Baked Ziti with Ground Beef
A hearty Italian dish with ricotta, parmesan, mozzarella, and ground beef.
Equipment
- 1 Deep frying pan or dutch oven
- 1 9x13" casserole pan
- 1 Pot to boil noodles
Ingredients
- 1 lb ground beef
- 16 oz dry ziti (1 typical box)
- 32 oz whole peeled tomatoes
- 8 oz fresh mozzarella, shredded
- 4 oz shredded parmesan Fresh grated if you can
- 16 oz ricotta cheese
- ¾ cup Cabernet Sauvignon I used J Lohr cabernet sauvignon
- 1 white or yellow onion
- 1 tbsp minced garlic
- salt to taste
Instructions
- Start a pot of water for the noodles, and begin cooking noodles while working on the other steps. When the noodles are done, drain, and mix with a couple teaspoons of oil to keep the noodles from sticking.
- Heat pan to medium high heat, and brown the ground beef.
- Remove the beef and drain off the fat from the pan. Put down some olive oil and start frying the onions. Add a pinch of salt to taste.
- After the onions become golden and semi-translucent add the minced garlic and cook for another minute.
- Add the wine to the pan, cook for a minute, then add the ground beef. Cook for another minute.
- Add the tomatoes and a pinch of salt to taste. Cook for around 20 minutes, stirring occasionally. Then add some tomato paste. If still not thick enough, continue to simmer.
- Layer out the ingredients in the pan twice: sauce -> noodles -> sauce -> the three cheese -> repeat. Before adding the final cheese layer, pour any remaining sauce over top.
- Bake at 400F for 40 minutes, or until the cheese is golden. Place a baking sheet under the casserole dish to catch any drips.