The name of the recipe, right out of my favorite new cook book (thanks again Julie), The Dinner Doctor, is Meaty Ziti...I'm sure this recipe is great just the way it was written in the book...but I decided to use half the amount of meat in this "meaty" dish and then couldn't find any Ziti so I used Penne (whole wheat too), and I also couldn't find the called for "frozen creamed spinach" (think it a southern thing) so I had to make my own and it was double what the recipe called for...so rather than Meaty Ziti...I think I ended up with Creamy Spinach Penne...I will list both recipes for you...
The Dinner Doctor's Meaty Ziti
1 lb ground beef round (or my sister-in-law suggested adding Italian sausage)
1 can crushed tomatoes, or 1 jar of marinara sauce
1 clove garlic- crushed
1 tsp dried oregano
1 tsp dried basil
8 ounces ziti
1 package (9 oz) frozen creamed spinach, thawed
1 package (2 cups) pre-shredded mozzarella cheese
1. Preheat oven to 375
2. Brown ground beef in large skillet, 4-5 minutes. Stir in tomatoes, garlic, oregano, and basil.
3. Spoon 1 cup meat sauce on bottom of 3-quart casserole dish. Arrange the ziti in an even layer on top of the sauce (no need to pre-boil the pasta, but check the done-ness before toping with cheese in step 4), Pour the remaining meat sauce over the ziti. Spread the creamed spinach evenly over the top. Cover the baking dish with foil.
4. Bake the ziti until bubbling, 30 minutes. Remove the baking dish from the oven and carefully remove the aluminum foil and set aside. Scatter the mozzarella evenly over the top and re-cover the dish with the foil. Let the ziti rest until the cheese melts, 10 minutes. Serve warm.
Creamy Spinach Penne
1/2 lb ground beef
1/2-3/4 jar of marinara sauce (depends on how much sauce you like)
1 clove garlic- crushed
8 ounces Whole Wheat Penne
1 recipe Creamed Spinach (recipe follows)*
1 package (2 cups) pre-shredded mozzarella cheese
1. Preheat oven to 375
2. Brown ground beef in large skillet, 4-5 minutes. Stir in Marinara sauce and garlic
* I made the creamed Spinach at the same time that the ground beef was browning, so not really more time, just a few more steps.
3. Spoon 1/2 meat sauce on bottom of 3-quart casserole dish. Arrange the Penne in an even layer on top of the sauce (no need to pre-boil the pasta, it will cook in the oven with the marinara sauce, but check the done-ness before toping with cheese in step 4), Pour the remaining meat sauce over the Penne. Spread the creamed spinach evenly over the top. Cover the baking dish with foil.
4. Bake the Penne until bubbling, 30 minutes. Remove the baking dish from the oven and carefully remove the aluminum foil and set aside. Scatter the mozzarella evenly over the top and re-cover the dish with the foil. Let rest until the cheese melts, 10 minutes. Serve warm.
Creamed Spinach
3 TBS butter
4 TBS flour
1 tsp salt
1 cup whole milk, cream or half and half
1/2 cup fat free sour cream
2 TBS butter
1/4 cup chopped onion
1/4 cup water
1 package chopped frozen spinach, thawed
1. Melt 3 TBS butter in small saucepan, stir in flour and salt until creamed together, slowly add milk, increase the heat, stirring constantly with whisk until mixture is thick and smooth. Remove from heat and set aside.
2. Melt 2 TBS butter in med saucepan, add onions and cook until transparent. Add spinach and water to pan, lower the heat, stir until all warmed through, add white sauce and sour cream. Heat through
....
Okay so when I made this I used about 16 oz of Penne (didn't look at the box, oops) so there wasn't enough liquid to completely cook all the pasta in the oven, but I will read the directions and boxes better next time and I'm sure it will turn out better...but the family loved it anyways even with a few not-so-done Penne's here and there...
And don't worry about the "S" word...the spinach was a nice mild flavor. I think spinach has gotten a bad rap over the years, but it's such a great vegetable that you can sneak into so many different dishes.
I also think I'm going to add this recipe (or both, the Meaty Ziti and Creamy Spinach Penne) to my make and take meals that take to families with new babies, or that have someone in the hospital, or whatever. You can make it all ahead of time and refrigerate it for 3-4 days before baking it...what a perfect thing to hand over to someone needing a meal...just don't forget to give them a bag of shredded cheese to top it at the end.
Also, first time I've ever made a creamed spinach, it was so yummy, I'm going to make it again with fresh spinach and serve as a side dish, I was licking the pan after I put it into the Penne dish!...might use some pearl onions rather than chopping up an onion...maybe topped with some crispy bacon crumbles?!?!
Serving options for this meal...French Bread...the meat, dairy, pasta, and vegetables are all in the dish, so no need to make anything else. Maybe a nice big salad.
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