Baked Ziti Casserole

1/4 cup salad oil (preferably olive oil)
1 1/2 cup finely chopped onion
1 clove garlice, crushed
1 can (2lbs+ Italian Tomatoes (or may use crushed tomatoes or tomato
sauce)
1 can (6 oz.) tomato paste
2 Tbsp chopped parsley (or dried parsley)
1 Tbsp salt
1 Tbsp sugar
1 1/2 tsp. oregano
1/2 tsp dried basil leaves
1/4 tsp pepper
1 pkg. (1 lb.) ziti (macaroni)


Cheese Layer

2 large cartons Ricotta Cheese (15 oz each) - consider using Skim Ricotta,
or
partially skim

1 pkg 8oz mozzarella cheese, diced
1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese
2 eggs
1-2 Tbsp Chopped parsley (dried, or fresh)
1 tsp salt
1/4 tsp pepper

Parmesan Cheese - 3-4 Tbsp (grated)


To make sauce: In large pot (preferably 6+ qt Pot), saute onion and garlic
'tilgolden brown. This should take about 9 or 10 minutes. Add tomatoes
with the liquid, (or your can of crushedtomatoes, or can of sauce,
depending upon which product you chose to use), tomato paste, 1 1/2 cups
water, 2 Tbsp. parsley, 1 Tbsp salt, sugar, oregano,basil, and 1/4 tsp.
pepper. Mix this well. Mash tomatoes with fork (if used the Italian
tomatoes instead of sauce etc). Simmer, coveredfor one hour, stirring
occasionally. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Cook box of ziti following
directions on package. To make cheese layer: In large bowl, combine
ricotta, mozzarella, 1/3 cup parmesan,eggs, parsley, salt, and pepper.
Beat with wooden spoon until blended. Spoon a some sauve into 5 qt
casserole. Place a third of the ziti as the bottom layer,then the cheese
mixture, then the remaining sauce. Sprinkle sauce with 1 Tbsp Parmesan.
Repeat again twice. Bake, uncovered, 45-50 minutes, or until center
bubbles.

Serves 8 people well. If you have side salads, will probably serve 10.

Crowd Coming? Or do you merely have a large family of good eaters? Then,
you may use the 42 oz size of Ricotta, and double the tomato sauce (or
tomatoes) and double the ziti. Yum - Serves a crowd. Make two trays!

Special needs version (if can't eat Riccotta)If there is one person among
your group who cannot have fat or who cannot have Riccotta cheese,make
theirs by coating bottom of small over-proof baking dish with the sauce
you made (above), then place layer of cooked ziti (or other cooked
noodles) on the sauce.

Next, sprinkle mozzarella on that layer of sauce, and mix lightly so that
mozarella is only slightly mixed in with sauce and a bit of the ziti
below. Add layer of sauce on top. Sprinkle layer with mozzarella lightly.
Coat mozzarella with sauce, mix mozzarella intosauce lightly to make sure
sauce covers it. (Optional- a shake or two of parmesan ontop.) Bake this
in its own oven-proof baking dish. Your guest will have his/herown small
piping hot version of baked ziti to enjoy, though not as authentic as
theprimary one listed above.



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