Baked Ziti with Meatballs

Directions

• Preheat oven to 375 degrees F.

• For Meatballs & Pasta Sauce:

  1. Mix ground beef, onion, garlic powder, salt, pepper, breadcrumbs, and eggs together in a bowl. Shape into bite-sized meatballs. Place on nonstick pan over medium heat. Cook the meatballs until slightly brown all around.
  2. Pour Pasta Sauce over meatballs, and let simmer until sauce is slightly thickened (3-4 minutes). Reserve ¼ cup of pasta sauce.

• For Pasta:

  1. In a large pot, bring 4 quarts of water to a boil. Add in 2 tbsp of salt. Add in your pasta and boil until al dente. (Typically, 7-8 minutes)

   

• For Ricotta Mix:

  1. In a separate bowl, add ricotta, Parmesan, salt, & pepper. Mix until combined.

• Directions for baking

  1. Add cooked pasta to pasta sauce and meatballs.
  2. In a casserole/baking dish, pour ¼ cup reserved pasta sauce evenly on the bottom of the dish. Place ½ of the pasta mix evenly into the dish.
  3. Spread ¾ cup of the ricotta cheese mixture evenly across the first layer. Add ¾ cup shredded mozzarella onto the dish.
  4. Add the remaining pasta into the dish, spreading it evenly. Top with remaining ¾ cup shredded mozzarella, ¼ ricotta mix, & ½ cup Parmesan cheese evenly across top.
  5. Place in oven for 25-27 minutes, or until top is golden brown and bubbly.
  6. Take out, serve Mom on this special day, and enjoy!
     
     *If you don’t have Mom’s Pasta sauce, you can use any pasta sauce that you love. This recipe is great whether using canned or fresh pasta sauce.