Being from a family with busy schedules and little time, there are usually a select few easy-to-make dishes we cycle through each week. With constantly shifting activities it’s always hard to predict who will be home when, and how long they’ll be there. So in response, most of our recipes are simple, quick, and give lots of leftovers. This is exactly how our baked ziti came into being. I have no idea when this started, or how we even got this recipe, but amongst my small family it has become the staple dish of “I don’t know what to make” time. With little required preparation and large portion sizes, it’s a simple dish that will soon make its way into your culinary rotation.

Baked Ziti:

Ingredients:

• 1/2 bunch spinach
• 1 cup ricotta cheese
• Sprinkle of Parmesan cheese
• Pinch of pepper
• 1 box of ziti pasta
• 1 jar premade traditional pregos sauce
• Shredded mozzarella cheese

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees Fahrenheit.

In a large pot of boiling, salted water, cook the ziti as per box instructions.

Meanwhile, in a food processor, blend together the spinach, ricotta, parmesan, and pepper until just blended and transfer to a large bowl.

When the ziti has finished cooking, mix it together with the spinach and cheese mixture until well combined. Add to the mixture 3/4ths to 1 jar of pregos sauce, and mix well.

Once the pasta, cheese, and sauce mixture has been completed, transfer from the bowl into a large glass baking pan and cover the top with your shredded mozzarella.

Cover your pan with tin foil, making sure to tent the top to prevent the cheese from sticking, and cook at 400 degrees for 35 minutes. Remove tin foil and bake for another five minutes, or until the cheese is melted and golden-brown.

Serve with marinara and meatballs, or just by itself. Make sure you bring enough friends to share.