Baked Ziti

Ingredients

Instructions

  • 1 lb. ziti, with lines
  • 2 tbls. olive oil
  • 1 medium onion, chopped
  • 4 cloves garlic, minced
  • 1 - 28 oz can crushed tomatoes
  • 4 -5 basil leaves
  • salt and pepper, to taste
  • 3 tbls. butter
  • 3 tbls. flour
  • 2 cups whole milk
  • 1 bay leaf
  • freshly grated nutmeg
  • 1 large ball fresh mozzarella, diced
  • 1 /3 cup grated parmigiano reggiano
  • cheese, (a handful)
  • Optional:
  • 1 1/2 lb crumbled, cooked italian
  • sausage
  • 12 meatballs
Preheat oven to 400.

Bring a large pot of water to a boil. Add 1/2 tsp salt. Cook pasta until just shy of al dente. Drain thoroughly.

While the water is coming to a boil, start the red sauce: Add olive oil to a medium saucepan. Add onion and garlic and cook, stirring, until onion is tender, about 4 minutes. Add the tomatoes and basil. Season with salt and pepper. Bring to a bubble and simmer 15 minutes.

Make the white sauce while the red sauce is simmering: Melt butter in an medium sauce pan. Add the flour, stir to combine and cook for one minute. Whisk in the milk and add the bay leaf, some salt and pepper and a couple of grates of nutmeg. Lower the heat and simmer, stirring frequently, for five minutes. Remove bay leaf.

Combine the drained ziti with the red sauce in the pot the pasta was cooked in. Transfer to a baking dish. Top with the white sauce. Sprinkle the mozzarella and grated parmesan on the top, transfer to the oven and bake for 25 - 30 minutess.

We like to add 1 1/2 pounds of cooked italian sausage and/or 12 meatballs. Mix with the ziti and red sauce before transferring to baking dish.