Fiscal Responsibility

Chris's Baked Ziti

Once you've made the Cracchiola Family Sauce, you're home free. This is a layered, baked pasta dish like lasagna.

4 1/2 Cups Cracchiola Family Sauce
1 lb. pasta-ziti or rigatoni (we used ziti)
8 oz. sliced, sharp provolone
1/2 Cup grated Romano or Parmesan cheese
optional: 16 oz. ricotta cheese mixed with 1 egg and 1 TB fresh chopped parsley

Preheat the oven to 350°. Cook the pasta al dente (slightly undercooked); the pasta will finish cooking in the oven. Using a 9x13 pan, spoon 1 1/2 cups of sauce over the bottom of the pan. Layer the pan as follows: half of the drained pasta, half of the cheese slices, half of the grated cheese, and 1 1/2 Cups of sauce. Repeat the layers. Finish with a sprinkle of grated cheese, about 2 TB. If you are using the ricotta mixture, layer it between the cheese slices and the grated cheese. Bake at 350° for 30-45 minutes or until the sauce is just bubbling. That's a good sign that the cheeses are thoroughly melted and mixed.

Prep. time: 30 minutes
Cooking time: 30-45 minutes
Serves: 12

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Recipes:   Lemon Chicken | Rachel's Omelet | Corn Pudding | Marinated Filet Mignon | Asian Pork Tenderloin and Coconut Jasmine Rice | Grilled Chicken Breasts | Steak au Poivre | Pretzel Salad | End of Spring Beef Stew | Chicken Tarragon | Roasted Sweet Potatoes | No Bowl Cake | Chris and Aunt Mary's Stromboli | Aunt Pat's Pizza Meat | Cracchiola Family Sauce | Chris's Baked Ziti | Aunt Eleanor's Spedini | Post-Thanksgiving Gumbo | Singapore Rice Noodles | Red Chili and Orange Barbecue Sauce | Tandoori-style Grilled Chicken