Baked Ziti

Baked Ziti is a great for Sunday dinners or large gatherings. It is a bit of an effort to make, but it is well worth it. You can do everything but bake it and store in the refrigerator till an hour before it is time to eat.

To make this vegetarian you can use veggie sausage or leave the meat out all togeather.

1/2 pound ziti
2 tbsp olive oil
1 tbsp crushed garlic
1 lb spicy italian sausage
4 cups your favorite spaghetti sauce
1 onion (chopped)
1 large zucchini (cut into small strips)
1 bell pepper (cut in to small strips)
1 container baby bella mushrooms (sliced)
1/2 cup fresh grated romano cheese
1/2 cup ricotta
8 oz shredded mozzarella

Cook ziti as directed (adding a bit of salt is nice). In a large skillet heat oil and garlic over medium heat. Add sausages and cook till brown than place on the side. Add onion cook for 1 minute. Next add zucchini and pepper cook for 2 more minutes. Cook for 1 more minute after adding mushrooms. Stir in the spaghetti sauce and set aside.

Heat oven to 350. In a mixing bowl mix ziti with 1/2 of the sauce mix. In a baking dish pour 1/2 of the mixed ziti. Spread the ricotta cheese over the zitti. Add the mozzarella and 1/2 of the romano followed by 1/2 of the remaining sauce. Next pour in the remaining ziti followed by the remaining sauce. Finally top with the rest of the romano.

Bake covered for 45 minutes and uncovered for another 15 - 20 minutes.