Some days, you just don't want to cook. When I have those days, I turn to this baked ziti recipe. I originally got this recipe from my sister-in-law, but I have modified it by using my own homemade sauce. It is delicious and you can use sauce you have already made and frozen. I use my spaghetti sauce and cauliflower alfredo.
I take them out of the freezer and thaw them out and the rest is simple. I get a box of ziti noodles and cook them for about half the time it says on the box. Then I layer the spaghetti sauce, the alfredo (about half as much as the spaghetti sauce), the noodles, and mozzarella cheese. I usually have enough room for only 2 layers. And I usually put a ridiculous amount of cheese on there. I really like cheese. Then I top it with a little bit of freshly grated parmesan cheese and pop it in the oven. I cook it at 350 for about 30 min or until it's bubbly. You could even assemble it ahead of time and freeze it if you wanted to, it just takes a lot longer to cook. I tried it once, and was unhappy with how long it took to cook.
The end result is cheesy, yummy noodles that my kids love to eat (and me too). It's healthy and has an insane amount of veggies in it too (cauliflower, zucchini, mushrooms, peppers, carrots, celery, or whatever you like to put in your sauce). Enjoy!
That looks really yum
ReplyDeleteHow long did it take you to cook it from frozen? I'm thinking of making one and freezing it for a quick easy meal during the week or so after the baby is born.
ReplyDeleteI tried assembling it together, freezing it and then cooking it. It took a super long time to cook. I would compare it to cooking a frozen lasagne - a couple hours. I'm not sure if you would want something cook that long during the hottest part of the summer. It doesn't take much to assemble it if all the components are already made. But then, you also use your AC so it probably doesn't get too hot. I think a rule of thumb is to cook it until it starts bubbling. Good Luck!
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