Baked ziti and garlic bread

By taniaf

Ingredients

• for ziti:
• salt and pepper
• 8 oz ziti
• 1 cup ricotta
• 1 egg, beaten
• 3/4 cup grated parmesan
• 1 cup shredded mozzarella
• 1 jar (24 oz) tomato sauce
• for garlic bread:
• 1/2 loaf italian bread
• 2 tbsp melted butter
• 2 garlic cloves, minced

Preparation

Step 1

Preheat oven to 450 degrees. Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Cook pasta until al dente. Drain and reserve.
In a small bowl, combine ricotta, egg, 1/4 cup parmesan and half the mozzarella. Season well.
In the bottom of a shallow 2 quart casserole dish, spread half the tomato sauce. Top with ziti, then ricotta mixture and rest of sauce. Sprinkle with rest of parmesan and mozzarella. Place on a rimmed baking sheet, bake until top is brown, 20-25 minutes.
To make bread:
make deep even cuts into the bread about 1/2 inch apart, not through to the bottom. In a small bowl, combine the butter and garlic, season well. Brush garlic butter between cuts in bread. Wrap bread in foil, bake with ziti for last 10 minutes.