Baked Ziti

Here's another recipe that I have modified from Taste of Home. My husband doesn't like ricotta cheese, so I had to come up with a substitution for that and cottage cheese in a lot of my Italian recipes. Through lots of trial and error, I hit upon using half and half, cream, or evaporated milk, or a combination of what was in the fridge. When it is mixed with the mozzarella cheese, and left set for a little while, it gets a thicker consistency. I tried regular milk, but it just wasn't thick enough to suit me.
I also discovered, in my humble opinion, that pizza sauce tastes much better than the spaghetti sauce. Also, shredding your own cheeses makes for a much better taste as well. This is one of our favorite casseroles. I usually make a double or triple batch and stick a couple in the freezer for meals during the week.

1 box ziti Cook according to package directions.

1 lb. ground beef, cooked until brown
1 28 oz. spaghetti sauce or 3 cups pizza sauce (I use Ragu Thick and Zesty Pizza sauce)
Mix these together.

2/3 cup half and half or evaporated milk or use 1 (15 oz) carton ricotta cheese
2 eggs, beaten
1 1/2 cups shredded mozzarella cheese
1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese
Mix together in large bowl and then toss with cooked ziti.

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Use 9 x 13 pan or a 2 quart casserole dish. Layer a couple of spoonfuls of the meat sauce (about 1/3) on the bottom. Layer 1/2 of the noodles. Layer 1/3 of the meat sauce, and then the rest of the noodles. Spread the remaining 1/3 of the meat sauce on top. Bake for 40 minutes. Remove from oven and spread 1 cup shredded mozzarella cheese on top.

Bake for another 10 - 15 minutes til the cheese is melted and browned.
Let set about 10 minutes before eating and enjoy with a green salad and some breadsticks.

If you want to make for the freezer, layer everything including the cheese in casserole dish. Cover with plastic wrap and freeze. Thaw and bake for 50 minutes.