Baked Ziti

This recipe is a staple in our kitchen that I make at least once a week! I used to use a package of our ground beef for the meat, but recently started mixing it with our ground pork, and it’s been a game changer! Since each package of ground meat is 1.5 lbs., I usually take half of each one, and use the left over uncooked meat for lunches or something over the next couple of days. The mixture of the two types of ground meat seems to be the perfect balance when it comes to the fat content. As for the cheese, I use freshly grated parmesan, but it’s also great with mozzarella! It’s really a matter of preference. Same goes for the spaghetti sauce and the noodles- just use whatever you like! We even use chickpea pasta if we’re looking for more protein, and the texture is still amazing.

Ingredients:

-1.5 lbs. of ground meat (ground beef, ground pork, or a mixture of the two)

-About 1/2 jar of spaghetti sauce of your choice

-Freshly grated parmesan or mozzarella cheese

-8 oz. of pasta noodles

Directions:

  1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees.

  2. Start cooking your pasta, then in a separate cast iron skillet, brown your meat.

  3. When meat is browned, add your spaghetti sauce and stir.

  4. When pasts is done, strain and add to your skillet, mixing everything together.

  5. Top with your freshly grated cheese, and put your skillet in the oven for 10 minutes.