Comfort Food

Everyone who cooks regularly, and some who don't, probably know a recipe by heart.
I know TWO. [Yes, in some demented world, this does make me some kind of chef royalty.]

Baked ziti is something I've been eating since I was very young when we would go to visit my grandparents. My grandma was Italian, and made the BEST meatballs and sausage. Sadly, I have not attempted that yet.

I always try to keep the ingredients for this on hand, and its my go-to recipe if I need to feed a lot of people [I barely have enough money to buy meat for myself, much less buying the grocery store out of meat if my boyfriend ever has friends over].

The beauty of this dish is that you could mess it up, you could add things to it, you can halve it and double it, and it will still be delicious. This is an excellent meal for young kids to make as they start to learn to cook, because it uses very simple measurements and is a food they can recognize from any Italian restaurant. I'm all about success.

So tonight, I was starving, but I have a term paper due tomorrow [not something you normally hear in your average cooking blog] and I'm still struggling with my writing groove. I didn't have time for spending any time outside of the necessary in the kitchen.

As you'll notice from both pictures, disposable plates and pans are a college girl's best friend. So next time you're looking for a present for that college-aged individual that you know, I'd recommend a large package of Solo plates and plastic silverware. Or you know, cash :)


Baked Ziti/penne/mosticcioli/umm...I used some rotini too

Box of pasta
Half a jar of sauce [or if you use your own sauce it comes to about 1 and 3/4 cup]
1 or 2 garlic cloves, pressed or finely chopped
1 can of cheddar cheese soup
1 cup mozzarella cheese
Additional mozzarella cheese for topping
Parmesan cheese for garnish

Heat oven to 350 degrees.

Cook pasta as required according to box, and drain. [I used whole wheat pasta to try and get all the health out of this dish as possible.]

Put hot pasta in casserole dish. Mix in cheddar cheese soup. Then mix in garlic and sauce. Mix in mozzarella cheese, and feel free to add more if you want. Top pasta with another layer of mozzarella cheese as desired. [Sometimes I add Parmesan cheese at this time as well.]

Cover pan with the lid or foil. Cook at 350 for 30 minutes. If you want the cheese to be browned on top you can take the foil off at 25 minutes and cook for an additional 10 minutes.

Top with grated Parmesan cheese if desired on individual plates.



**This makes great leftovers too; it heats up great in the microwave without needing additional liquid added to it.
***Recommendations for great things to add to this dish: fresh basil, pre-cooked shredded or cubed chicken, meat sauce, meatballs or Italian sausage, pepperoni. Be creative!