Baked Beef Ziti

Casey and I love this ww dish. It is really flavorful with all the Italian spices in it and makes great leftovers, too. I have slighty adapted the recipe to include extra meat and sauce. We like having that little bit of extra meat. Pictured with a side salad and my favorite garlic bread from Alexia (2 slices for 3 points plus).

Ingredients:

12 oz uncooked ziti

1/2 lb raw lean ground beef
2 tsp olive oil

2 medium garlic cloves, minced

1 tsp dried oregano*

1 tsp dried thyme*

1 tsp dried rosemary*

1/2 tsp salt

1/2 tsp black pepper

28 oz canned crushed tomatoes

8 oz can tomato sauce

1 cup part-skim mozzarella cheese, shredded

*I am liberal with the spices and usually add a bit more than a tsp of each

Directions:

Preheat oven to 350.

Cook pasta according to package directions. Drain, and set aside.

Meanwhile, heat oil in a medium saucepan over medium heat. Add garlic and saute 2 minutes. Add beef and cook until browned, breaking up meat wit h a spoon as it cooks, about 3 to 5 minutes. Drain off any fat and set pan back over medium heat.

Add oregano, thyme, rosemary, salt and pepper; stir to coat beef. Cook until herbs become fragrant, about 2 minutes. Add tomatoes and sauce and bring mixture to a boil; reduce heat and simmer for 5 minutes.

Spoon a small amount of beef-tomato mixture into bottom of a 4-quart casserole dish (just enough to cover surface); top with half of cooked ziti. Next, layer with half of remaining beef-tomato sauce and half of mozzarella cheese. Layer with remaining ziti and then top with remaining beef-tomato sauce; sprinkle with remaining mozzarella cheese.

Bake until cheese is golden and bubbly, about 30 minutes. Slice into 8 pieces and serve. Yields 1 piece per serving.

Servings: 8

Points Plus: 7

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