Baked Ziti With Ground Beef

Ingredients

• 1 pound ground beef, (80/20)
• 1/2 pound Italian sausage
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 teaspoon pepper
• 1 1/2 cups onion, (chopped)
• 4 cloves garlic, (minced)
• 4 teaspoons Italian seasoning (divided)
• 48 ounces homemade marinara sauce, or 2 (24 ounce) jars-divided ()
• 1/2 cup water
• 1/2 cup heavy cream
• 1 (15-ounce) container ricotta
• 1 large egg, (lightly beaten)
• 1/8 teaspoon nutmeg, (optional)
• 1 cup Parmesan,-divided (grated)
• 2 cups Mozzarella, -divided (shredded)
• 16 ounces ziti

Instructions

1. 1

   Preheat oven to 350ºF (177ºC). Spray an extra-deep 9X13-inch baking dish (See notes above) with nonstick cooking spray; set aside. Do Not use a standard 13X19. You can use a 9X13 inch baking dish that has sides that are 3 inches high.

2. 2

   In a large pot over medium-high heat, add the beef (1 pound) and sausage (1/2 pound) and sprinkle with salt (1 teaspoon) and pepper (1/2 teaspoon). Brown mixture, crumbling into large pieces. Transfer to a paper towel-lined plate. Discard all but 2 tablespoons of drippings from the pot. If you don't have that amount remaining, add olive oil to make up the difference.

3. 3

   Add the onion (1 1/2 cups), garlic (4 cloves), and 3 teaspoons Italian seasoning and saute, over medium-high heat, until soft, about 5-7 minutes. Return beef and sausage to the pot. Add half of the marinara sauce (2 cups or 1 jar), water (1/2 cup), and heavy cream (1/2 cup) to the onion and meat, turn the heat to low and heat through; set aside.

4. 4

   Meanwhile, bring another large pot of water, with 1 tablespoon of salt, to a boil. Cook ziti (16 ounces) according to the package instructions. Drain well, then return pasta to original pot off the heat, and add the remaining half (2 cups or 1 jar) of marinara sauce to pasta and combine; set aside.

5. 5

   In a medium bowl, stir together ricotta (1 container), egg (1), remaining 1 teaspoon Italian seasoning, and nutmeg (1/8 teaspoon); set aside.

6. 6

   --- Assembly: ---

7. 7

   Spoon a thin layer, about 1 cup of meat sauce in the bottom of an extra deep 13 by 9-inch pyrex. Pour half the ziti in the baking dish. Spread all the ricotta mixture over ziti, then sprinkle half the parmesan, half the mozzarella, and half the remaining meat sauce.

8. 8

   Spread the remaining ziti, then the remaining meat sauce, mozzarella, and Parmesan. Bake in preheated oven, uncovered 25-30 minutes or until cheese is golden and sauce is bubbly.