Baked Ziti

By KDudek88

This baked ziti was absolutely delicious and filling. The creamy mascarpone made the sauce. And the spinach was a great addition, however I did not add the whole bag. Definitely a winter go-to recipe.

Ingredients

• 1 lb of ziti
• 1 thick-cut slice of pancetta, diced
• 1 onion, diced
• 3 cloves garlic, minced
• One 28 oz can crushed tomatoes
• One 8 oz container of mascarpone
• 1 tbsp red wine vinegar
• 1 bag/box of fresh spinach
• 1 ball of mozzarella thinly sliced

Details

Adapted from thekitchensinkrecipes.com

Preparation

Step 1

Preheat the oven to 450 degrees. Grease a baking dish (a 9 x 13-inch pan, 2 quart baking dish or similarly-sized dish will work).
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Bring a large pot of water to a boil. Add a couple big pinches of salt to the water, add the ziti and boil until the pasta is still shy of al dente . Drain the pasta, return it to the pot and set aside.
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Meanwhile, heat a large, deep skillet (or sauce pan) over medium heat. Add the diced pancetta and cook until the pancetta is browned and has let off some grease, about five minutes. If the pancetta sticks to the pan, add a little olive oil. Add the diced onions and minced garlic; cook for a few minutes, stirring. Add the tomatoes to the onion/pancetta mixture and cook over low heat for about 10 minutes. Add the mascarpone and vinegar to the tomato sauce, stirring until the cheese has completely melted. Add the spinach to the pan (you may need to do this a little at a time, depending on the size of your skillet), stirring until the spinach has wilted. Salt the sauce to taste, if necessary.
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Pour the tomato-spinach sauce over the reserved/cooked pasta. Stir to coat all the pasta with tomato sauce. Transfer the pasta to the prepared lasagna pan, spreading the pasta evenly in the pan. Top with the mozzarella, scattering the mozzarella evenly over the pasta.
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Bake the pasta, uncovered, for 25 to 30 minutes, or until the sauce is bubbling a bit at the edges and the cheese is golden brown. Let cool in the pan for 5 minutes or so before serving.