotta into a bowl. Add the egg and Italian herbs. Mix to combine. Why an egg? Because my mom told me to. That is how she did it, so that is how I do.
Take the 2 trays and place one inside the other. Turn up the edges on the inner pan to make the edges taller. Ladle two scoops of sauce into the bottom. This helps to prevent the pasta from sticking to the bottom of the tray.
Now it is time to layer the ziti. Take one pound of cooked penne rigate and place it on the bottom of the tray. Top it with half of the sauce. Then cover it will half the ricotta. Then half the mozzarella. Then do the next layer - penne, sauce, ricotta and mozzarella.
It is going to be really full. After the tray is full, use your hands to push down and compact the pasta. Cover with aluminum foil. At this point you can freeze it or bake.
If baking right away, place in a preheated 350 oven for about an hour to an hour and a half After 45 minutes, remove the foil. You can tell it is done when the sauce bubbles and the center is hot.
If you are making it from the freezer, remove the tray from the freezer and place in the fridge 2 days before baking and follow the directions above for baking.
Ingredients:
2 lbs penne rigate pasta
3 lbs container ricotta cheese (my favorite is Polly-O Old Fashioned Style)
1 egg
1 tsp Italian herbs (I use dried for this)
1 lb mozzarella cheese, grated
1.5 quarts of homemade tomato sauce
2 half tray aluminum pans
Make the 2 pounds of penne rigate according to the box directions and cook until al dente. You do not want to over cook this or else it will be mushy after baking. It is better to under cook it than over cook.
Meanwhile, place the ricotta into a bowl. Add the egg and Italian herbs. Mix to combine. Why an egg? Because my mom told me to. That is how she did it, so that is how I do.
Take the 2 trays and place one inside the other. Turn up the edges on the inner pan to make the edges taller. Ladle two scoops of sauce into the bottom. This helps to prevent the pasta from sticking to the bottom of the tray.
Now it is time to layer the ziti. Take one pound of cooked penne rigate and place it on the bottom of the tray. Top it with half of the sauce. Then cover it will half the ricotta. Then half the mozzarella. Then do the next layer - penne, sauce, ricotta and mozzarella.
It is going to be really full. After the tray is full, use your hands to push down and compact the pasta. Cover with aluminum foil. At this point you can freeze it or bake.
If baking right away, place in a preheated 350 oven for about an hour to an hour and a half After 45 minutes, remove the foil. You can tell it is done when the sauce bubbles and the center is hot.
If you are making it from the freezer, remove the tray from the freezer and place in the fridge 2 days before baking and follow the directions above for baking.
No comments:
Post a Comment