Layer = 1/2 noodles, all ricotta, 1/2 beef+sauce, 1/2 noodles, 1/2 beef+sauce and then ton of cheese. I also add parm into the mix.
Also easy to make ahead, and leave in fridge covered in foil. Just bake for 30 minutes covered with greased foil, and then take foil off for 15-30 minutes. Can use a thermometer to see if it is hot (or your finger if you are brave/dumb)
Ingredients
• 1 pound Beef or Italian sausage or a combination.
• 1 small onion, diced
• 28 ounces pasta sauce or marinara sauce
• 14 ounces diced tomatoes, undrained
• 2 teaspoons Italian seasoning
• ½ cup water
• 16 ounces ziti
• 15 ounces ricotta cheese
• 2 tablespoons fresh parsley
• 1 egg
• 2 cups mozzarella cheese, shredded
• ¼ cup Parmesan cheese, shredded
Instructions
1. Preheat oven to 375°F.
2. Brown the sausage and onion, breaking up the sausage until it’s fairly fine. Drain any fat.
3. Add Italian seasoning, water, tomatoes, and pasta sauce. Simmer for 10-15 minutes or until thickened.
4. Meanwhile, boil ziti in salted water until al dente. Drain and rinse.
5. In a bowl, mix ricotta, egg, parsley, 1 cup mozzarella, and Parmesan.
6. Add a thin layer (about 1 cup) of sauce to the bottom of a greased 9×13 pan. Layer half the ziti, all of the ricotta mixture, and half of the sauce.
7. Add the remaining ziti, the remaining sauce, and top with the remaining mozzarella.
8. Bake for 25-30 minutes or until golden and bubbly.
Notes
• Use a large pan so the sauce can simmer without overflowing.
• Cook the pasta slightly under al dente as it will continue to cook when baked.
• If using ground meat other than sausage, add extra seasoning and a tablespoon of olive oil to the sauce.
• Top with fresh basil or parsley for serving.
• For make-ahead: Prepare and refrigerate for up to 24 hours. You may need to add an extra 5-10 minutes if baking directly from the fridge.
• This recipe can also be divided into two 9-inch baking dishes, with one half frozen for later. Thaw overnight in the fridge and bake until hot and bubbly.
These were well received. Need to start one or two days before you need them. Makes 10 large pretzels.
744g High Gluten Flour (372)
483g water
12g Salt
28g Oil (peanut)
24g Malt Powder
12g Active Dry Yeast
Half a cap (tsp) vinegar
Add to mixer or bread machine on dough cycle (1/2 first) and refrigerate for two days in greased gallon bag(s). I had to add about 2 TB of flour as it was too wet.
Take out of bag and divide into 10 pieces. Let warm up and loosen up. You will need two silicon mats for this.
Outside, make a lye bath (I think I used 1/4 cup to 5 cups of water). Add lye to water, not the other way around. Important. Wear protection for eyes and gloves. You can do these in baking soda, but you must boil them in a baking soda solution for about 30 seconds.
Roll out pretzel dough, roll into a pretzel and dip into lye bath you made for 20 seconds. Pretzel will turn yellow. Set on mat (5 per cookie sheet) and sprinkle with Pretzel salt.
Cook at 400 degrees for 16-20 minutes depending on how done you like them. I like the 20 mins. Spritz with water bottle to make them shinier.
Cinnamon Sugar Bites:
Instead of rolling out pretzels, roll into logs and use the dough scraper to slice into bites. I use the last of the Lye, but dilute by another 50%. Dip em and cook them on silicon mat.
Cook 15 minutes at 400.
Shake bites in butter( about 3 TB) in bowl, then (in a gallon bag add 3/4 sugar and 3tsp cinnamon) and shake the butter covered bites. Enjoy.
Cream Cheese dip
4 ounces (113 grams) cream cheese, completely softened to room temperature
4 tablespoons (57 grams) unsalted butter, at room temperature
Recipe below is doubled. If you want extras (7-8 servings) make this one. Don’t fool around with amounts.
1 stick of butter
1/2 cup of flour
1/2 large onion diced
4 cups half and half
6 cups chicken broth (48 ounces)
4 bay leaves
1/2 tsp nutmeg
Pepper
2 tsp kosher salt
2 cooked heads of broccoli or four cups of cooked (soft). (microwave frozen will work)*
Shredded semi cooked carrot (1 large or about half a cup) – OPTIONAL
1 tsp hot pepper flakes (optional)
24 ounces of sharp cheddar cheese (yes this a lot)
Two baguettes to dip (don’t add to soup, duh)
Melt butter in large soup/pasta pan. Add onion and sauté until softened. Add flour and make roux for about 5 mins on med. Add everything but cheese and carrot (optional). When you see it start to get hot, take out all 4 of the bay leaves. Then, use an immersion blender to break up Broccoli. When it starts to bubble (boil), turn off heat immediately and add cheese a little at a time and mix in. DO NOT COOK OR ADD MORE HEAT or you will get mealy sauce. Add in optional carrot (suggest softening in microwave first) and serve with bread.
*If you don’t have an immersion blender run through a food processor before adding or chop as fine as you can before adding.
1/4 C ‘set aside’ sugar on plate or bowl for dipping cookie balls
DIRECTIONS
Preheat oven to 375. Mix flour, baking soda and salt in bowl (not mixing bowl). In mixing bowl of mixer, Mix White and brown sugar and peanut butter. Then add eg, then vanilla. Gradually add the flour mixture on SLOW. Be careful.
After all mixed, roll into 2 inch balls or use disher and roll in sugar you set aside. Place on cookie sheet. Make ‘cris cross’ marks with a fork. Bake for 10-12 minutes.
This makes a LOT. I usually do the half portion. Was plenty for 3# of sirloin kabab meat. Suggest you take it out and let warm up for an hour or your hands gonna get cold throwing on the skewers.
1 C Veg Oil (I like peanut, avoid seed oils)
3/4 C Soy Sauce
1/2 C Lemon Juice
1/4 C Worcestershire sauce
2 TB ground mustard (can use yellow but not as good)
1.5 tsp course black pepper
2 cloves fresh garlic or 1 tsp gran garlic
1 tsp table salt
Sit overnight if possible but no longer than 1.5 days or it will be too mushy.
Mix in rest of ingredients with a spoon. Gonna look raggedy. Cover, let sit 30 mins.
Fold in corners (four) with wet hand. This is a lazy knead. Slap it back down in bowl.
30 mins later, kneed with wet hands let sit 2 hours on cool day on counter or 1 hour in oven on ‘proof’ cycle. If your kitchen is warm or cold adjust. You will figure it out. Hard to screw this up. Should double in size. Hasn’t doubled? Wait longer.
Pre heat oven to 440 degrees. Cut into 6 even pieces and kneed and tuck in smooth balls. You have to pull dough and tuck. Cover dough and rest 30 mins. I would suggest using parchment paper on cookie tray and covering with a tin pan. You can use plastic wrap but it sticks if you don’t flour the balls.
Baking part is toughest. Splash the balls with water. Don’t drown them. Cover with a foil pan. Or use two cake pans…or whatever you can to seal in the STEAM. Cook 20 minutes at 440 degrees.
Uncover / remove the pan, and cook for 5-10 minutes until brown level you like is achieved.
Winner recipe. All eaten on first attempt at making. Ours were browned at 6 mins. Don’t forget the butter!
Directions: Preheat oven 350. Cream sugar and flour. Add Egg mix. Everything else. Scoop and roll balls in sugar. Cook for 7-8 minutes. You do NOT want golden edges. Take that shiz out!
