Mar 15, 2010
Very good basic recipe. I made modifications to suit my family's tastes. I used ground chuck vs sausage (family does not care for it) and sauteed the onion and garlic with it. Used a can of diced tomatoes to mix into the ricotta cheese, egg, etc. Because it can be a little bland, used allot more spices in the mixture, such as Italian Seasoning, parsley flakes, garlic powder, onion powder, paprika, chili powder and cumin powder. Used 40 oz of Prego spaghetti sauce to keep it from drying out.I also used 16 oz of Italian shredded cheese (8 oz per layer). I sprayed the aluminum foil with Olive Oil Pam before covering (to keep the cheese from sticking) and baked it at 375 degrees for 45 minutes, then uncovered and baked an additional 20 minutes. I let it stand for another 15 minutes while my garlic bread was baking to let it set up. This was delicious!!! My son was over for dinner and wanted to take the leftovers home (a first!) but I wouldn't let him. Instead, I gave him this recipe (with my modifications, of course, lol). I've made other baked ziti recipes, but this was the best by far.
—CookinLovin