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Greek Baked Ziti
Makes 6 to 8 servings
I made a half recipe, amounts in parentheses.
Ingredients
12 ounces ziti pasta (6 oz)
1 small yellow onion, chopped (no change)
1 tablespoon olive oil (1-1/2 tsp)
2 garlic cloves, minced (no change)
1 ˝ pounds lean ground beef (3/4 pound)
2 (15-oz.) cans tomato sauce (1-15 oz can)
1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice (1-1/2 tsp)
1 ˝ teaspoons dried oregano (3/4 tsp)
1 teaspoon sugar (1/2 tsp)
˝ teaspoon ground cinnamon (1/4 tsp)
1 ˝ teaspoons kosher salt, divided (3/4 tsp)
3 tablespoons butter (1-1/2 Tbsp)
3 tablespoons all-purpose flour (1-1/2 Tbsp)
3 cups milk (1-1/2 cups)
1 cup grated Parmesan cheese (1/2 cup)
˝ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper (1/4 tsp)
Vegetable cooking spray
1 (8-oz.) package shredded mozzarella cheese (4 oz)
⅓ cup fine, dry breadcrumbs (2-1/2 Tbsp)
Directions
Step 1
Preheat oven to 350°. Cook pasta in a Dutch oven according to package directions.
Step 2
Meanwhile, sauté onion in hot oil in large skillet over medium-high heat 4 to 5 minutes or until tender. Add garlic; sauté 30 seconds. Add beef; cook, stirring occasionally, 5 minutes or until crumbled and no longer pink. Drain mixture, and return to skillet.
Step 3
Stir tomato sauce, next 4 ingredients, and 1 tsp. salt into meat mixture. Bring to a simmer over medium-high heat, and cook, stirring occasionally, 2 minutes. Remove from heat.
Step 4
Melt butter in a large saucepan over low heat. Whisk in flour, and cook, whisking constantly, 2 minutes. Gradually whisk in milk. Increase heat to medium, and cook, whisking constantly, 5 to 7 minutes or until thickened and bubbly. Stir in Parmesan cheese, pepper, and remaining 1/2 tsp. salt. Add sauce to pasta, stirring to coat.
Step 5
Transfer pasta mixture to a lightly greased (with cooking spray) 13- x 9-inch baking dish. Top with beef mixture, mozzarella cheese, and breadcrumbs.
Step 6
Bake at 350° for 20 to 25 minutes or until mixture is bubbly and cheese is melted. Let stand 10 minutes before serving.
Step 7
MAKE IT AHEAD Fix and freeze this dish (unbaked) for a hands-off dinner. Let it stand 30 minutes before baking, and add 15 to 20 minutes in the oven.
Charlene’s notes 10-14-2022: This is so good! I made a half recipe but didn’t make any other changes to it.