Quick & Easy Baked Ziti

 

This is the perfect dish for Meatless Monday, particularly in a month such as this one where the weather can be dreary and bitingly cold. Do yourself a favor and put it together early in the day to be baked around dinnertime. Serve it with an Italian salad, some cheesy garlic bread, and you have a wonderful, memorable, family pleasing meal.

Quick & Easy Baked Ziti

3 T. olive oil
1 T. Melissa’s minced garlic
1 14.5-oz. can petite diced tomatoes
1 14.5-oz. can stewed tomatoes
1 14.5-oz. can crushed tomatoes
1 t. sugar
Pinch kosher salt
½ t. dried basil
½ t. Italian seasoning
1 lb. ziti rigate, cooked al dente
½ c. shredded Gouda
½ c. grated Parmesan
1 c. shredded mozzarella

Béchamel Sauce
2 T. butter
2 T. flour
Freshly ground black pepper
A generous grating of fresh nutmeg
2 cups whole milk

Preheat oven to 350° F.

In a medium saucepan over medium heat, sauté garlic in olive oil for one minute. Add all three cans of tomatoes to the pot, sugar, and salt, and simmer 10 minutes. Add basil and Italian seasoning, reduce heat to low, and simmer 10 minutes more.

While the red sauce is simmering, make the béchamel sauce. Melt butter in a small pot over medium heat. Whisk in flour and cook one minute, adding salt, pepper, and nutmeg to flour. Add milk and bring sauce to a bubble, reduce for five minutes.

Place pasta into a 2-quart casserole dish. Pour the tomato sauce over the pasta, tossing to coat. Pour the béchamel sauce over the coated pasta and top with all three cheeses, scattering to the edges. Place the casserole into the preheated oven to melt the cheeses and bake until the edges are light brown and bubbly, 10 to 15 minutes.

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