Ziti Alforno (Baked Ziti)

Category: Main Dishes | Blog URL: http://annuciasmenus.blogspot.com/2009/09/baked-pasta-ziti-al-forno.html

This recipe was entered in The Foodista Best of Food Blogs Cookbook contest, a compilation of the world’s best food blogs which was published in Fall 2010.

Ingredients

1 pot "red" marinara Sauce

2 cups Mozzarella

10 Basil leaves *Italian housewife trick: Don't wash them off but rub with a dry towel, this keeps them nic

1 pound Pasta: ziti, rigatoni, penne...Something with holes to h

1/2 cup Grated Cheese: Pecorino OR Parmesan

1/4 cup Bread Crumbs: plain

Equipment: 1 large lasagna or casserole dish. If I am ma

Preparation

Set oven to 500.

Boil the pasta until very al dente (slightly undercooked) and drain now add a little sauce to loosen it up a bit and keep it moist.

Spread some olive oil onto the bottom of the casserole dish, enough to coat the bottom, and dust with the bread crumbs.

Now place half of the pasta in and then some sauce, then plenty of mozzarella, and then some basil leaves.

Now repeat only with the pasta, sauce, grated cheese, and a dusting of the bread crumbs. Finish this off with drizzles of olive oil all over.

You only bake this for 10 minutes because it is such a high heat. Remove and allow to cool off a bit before cutting into it.

OR you can cover and place in your fridge for over night and cook just before serving since it is so quick to cook, only 10 minutes.

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Nothing says celebration to a Southern Italian family more than baked pasta, and why not? It can feed a multitude and frees the cook up to enjoy her guests! Every celebration we had growing up: baby christening, first communion, confirmation, showers, holidays...had some kind of baked pasta dish. Make sure you use plenty of sauce or else it will be too dry.