Two Layer Baked Pasta Recipes

TWO LAYER BAKED PASTA

Steps:

• RED SAUCE: Cook ground beef in a large skillet, breaking up with a spoon, until no longer pink, about 10 minutes.
• Drain off fat.
• Add next 7 ingredients& cook over medium heat, stirring occasionally, until the onion is softened, about 5 minutes.
• Add tomatoes& paste, bring to a boil, then reduce heat& simmer until a spoon scraped across the bottom of the pan leaves a gap that fills in slowly.
• This should take about 30 minutes.
• WHITE SAUCE: Melt butter over medium heat in a saucepan.
• Whisk in flour& cook, whisking constantly, for a minute.
• Gradually add milk, 1/2 cup at a time, whisking constantly; continue cooking& whisking until thickened, about 15 minutes.
• Stir in cheese& seasonings.
• PASTA: Cook in a large pot of boiling salted water until tender but firm, about 8- 10 minutes or according to package directions.
• Coarsely chop spinach, add to the pot& give it a stir.
• Drain well.
• ASSEMBLY: Arrange half of the pasta mixture in a 13 x 9 inch glass baking dish.
• Spoon red sauce over top; sprinkle with artichoke hearts.
• Top with remainder of pasta mixture.
• Spoon white sauce over top; sprinkle with cheese.
• Bake in preheated 375F oven until bubbly& golden, about 25 minutes.
• Let stand for 10 minutes before serving.
• If made in advance& frozen, thaw in refrigerator& add 10 minutes to cooking time.

LAYERED PASTA BAKE

Steps:

• Cook pasta in boiling salted water according to package directions; drain.
• Toss pasta with oil; spoon into a lightly greased 13x9 inch baking dish; set aside.
• In a skillet over med-high heat, cook the beef, onion, and garlic for 5-6 minutes or until beef is browned, stirring to crumble beef; drain and return to skillet.
• Add wine, spaghetti sauce, and next 3 ingredients to skillet; bring to a boil.
• Decrease heat and simmer 10 minutes; stir in ¼ teaspoon pepper.
• In a bowl, combine cottage cheese, ½ cup parmesan cheese, ½ cup mozzarella cheese, remaining ¼ teaspoon pepper, and eggs; spoon mixture over the pasta.
• Spread beef mixture over the top.
• Sprinkle with remaining ½ cup parmesan and ½ cup mozzarella; top with bread crumbs.
• Bake, uncovered, at 350° for 30 minutes or until bubbly.

2 LAYER BAKED ZITI

Steps:

• Sauté chopped onion in olive oil until tender. Add garlic and sauté one minute more. Crumble ground beef into pan and brown. Drain beef mixture and return to pan. Stir in spaghetti sauce and 1/2 teaspoons of salt and set aside.
• Melt butter in heavy saucepan, and whisk in flour until smooth. Cook for 1 minute, whisking constantly. Gradually whisk in milk and whisk till mixture is thick and bubbly. Stir in parmesan cheese, remaining salt, and the pepper. stir till mixed well. Poor mixture over your cooked ziti noodles and mix well, making sure the noodles are well covered with Alfredo sauce.
• Transfer noodles to a lightly greased 9x13 casserole dish. Top evenly with the ground beef and spaghetti mixture. Sprinkle with mozzarella cheese. Bake at 350°F for 25-30 minutes till heated through and cheese is melted.