Baked Beef Ziti

By jacewildman

Ingredients

• 12 oz penne noodles
• 1 28 oz can crushed tomatoes
• 1/2 cup chopped mushrooms
• 1 cup reduced fat mozzarella cheese, shredded
• 2 tsp olive oil
• 4 medium garlic cloves, minced
• 1/4 cup yellow onions, finely chopped
• 1/2 lb extra lean ground beef (96/4)
• 1 tsp oregano
• 1 tsp fresh basil, finely chopped
• 1 tsp thyme
• 1 tsp rosemary
• salt and pepper to taste

Details

Servings 6
Adapted from laaloosh.com

Preparation

Step 1

Preheat oven to 350°F. Cook pasta according to package directions; drain and set aside.
Meanwhile, heat oil in a medium saucepan over medium heat; add onions and garlic and sauté 2 minutes. Add beef and cook until browned, breaking up meat with a spoon as it cooks, about 3 to 5 minutes; drain off any fat and set pan back over medium heat.
Add the oregano, basil, thyme, rosemary, salt and pepper. Cook about 2 minutes. Add tomatoes and mushrooms and bring mixture to a boil; reduce heat and simmer for 5 minutes.
Spoon a small amount of beef-tomato mixture into bottom of a 4-quart casserole dish (just enough to cover surface); top with half of cooked pasta. Next, layer with half of remaining beef-tomato sauce and half of mozzarella cheese. Layer with remaining pasta and then top with remaining beef-tomato sauce; sprinkle with remaining mozzarella cheese. Bake until cheese is golden and bubbly, about 30 minutes. Cut into 6 pieces.