Baked Ziti

For the first year of our marriage whenever I cooked I instinctively made enough food for ten people at least without even thinking about it. I was just used to cooking for a ton of people being from such a large family. Back then John could almost kill a whole 9X13 pan of food by himself...but things change. His metabolism has slowed down and he doesn't eat nearly as much as he used to. As for me...I'm still trying to find my metabolism from those days. It must be hiding in a closet somewhere with my pre-birthing hips!

My mom's house is still the gathering place on Sunday. Every Sunday my mom still makes enough food for around 40 people. Sometimes only 10 people come over, sometimes a huge crowd. Although I live thousands of miles away from her now, on Sundays I still tend to cook big meals. 

I am always looking for recipes to feed a crowd since we like to have friends over to our house for dinner often. This meal is great because both the kids and the adults will like it. It's also a great take in meal for someone who is sick or just had a baby. Add a salad and some garlic bread and you're set. This recipe makes a heaping 9X13 so if you are just feeding your little family you should half it. The sour cream and Provolone give it great flavor. It has a similar taste to lasagna without all the hard work!

Baked Ziti

Source: adapted from Allrecipes

Makes 10 servings

1 pound dry ziti pasta

1 onion, chopped
1 pound Italian sausage ( or ground beef...I like sausage better)
2 teaspoons minced garlic
2 teaspoons Italian seasonings
2 (26 ounce) jars spaghetti sauce ( I used one Garlic and Onion and one Sausage)
6 ounces provolone cheese, sliced ( 9 rounds)
1 1/2 cups sour cream
8 ounces mozzarella cheese, shredded
grated Parmesan cheese

Directions
1. Bring a large pot of lightly salted water to a boil. Add ziti pasta, and cook until al dente, about 8 minutes; drain.
2. In a large skillet, brown onion and sausage (or beef ) over medium heat. Add minced garlic and cook for a minute or so. Add spaghetti sauce and Italian seasonings, and simmer 15 minutes.
3. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Butter a 9x13 inch baking dish. Layer as follows: 1/2 of the ziti, 1/2 sauce mixture, Provolone cheese, sour cream, remaining ziti, remaining sauce mixture and then mozzarella cheese. Top with grated Parmesan cheese.
4. Bake for 30 minutes in the preheated oven, or until cheeses are melted. You may want to cover it for the first 20 minutes with foil and then let the cheese melt and brown for the last 10 minutes.