Baked Ziti (Fuhgetaboudit)

I mean, what is there to say...it's Ziti...it's delicious...EAT IT! As with some of the other dishes, using organic ingredients will be key to the BEST flavor with this dish!

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Serves about 12 people

Ingredients:

--2 TBSP olive oil

--3 cloves garlic, finely chopped

--1 large yellow onion, diced

--1 lb Italian sausage

--1 lb LEAN ground beef (organic if possible)

--1 large (28-32oz) jar of good quality Marinara

--One 28 oz whole, peeled tomatoes, with juice

--2 tsp Italian seasoning

--1/2 tsp red pepper flakes

--salt and pepper to taste

--1 lb box of Ziti

--4 cups shredded mozzarella cheese

--one 15 oz tub whole-milk ricotta

--1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese

--2 TBSP fresh parsley, chopped *reserve a little bit for sprinkling

--2 large eggs

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1. Pulse the can of whole peeled tomatoes in a blender or food processor, leaving some small chunks. Set aside. **you could buy diced tomatoes if you don't want to mess with this step, but I've only made it with whole tomatoes so I'm not sure how that would turn out. It's definitely a quicker option if you wanna give it a try.**

2. Heat the olive oil in a large pot or Dutch oven over medium heat. Add the garlic and onions and saute for 3-4 minutes. Add the ground beef and sausage and cook until browned. Drain off almost all of the excess fat, leaving just a little bit for flavor. Add the marinara, tomatoes, Italian seasoning, red pepper flakes and salt and pepper. Stir to combine, lower heat to low and simmer for 25-30 minutes.

3. Remove 3-4 cups of the cooked sauce and put in a separate bowl to cool down.

4. Preheat oven to 375 degrees F

5. Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil and cook Ziti until not quite al dente, you want it to be just a little under done; it will finish cooking in the oven.

6. In a large bowl mix 2 cups of the mozzarella cheese, the entire tub of ricotta, Parmesan, parsley, eggs and salt and pepper. Stir together, but do not mix completely.

7. Drain the Ziti and rinse until cold water to stop the cooking. Pour the Ziti into the bowl with the cheese mixture and toss to combine; there will still be large lumps. Add the reserved cooled meat sauce and toss to combine.

8. Add half of the pasta mixture to a large casserole dish (a lasagna dish works great). Then spoon half of the remaining sauce over the top, then top with 1 cup of remaining mozzarella cheese. Repeat with another layer of the pasta mixture, the remaining sauce, then the last cup of mozzarella cheese.

9. Bake about 20 minutes, until bubbling. Let stand 5 minutes before sprinkling with the reserved last bit of chopped parsley.

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