Special to Wesson News
Make-ahead and freezer meals can be a lifesaver during the holiday season. This
recipe is almost fool-proof, and it can be scaled up or down, if you’d like to have
leftovers to freeze for later. It’s also a good one to make the night (or a couple of
nights) before and have ready to pop into the oven when you get home from work. If
freezing a batch, be sure to let it thaw thoroughly in the fridge for a day before baking.
Toss some garlic bread (or even some not-as-fresh hamburger or hot dog buns
spread with butter and garlic powder) into the oven for the last few minutes of baking,
and use a bag of salad mix as a quick side, and dinner will be ready in no time!
Ingredients 16 oz. ziti pasta
1 package (4) Italian sausage links, casing removed
2 lbs. ground beef
1 large onion, diced
1 Tblsp. minced garlic
2 Tblsp. dried Italian seasoning
1 large jar spaghetti sauce
1 small container ricotta cheese
2/3 cup Parmesan cheese
2 Tblsp. garlic salt
2 cups finely shredded mozzarella cheese
Directions
1. Boil ziti until just slightly past al dente stage, then drain.
2. Toss ziti with 1/3 of the spaghetti sauce (while noodles are still hot) and set aside.
3. Brown sausage and ground beef with onion and garlic in large skillet,
until cooked through and tender. Break/chop meat into small pieces while cooking.
4. If there is more than 1-2 tablespoons of grease in the skillet, drain the meat, then return it to the skillet.
5. Add Italian seasoning and remaining spaghetti sauce to meat mixture skillet and mix.
6. Mix ricotta with garlic salt and Parmesan cheese, then stir in 1/2 cup o fthe mozzarella cheese.
6. Put a thin layer of the meat mixture in the bottom of a 10” x 15” (3 qt) casserole dish.
7. Layer the ziti noodles on top of the meat in the dish.
8. Top the ziti noodles with half of the remaining meat mixture.
9. Dollop the ricotta mixture over the top of the ziti, spreading it out gently to cover as much of the ziti as possible.
10. Top the ricotta mixture with remaining meat sauce, then cover the entire top with mozzarella.
11. Bake, covered with foil, at 325 degrees for 30 minutes, or until heated
through. Let stand for 5 minutes
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