Baked Ziti

My husband is a picky eater, I've said so many times and he's proved me right many times. Can't have cheese on a burger, but it's ok in abundance on tacos or pizza. Will not ever touch any kind of vegetable, he even complains he can taste the vegetables in salsa...he's quite the 30-something kid! So when we got married and started living together, I had a daunting task before me. How do you cook for a picky eater? Well, almost 4 years later and to date there has only been one dish this lovely husband of mine hasn't liked. Score for me! This is one of his favorites, a good old fashioned baked ziti. It takes a little prep, like simmering the sauce and meat for a few hours, but the payoff in the end is UH-MAZING! 

Baked Ziti

What you'll need:

1/2 pound lean ground beef (I always use 1 pound of ground turkey, the turkey to make it healthier and a pound cause I love this dish meaty)

1 medium onion, chopped

2 garlic cloves, minced

1 3/4 cups spaghetti sauce

1 can (14 1/2 oz) diced tomatoes, undrained

1 can (6 oz) tomato paste

6 tbsp water

1 tbsp minced parsley

1 1/2 tsp Worcestershire sauce

1 tsp dried basil

3/4 tsp dried oregano, divided

8 oz ziti pasta

1 cup part skim ricotta cheese

1 cup (4 oz) shredded part skim mozzarella cheese

1/4 cup grated parmesan cheese, divided

1 egg, lightly beaten

Salt and pepper

Prep:

In a large saucepan, brown meat and onions together over a medium heat until cooked through. Add garlic, cook for 1 minute longer, then drain and place back in pan. Stir in spaghetti sauce, tomatoes, tomato paste, water, parsley, Worcestershire, basil and 1/2 tsp oregano. Cover and simmer for 3 hours, stirring occasionally.

Cook pasta according to directions on box and drain. In a large bowl, combine ricotta, mozzarella, 2 tbsp parmesan, egg, salt and pepper. 

Spread 1 cup of the meat sauce mixture onto the bottom of a greased oven safe dish (preferably 9x13). Layer with half the pasta, a third of the meat sauce, and half of the cheese mixture. Repeat layers. Top with remaining sauce and sprinkle with parmesan and oregano. 

Cover and bake at 350 for 1 hour or until heated through.

Nutritional facts

1-1/3 cups equals 431 calories, 14 g fat (7 g saturated fat), 81 mg cholesterol, 818 mg sodium, 50 g carbohydrate, 6 g fiber, 27 g protein.