Baked Ziti

I have a very special reader that is a vegetarian :) I noticed that so far my blog has not been very vegetarian friendly SO I decided to post this. It still tastes really good for all those who do not embrace the veggie lifestyle, so don't turn away just yet. This dish is also a staple in our kitchen because I frequently forget to lay out the meat for dinner in the mornings. There is nothing worse then getting home from a long days work and everything you need to cook dinner is frozen solid. This recipe solves that problem, is easy to make, and is excellent leftover the next day (or few days!).

Ingredients:
16 oz. Pasta (technically you are supposed to use ziti noodles but who really cares?)
45 oz. Pasta/Spaghetti sauce (any flavor you want)
2-2/12 cups Mozzarella cheese
optional: Parmesan cheese

To start off, boil your pasta according to package directions. Once that is done, drain the water off the pasta and stir in the pasta sauce. In a future post, I will show you how to make your pasta sauce from scratch but for times sake, we will use store bought. Grab a 13x9 pan and spray it with non-stick cooking spray. Now comes the tricky part (I hope you caught my sarcasm)! Make layers of your pasta mixture and cheese. This isn't an exact science and there is really no right way to do this. In fact, it's literally impossible to mess this part up. Use as much or as little cheese as you want. Also, if you are deciding to add in the Parmesan cheese, you can add that into your layers as well. Once you have used all your pasta, make your top layer cheese.

Here is a picture of what it looks like before you stick it in the oven:

Bake at 350° for 20 minutes. This dish goes nicely with a side salad and garlic bread.

Here is the finished product:

The "official taste tester", as he calls himself, approves :)