Baked Ziti

A friend made this one time for us and it was really good. It is so easy to make and these days, I sneak a box of chopped spinach in it and it goes over really well! It is easy to make vegetarian too. I always use whole wheat pasta too- you can't really tell when it is all baked together and you may as well get the protein/fiber boost. I like to serve this with a green salad and garlic bread. Also, if I am making this for just us, I use two 8x8 pans and freeze the second one before cooking it.

Baked Ziti
Italian chicken or turkey sausage, cooked
16 oz. penne pasta, cooked (short tubes)
15 oz. Ricotta Cheese
1 egg
Garlic Salt
Italian Seasoning
frozen chopped spinach, thawed, as much as you think you can get away with
1 28 oz. jar your favorite pasta sauce (I like Trader Joe's Three Cheese)
mozzarella cheese, shredded

Cook the pasta just short of the package instructions, by only a minute or so. Drain. Cook the meat and drain on a paper towel. Get all of the moisture out of the spinach. The best way I have found is to dump all of it in the middle of a clean dish towel and then run water over it and squeeze the spinach in the middle of the towel until it is pretty much dried out.

In a large bowl, mix ricotta, egg, garlic salt, spinach, Italian seasoning and pasta sauce. Stir in cooked pasta to coat as well as cooked meat. Pour into a 13x9 pan (or two 8x8 pans) and cover with mozzarella cheese and foil. Bake at 425 for 30-40 minutes until cheese is melted. I like to take off the foil and brown it a little under the broiler, but watch it so you don't burn it!