Greek Baked Ziti Racael Ray Recipes

BAKED ZITI

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
• In a large skillet, melt half of the butter over medium heat. Add turkey and cook until browned. Add tomato sauce, oregano, parsley, salt, pepper, and onion and simmer until onion is tender.
• Cook pasta in a large pot of boiling, salted water until a little less than al dente. Drain and cool. Cut 1 of the blocks of cheese into cubes and slice the other into thin slices. Melt the remaining butter and pour into the bottom of a deep 9 by 13-inch baking dish. Pour 1 1/2 ladles full of the sauce into the dish, or enough to completely cover the bottom. Add a layer of pasta and then a layer of cubed cheese. Repeat layering until all ingredients are used.
• Fill 1 of the empty sauce jars 1/8 full with water and shake. Pour over pasta. Top with the thin slices of cheese, and sprinkle with additional oregano and parsley, if desired. Cover casserole with foil and place in oven. Check every 15 minutes until cheese is melted and bubbly. Remove foil for last 5 minutes of cooking to brown cheese.

GREEN PASTITSIO

Steps:

• If you're serving this baked pasta on the night you prepare it, preheat the oven to 375 degrees F.
• Heat the water to a boil for pasta, salt the water and undercook the pasta by about 2 minutes.
• While the water comes to a boil, heat the extra-virgin olive oil in a large skillet over medium to medium-high heat, add the garlic and onions, soften a few minutes then stir in chard to wilt. Then add the scallions, dill, mint, parsley, and black pepper. Reduce the heat to a simmer and keep greens warm.
• Meanwhile, heat the butter in a saucepot over medium to medium-high heat. As soon as the butter melts, add the flour and stir 1 minute. Whisk in milk and season with salt, pepper and nutmeg, to taste. Cook 4 to 5 minutes, or until the sauce is thickened.
• Drain the pasta and place back in hot pot, stir together with greens and feta to combine, taste to adjust seasoning. Place the pasta in a casserole dish and top with bechamel sauce and Parm cheese, place in oven and bake until bubbly and brown, 20 minutes or, cool and cover then store. To reheat, place in 375 degrees F oven and bake 45 to 60 minutes until brown.

SCUDERI KIDS' FAST, FAKE-BAKED ZITI

Steps:

• Put pasta water on to boil.
• In a medium sauce pot over medium heat, saute garlic in extra-virgin olive oil. Chop whole tomatoes and add them to the pan. Add crushed tomatoes and salt and simmer 10 minutes, add basil and simmer over low heat 10 minutes more.
• Add salt and pasta to boiling water and cook 6 minutes, leaving pasta a little chewy.
• While pasta cooks, melt butter in a small pot over medium heat. Whisk in flour, then cook 1 minute, adding salt and pepper and nutmeg to flour. Add milk and bring sauce to a bubble. Reduce 5 minutes.
• Drain pasta and transfer to a large flameproof casserole dish. Pour the tomato and basil sauce over the pasta and turn to coat the pasta. Pour the bechamel over the already coated pasta. Cover the top of the pasta with Asiago, Parmesan and mozzarella. Place the casserole under hot broiler and melt the 3 cheeses until brown and bubbly, 3 to 5 minutes. Serve immediately with Spinach and Artichoke Salad and bread.
• 3/4 pound, 4 to 5 cups, baby spinach, packed
• 2 (15-ounce) cans artichoke hearts packed in water, drained and sliced
• 1 clove garlic, finely chopped
• 2 teaspoons lemon zest
• 1 tablespoon lemon juice
• 2 tablespoons red wine vinegar
• 1/4 to 1/3 cup extra-virgin olive oil
• Salt and pepper
• A handful shredded Parmigiano-Reggiano
• Combine spinach and artichokes. Place garlic, lemon zest and juice in small dish and add vinegar. Let it stand 5 minutes then whisk in extra-virgin olive oil. Pour oil and vinegar dressing over salad and toss to combine. Season the salad with salt and pepper, to your taste. Top the salad with cheese then serve.

BAKED ZITI WITH SPINACH AND VEAL

Steps:

• Bring a large pot of water to boil for pasta.
• In the skillet heat the olive oil, 2 turns of the pan, over medium to medium-high heat. Add the ground veal and lightly brown and crumble, then add the chopped carrot, shallots, garlic, and sage and season with salt and a little pepper and cook to soften carrots and onions, about 5 minutes, stirring frequently, add the wine and turn the heat down a bit to simmer gently.
• Meanwhile, drop the pasta in salted water and undercook by 2 minutes from package cooking directions.
• In a saucepot over medium to medium-high heat, add butter and melt, whisk in the flour for 1 minute then whisk in the milk, bring to a bubble and season with more salt than pepper and a few grates of nutmeg. When the sauce has thickened enough to coat the back of a spoon taste and adjust nutmeg and pepper to your liking.
• Add the spinach to the veal until it is wilted and incorporate, then stir together the pasta, veal mixture, and sauce. Pour the mixture into a casserole and top with the cheeses. Cool, cover and store for a make-ahead meal.
• Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F.
• Place the casserole on a baking sheet to catch the drips and bake in a hot oven until brown and bubbly, 35 to 45 minutes if reheating, 15 to 20 minutes, if not.

GREEK BAKED ZITI -RACAEL RAY

Steps:

• Pre-heat the oven to 350ºF.
• Place a large pot of water over high heat to cook the pasta. When the water is boiling, add some salt and drop in the pasta. Cook to al dente, according to the package directions. Drain the pasta and reserve.
• Place a medium size pot over medium-high heat with two turns of the pan of EVOO, about 2 tablespoons. Add the ground lamb to the pot and cook until golden brown, 5-6 minutes.
• Add the onion, garlic, carrot, thyme, cinnamon and allspice to the pot. Season with salt and pepper and cook until the veggies are tender, 4-5 minutes.
• Add the can of tomatoes to the pot and gently break them up with a potato masher or back of a wooden spoon. Simmer the sauce until lightly thickened, 4-5 minutes.
• While the sauce is working, place another medium size pot over medium-high heat with the butter. When the butter is melted, sprinkle in the flour and cook for about 1 minute. Whisk the milk and nutmeg into the butter-flour mixture and season with salt and pepper. Simmer until thickened, 3-4 minutes. Remove the pot from the heat and stir in 1/2 cup of the grated cheese (about 2 handfuls, just eyeball it) into the sauce.
• In the bowl of a food processor, crush up the toasted pita or pita chips to make coarse breadcrumbs. (You can also make the breadcrumbs in a large plastic food bag using a rolling pin or frying pan to smash them up.) Transfer the breadcrumbs to a small bowl and toss with the remaining cheese and parsley.
• Toss the cooked pasta with half of the white sauce. Transfer half of the pasta to a casserole dish and ladle the red sauce over top. Cover the red sauce with the remaining pasta and ladle the remaining white sauce over the top of the dish. Sprinkle the breadcrumb-cheese mixture over everything and bake until light golden brown and bubbly, about 30 minutes.