Monday, September 15, 2014

Quick weeknight meal - Skillet Baked Ziti

I rarely post these days, because it's too hard to coordinate between my writing computer (laptop pc) and my photo computer (iMac). (I have to admit; there is a downside to having photos on iPhoto.) But I've made a couple of yummy things lately, so I just want to get them on here. This one my 12 year old daughter LOVED!

Skillet Baked Ziti (from Cooks Illustrated)

1 Tbs olive oil
6 cloves garlic, minced (I use the microplane, and I only used 3 large ones)
1/4 tsp red pepper flakes (luckily the girls didn't notice, but I could taste it)
1 28-oz can crushed tomatoes
3 cups water
12 ounces ziti (I use my awesome scale, but you could use 3/4 of a 1 lb box)
1/2 cup heavy cream
1/2 cup grated parmesan (again, microplane)
1/4 cup minced fresh basil (didn't have this, still delicious)
1 cup shredded mozzarella (not the pre-shredded kind)

Heat the over to 475 degrees. (I was also heating Sister Schubert rolls, so I only heated it to 350.)

Combine oil, garlic, crushed red pepper flakes, 1/2 tsp salt in a 12-inch oven-safe non-stick skillet. Saute over medium-high about 1 minute. Add tomatoes, water, ziti, and another 1/2 tsp salt. 

Cover and cook, stirring often and adjusting heat as needed to maintain a vigorous simmer, until ziti is almost tender, 15-18 minutes. 

Stir in the cream, parmesan, and basil. Season with salt and pepper to taste. (No salt was needed for mine. I always love a few fresh grinds of pepper.) Sprinkle the mozzarella evenly over the ziti and transfer the skillet to the oven to bake about 10 minutes. They like the cheese to be browned, but I know my kids wouldn't like that, so the lower temperature was just fine for us. 

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