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Baked Ziti for a Crowd (For A Crowd)

A fork pulls a cheesy, saucy bite from a serving of Baked Ziti for a Crowd, showing long cheese pulls.
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A recipe for making large batches of cheesy baked ziti, suitable for feeding many people or for freezing ahead of time.

Ingredients

Scale
  • 2 pounds dry ziti or penne pasta
  • 1 cup chopped onion (frozen is fine)
  • 2 pounds lean ground beef
  • 1 hot Italian sausage link, crumbled (optional)
  • 4 (26-ounce) jars spaghetti sauce
  • 3/4 pound (12 oz) sliced provolone (not smoked)
  • 1 cup sour cream
  • 1 egg, beaten
  • 1 (16-oz) carton whole milk ricotta cheese
  • 3/4 pound (4 cups) mozzarella cheese, shredded
  • 1/2–1 cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese
  • 1 TB Italian seasoning (optional)

Instructions

  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 ground beef over medium heat. Add spaghetti sauce, and simmer 15 minutes.
  3. In medium bowl, stir together ricotta, sour cream, egg & Italian seasoning.
  4. Spray one jumbo or two large aluminum foil pans with cooking spray.
  5. Layer ingredients as follows: Half of the sauce, Half of the ziti, Half of the Provolone cheese, Half of the mozzarella.
  6. Layer remaining sauce, ziti, provolone & mozzarella.
  7. Spread all of ricotta/sour cream mixture on top.
  8. Sprinkle parmesan on top.
  9. Bake at 350 degrees until bubbly.
  10. IF FREEZING: Assemble (but do not cook) ziti. Wrap well, label, and freeze.
  11. TO COOK FROM FROZEN: Place in fridge to thaw a few days before serving. Bake at 350 until bubbly. Allow to rest at least a half hour before serving.

Notes

  • Allow the baked ziti to rest for at least 30 minutes after baking before you serve it.
  • For freezing, wrap the assembled, uncooked casserole tightly and label it clearly.

Nutrition

Keywords: Baked Ziti, Cheesy Pasta, Family Casserole, Crowd Pleaser, Easy Dinner, For A Crowd

Find it online: https://www.meltitclean.com/baked-ziti-for-a-crowd-for-a-crowd/