BAKED ZITI with MEAT
Ingredients
- 1 medium green pepper
- 1 medium red pepper
- 1 tablespoon garlic, minced
- 16oz tomato canned
- ¼ cup wine table, red
- 8oz tomato sauce, canned
- 3 medium onions
- 1 teaspoon basil
- ½ teaspoon salt
- ½ teaspoon pepper
- ¼ tablespoon oregano
- ½ cup ricotta cheese, skim milk
- ¼ cup parmesan, grated
- ½ pound spinach, fresh
- ½ cup frozen corn
- 8oz ziti
- ¼ pound mushrooms, fresh
Directions
- Directions
- Coarsely chop the onion, red and green peppers. Clean stem and fine chop the spinach, chop mushrooms, cook ziti and drain.
- Heat 1 tablespoon of oil over medium heat, sauté peppers about 5 minutes, remove peppers with slotted spoon and set aside.
- Put in the rest of the oil and sauté onions about 3 minutes. Add the hamburger or sausage and brown stirring to break up the meat.
- Add garlic and mushrooms and sauté 2 more minutes. Drain the excess fat and grease.
- Break up the tomatoes with fork and add with the tomato sauce, wine, basil, salt, black pepper and oregano.
- Bring to boil. Lower heat and cook uncovered about 20 minutes. Add spinach and corn cooking until spinach wilts.
- Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Coat 2 ½ quart casserole dish with oil spray, combine ziti, tomato mixture, ricotta, and 2/3rds of peppers in large bowl then spoon into casserole dish.
- Sprinkle evenly with parmesan. Bake 25 minutes and garnish with rest of peppers after removal. Can substitute chopped broccoli for the fresh spinach.

