Baked Ziti

This is, without doubt, the best dish to make for someone else -- birth in the family, someone in the hospital, friend working long hours . . . whatever the occasion, happy or sad, everyone loves it, it reheats beautifully, and it goes a long way! Where a pound of pasta usually feeds 4-6 people, baked ziti made with a pound of pasta will feed at least 8, if not more.

Boil a pound of ziti, but cook it for about 2 minutes less than the shortest time recommended on the box. (You're going to cook it more in the oven and if the pasta is too well done to begin with, it all will turn to mush.)

Drain the pasta and put it in a large bowl. Let it cool for a few minutes, but do not rinse in cold water to cool it down. Add 1 pound of ricotta cheese, 8 ounces shredded mozzarella (or more if you want it REALLY gooey), and 1/2 cup grated parmigiana cheese. Stir all that together.

Spray a baking dish with non-stick cooking spray and cover the bottom liberally with sauce. You can use marinara or the sauce that was made with the meatballs and sausage in it -- and then serve the meat as a side dish. Some people also like to make theirs with a Bolognese (meat) sauce, and I'll post a recipe for that sauce within a few days, but I prefer baked ziti without all the meat baked in with the ziti and cheese. If you are not feeding vegetarians, the sauce made with the meatballs and sausage is preferred -- it's much richer and more flavorful.

Put about 1/2 your pasta and cheese mixture into the dish and cover liberally with sauce. Then repeat the process with the remaining pasta/cheese mixture. Make sure there's enough sauce that this comes out nice and juicy, but isn't drowning in sauce. Stir it a little gently from the top just to incorporate the sauce a little bit.

Cover with foil and bake at 350 degrees for 45 minutes. Remove the foil and put your finger right in the middle of the dish. If it's so hot that your finger immediately recoils, then it's done. If not, cook for continuing 5 minute intervals until it's steaming hot.

Let it sit for about 5 minutes, covered with foil, before serving. And whatever is left over can be reheated in the microwave for days and it just keeps tasting better and better with each passing day.