Baked Ziti with Three Cheeses

Est. Cost: $17.71 | $2.21 per person

Estimated cost based on featured sale items only. Does not include common pantry staples (oil, salt, spices, etc.).

Ronzoni ziti folded into sale-priced marinara and baked under a thick blanket of cheese. A pan that feeds a crowd and reheats even better the next day.

Ingredients

Directions

Step 1: Heat the oven to 375 degrees and grease a 9 by 13 inch baking dish.

Step 2: Boil the pasta in well-salted water for two minutes less than the package directs, then drain and reserve a cup of the cooking water.

Step 3: Stir together the ricotta, egg, Parmesan, oregano, salt, and half the basil in a large bowl.

Step 4: Warm the sauce with the minced garlic in a saucepan for 5 minutes.

Step 5: Fold the drained pasta and most of the sauce into the ricotta mixture, loosening with pasta water if it seems thick.

Step 6: Spread half the pasta in the dish, scatter over half the string cheese, then add the rest of the pasta.

Step 7: Top with the remaining sauce and cheese, cover with foil, and bake for 25 minutes.

Step 8: Uncover and bake 15 minutes more, until browned and bubbling, then rest 10 minutes and finish with the remaining basil.

Chef's Tip: Pull the pasta a full two minutes shy of al dente, because it keeps cooking in the sauce and mushy ziti is the most common way this dish goes wrong. Save a cup of the starchy pasta water and loosen the sauce with it if the mixture looks tight. Letting the pan rest ten minutes after baking means you can cut clean squares instead of serving a landslide.

Save by using Building the dish on sale-priced pasta and jarred sauce instead of simmering one from scratch and Serve with Cheesy garlic bread and a sharp green salad.