Baked Ziti

INGREDIENTS:

Coarse salt and ground pepper
8 ounces ziti rigate (ridged) or other short pasta
1 cup part-skim ricotta
1 large egg, lightly beaten
3/4 cup finely grated Parmesan
1 cup shredded part-skim mozzarella
1 jar (24 to 26 ounces) best-quality tomato sauce (about 3 1/2 cups) (I'm not so sure that Ragu qualifies as a "best quality" sauce, but I use it anyway!)

DIRECTIONS:

1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Bring a large pot of water to a boil. Cook pasta until al dente, according to package instructions; drain and reserve.

2. In a small bowl, combine ricotta, egg, 1/4 cup Parmesan, and half the mozzarella; season with salt and pepper (if desired.)

3. In the bottom of a shallow 2-quart casserole dish, spread half the tomato sauce. Top with ziti, then ricotta mixture and remaining sauce. Sprinkle with remaining 1/2 cup Parmesan and remaining mozzarella. Place casserole on a rimmed baking sheet, and bake until top is browned and sauce is bubbling, 20 to 25 minutes (ish).

***Editor's notes: I don't follow this recipe exactly--(Don't be scared, Truly--it's easy!) I usually add a little more sauce (trust your instincts!) because I can't stand it when baked pasta dishes dry out, and once in a while I like to add cooked, sliced italian sausage to this dish before baking. And, of course I serve this with salad and garlic bread.***

~GG