Cheesy Baked Ziti
Find more fantabulous recipes, tips and tricks at www.thekitchenwhisperer.net. Also, join our TKW Family on Facebook
Ingredients
- 8 ounces ziti, uncooked
- 2–3 cups Marinara Sauce, warmed
- 1 1/2 cups low fat Ricotta
- 1/4 cup parmesan cheese, grated
- 1 1/2 cups shredded mozzarella, divided
- 1 teaspoon oregano
- 1/2 teaspoon black pepper
- 1 egg
- 8–10 cooked Protein Packed Chicken Parmesan Florentine Meatballs, rough cut (if you want a piece in every bite), else leave whole
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350F
- In a large pot, boil the ziti until al dente, ~8 minutes. *note: when the water starts to boil add a pinch of salt.
- In a separate bowl mix together the ricotta, egg, parmesan cheese, 1/2 cup mozzarella, oregano, black pepper and meatball chunks.
- Set aside.
- Drain the noodles.
- In an 8×8 glass pan or 4 8 ounce ramekins, cover the bottom with a layer of sauce. It doesn’t have to be thick but you should not be able to see the bottom of the container.
- Add the drained noodles to the cheese mixture and stir to combine.
- If making in an 8×8 pan, add half of the cheesy noodle mixture then a 1/2 -1 cup of sauce. If making in ramekins, divide the cheesy noodle mixture into 8 portions.
- Add the remaining noodle mixture and sauce. *Note: if leaving the meatball whole, add them on top of each ramekin or space on top of the 8×8 pan and then add the sauce.
- Take a piece of aluminum foil and light spray one side. *8 pieces of foil for the ramekins
- Place the sprayed side down on top of the sauce.
- Bake for 25 minutes for an 8×8 pan. Bake 15 minutes for 8 ramekins.
- Remove the foil and cover with the remaining 1 cup of mozzarella.
- Bake for 5-10 minutes or until the cheese has melted.
- Allow to cool for 5-10 minutes just until the cheese has set.
Notes
To Freeze: If you want you can prep these and assemble them but NOT bake them! Simply put them together and then double wrap in plastic wrap, then foil. They freeze PERFECTLY for up to 3 months. To cook, simply put in a cold oven THEN put the temp to 350F. To bake add an additional 10-13 minutes longer in cooking time (as they are frozen).