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Well, so much for my great pilates workout last night. I blew it after I ate this for dinner. This is one of my boys favorite dinners’. They just call it spaghetti and meatballs, and can’t get enough. I love the oozing ricotta filling right in the middle, it’s a great weeknight quick meal for the family. Use any pasta sauce your family likes or make your own homemade sauce if you are feeling ambitious!
Check it out, it’s soooo yummy. I wish I could say it was fat free!
Cheesy Stuffed Baked Ziti
1 lb ziti pasta noodles
2 Tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
1 small bell pepper of choice, finely chopped
½ medium onion, finely chopped
1 lb ground beef
½ teaspoon salt
¼ teaspoon black pepper
1 26oz jar Classico Pasta Sauce
1 15 oz container Ricotta Cheese
1 Cup shredded mozzarella cheese
½ Cup grated Parmesan cheese
Pinch salt, pepper
2 Cup shredded mozzarella cheese
1. Cook pasta noodles according to package directions. Drain and set aside.
2. Place olive oil in a large pot over medium heat. Saute bell pepper and onion until softened, about 5 minutes. Brown beef. Add pasta sauce, reduce heat to low and stir in noodles.
3. Place ricotta, mozzarella, parmesan, salt and pepper into a large bowl. Stir until well combined.
4. Place ½ pasta into a 9×13 inch baking dish. Spoon ricotta mixture evenly over pasta, covering entire dish. Pour remaining pasta over cheese, then sprinkle with shredded mozzarella.
5. Bake for 20-25 minutes or until cheese is melted and bubbly.
8 servings
Your recipe calls for 1/2 tsp salt and 1/4 tsp pepper, and then later a pinch of each. Is the 1/2 tsp salt and 1/4 tsp pepper supposed to go in the meat sauce, or with the cheeses? I was thinking that maybe the large amounts were supposed to go with the meat sauce and the pinches in the cheese mix? Thanks!
Hi Brooke,
The 1/2 tsp salt and 1/4tsp pepper go in the meat sauce and the pinch of salt and pepper for the cheese mixture.
Enjoy!
I guess it’s just your cooking, because everything you make sounds good!
I like that you used ricotta. When my mom makes baked pasta dishes, she always uses cottage cheese, and that bothers me. Ricotta is more authentic. Anyway…
no wonder it tastes so good! i always think cheese make EVERYTHING taste good!
Hi Emiline,
I agree, I love ricotta! I’m not into cooking with cottage cheese.
Tara,
I couldn’t agree more, cheese makes everything yummy!
Just making the baked stuffed ziti and noticed you didn’t say at what temp to bake it at…
Hi – i just tried this today for lunch. AMAZING!! Mine was a bit different, b/c i was trying to only use what i had on hand, since it was storming out & i didn’t want to go to the store. It was really good!
Thanks!
[...] are you having this week? I think I’ll try this Cheesy Stuffed Baked Ziti and this Deep Dish Pizza… How cool is that?? [...]
Super yum! I didn’t have a bell pepper so I shredded up a couple carrots and put them in the sauce I made…my little one gobbled it right up!
Saw this over on Kevin&Amanda…I tried it last night with turkey instead of beef and added mushrooms~DELISH!!