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I was in the mood for pasta, and not just any old pasta, I wanted a warm, baked pasta with delicious melted cheese in every bite! My baked Ziti is loaded with ground beef, spinach, onions, tomatoes and is all baked to a golden perfection with mozzarella and parmesan cheese. It has finally been cooling down here in southern California and I have to admit, I am more than happy to welcome the cooler weather! So, I am ready to crank on my oven and cook all the delicious baked dishes I try to avoid in the summer! I hope you all enjoy and thank you for stopping by!
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Baked Ziti RecipeÂ
Serves: about 4
Total time: 1 hr 15 mins
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Ingredients:
- 1/2 lb ground beef
- 1/2 lb. ziti pasta
- 1 tbsp olive oil
- 1 tbsp balsamic vinegar
- 1/2 tsp salt
- 1/2 tsp black pepper
- 1/4 tsp crushed red pepper
- 1/2 tsp dried oregano
- 1/2 tsp dried basil
- 2 cloves garlic, minced
- 1/2 cup celery, thinly sliced
- 2 roma tomatoes, diced
- 2 cup spinach, stems removed
- 1/2 lg. onion, chopped
- 2 cups tomato sauce
- 1/2 cup mozzarella, grated
- 1/4 cup parmesan cheese, grated
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Directions:
- In a cast iron skillet (or an oven safe skillet), over medium heat, add olive oil, ground beef, onion, celery, salt and pepper. Cook for 10-12 minutes, stirring occasionally until beef is browned and veggies are soft.
- Add diced tomatoes, balsamic vinegar, garlic, basil, and oregano. Cover and continue to cook over medium heat for about 8-10 minutes, stirring occasionally, until tomatoes are soft. Add two cups of spinach and cook for an additional 2-3 minutes, covered, until spinach is cooked down.
- Add tomato sauce, parmesan cheese, crushed red peppers and stir to combine. Cover and cook for 15 more minutes to let the flavors develop into the sauce.
- While the pasta sauce is cooking, cook ziti pasta according to package instructions for “al dente”.
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees
- Toss cooked ziti into your finished sauce and stir to combine. Top with grated mozzarella cheese.
- Bake in the preheated oven for 15-17 minutes, until top is nice and golden. Then remove from the oven and let cool for a few minutes. Enjoy!
For more delicious recipes like my Baked Ziti, view all of my pasta recipes here.
Baked Ziti
Ingredients
- 1/2 lb ground beef
- 1/2 lb. ziti pasta
- 1 tbsp olive oil
- 1 tbsp balsamic vinegar
- 1/2 tsp salt
- 1/2 tsp black pepper
- 1/4 tsp crushed red pepper
- 1/2 tsp dried oregano
- 1/2 tsp dried basil
- 2 cloves garlic minced
- 1/2 cup celery thinly sliced
- 2 roma tomatoes diced
- 2 cup spinach stems removed
- 1/2 lg. onion chopped
- 2 cups tomato sauce
- 1/2 cup mozzarella grated
- 1/4 cup parmesan cheese grated
Instructions
Directions:
- In a cast iron skillet (or an oven safe skillet), over medium heat, add olive oil, ground beef, onion, celery, salt and pepper. Cook for 10-12 minutes, stirring occasionally until beef is browned and veggies are soft.
- Add diced tomatoes, balsamic vinegar, garlic, basil, and oregano. Cover and continue to cook over medium heat for about 8-10 minutes, stirring occasionally, until tomatoes are soft. Add two cups of spinach and cook for an additional 2-3 minutes, covered, until spinach is cooked down.
- Add tomato sauce, parmesan cheese, crushed red peppers and stir to combine. Cover and cook for 15 more minutes to let the flavors develop into the sauce.
- While the pasta sauce is cooking, cook ziti pasta according to package instructions for "al dente".
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees
- Toss cooked ziti into your finished sauce and stir to combine. Top with grated mozzarella cheese.
- Bake in the preheated oven for 15-17 minutes, until top is nice and golden. Then remove from the oven and let cool for a few minutes. Enjoy!
Tried this recipe?LET US KNOW how it was!
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