Baked ziti is a popular Italian-American dish made with medium-sized tubular pasta, meat, and chunky sauces. It is cooked in a saucepan, placed in an oven, and can include various meats and vegetables. Most recipes take little time to make and can yield large quantities. The pasta should be cooked until softened but no more than al dente. A quick and easy recipe includes dried penne, ground beef, onion, sour cream, canned spaghetti sauce, and cheese. Baked ziti is an ideal casual appetizer that can be paired with a green salad.
Ziti is a type of medium-sized tubular pasta. Baked ziti, as the name suggests, is a baked dish with ziti and other ingredients. Meat and chunky sauces are especially preferred with this type of pasta.
Considered an Italian-American hybrid, pasta is cooked, then combined with ingredients and sauce in a saucepan. It is then placed in an oven and left to cook for a period of time. You can find a variety of recipes for this dish, with different types of ingredients.
It’s not unusual for a baked ziti recipe to call for the inclusion of several different types of meats and vegetables. Ground beef, sirloin tips, and sausages can be used individually or in combination in a recipe. Vegetables such as mushrooms, onions, and various types of peppers are also popular ingredients with many ziti lovers. As with many casserole recipes, virtually any type of meat or vegetable can be included in the dish.
One of the benefits of baked ziti is that most recipes take very little time to make, but can yield large quantities. This can be especially important when cooking for a large group with very little time available. Ziti also tends to keep very well, making it possible to prepare the dish the day ahead, store it in the fridge, then reheat the following day if needed.
Nearly every recipe for baked ziti calls for the pasta to be cooked before combining it with the other ingredients. However, because ziti is placed in the oven to cook, it is usually recommended to cook the pasta only until softened, and definitely no more than al dente. This helps ensure that the baked pastry maintains a texture when the recipe is fully prepared.
A quick and easy recipe for baked ziti calls for no more than a few ingredients. Dried penne, onion, ground beef, sour cream, and canned spaghetti sauce can be combined to create a savory ziti dish in as little as forty-five minutes.
While he is boiling the pasta, the minced meat is placed in a frying pan for browning. Once the meat and pasta are cooked, the onion is roughly chopped. To cook the onions lightly, the chunks can be added to the ground beef as the browning process finishes. After draining the meat and onions, add the spaghetti sauce and let the mixture cook for a few moments.
Once the pasta is ready, drain the water and place it in a saucepan. Spread the sour cream over the pasta, then add the meat, onions and sauce. For the final layer, grate the cheese and sprinkle on top. Cook the combined ingredients for about thirty minutes or until the cheese is melted and lightly browned.
Baked Ziti is an ideal casual appetizer that can be easily paired with a tossed green salad to make for an entertaining meal. Relatively cheap, tasty, and easy to make, this Americanized take on Italian food is sure to please everyone.
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