CLASSIC BAKED ZITI
Now that we know how to make a basic marinara sauce
and have learned how easy it is to soak, rather than boil,
pasta for a baked casserole, it’s just a short skip and a
jump to classic baked ziti. The noodles get tossed with a
pink mixture of tomato sauce, cream, and ricotta cheese,
with a couple of eggs thrown in to lend structure to the
casserole as it cooks. I also like to toss cubes of
mozzarella cheese together with the pasta to form gooey,
stretchy pockets. I top the whole thing with some more
marinara, more cubes of mozzarella, and a grating of
Parmesan.
This is the dish I make at the annual ski retreat that my
friends and I take each year in New England. There are
few pasta bakes that are easier to put together yet
produce such ridiculously good results, particularly when
it’s snowing outside and you’ve got a whole cabinful of
friends to feed.