Spaghetti sauce and three kinds of Italian cheeses make a surprisingly quick and budgetfriendly baked ziti thats perfect for a weeknight meal. And dice some onion. Then throw the onion and garlic in a pot with some olive oil over medium heat. Stir them around and cook them for a few minutes, just long enough for the house to smell so good that everyone runs into the kitchen, embraces you, and says Whats for dinner, darling mother and wifeWere ready to eat. And then you yell Psyche and then you cackle in a very evil manner. Grab some of that there Italian sausage. Pronounced Eye talian And mash it in the pot with the onions and garlic. Throw in some hamburger, too. Or just use sausageOr just use hamburger Its a free country, Maynard Sorry I called you Maynard. Im also monumentally sorry about all the exclamation points. Stir it around until the meats all brown. Drain off the fat but please leave a little bit to make sure the whole baked dish is nice and moist and oh so decadent and pour in a big ol can of whole tomatoes And a regular ol can or two of tomato sauce. You could also just throw in a couple of jars of prepared marinara sauce. But I love the chunks of maters. Stir it around and add some salt and pepper. Throw in some Italian seasoningor whatever mix of things like parsley, basil, oregano, etc., that you want. And for a little spicered pepper flakesThen just let the sauce simmer on low. While the sauce is simmering, bawl up some mostaciolli. Drain it just before it reaches the al dente stage. Its going to bake in the oven later, so you want it to have a fighting chance to have some bite when its done. The sauce looks good So spoon a good three or four cups of the sauce into a separate bowl to cool off a bit. Youll see why in approximately 1. Meantime, make the cheese mixture. Use your very scary hand that resembles a naked chicken to grab a tub of ricotta. Plop it into a bowl, then laugh when it plops into the bowl in one piece. Hahahahahahaha Hahaha Haha. Ha. I fell better now. Grate a bunch of mozzarella And throw it into the bowl. Next, add a bunch of ParmesanRomanoAsiagoanything in that family, or a combination of the three. Crack in an egg and add some salt and pepper. Then give it a few stirs. Not enough to totally mix it togetheryou want big clumps of ricotta still intact. Throw in the cooled, rinsed pasta And toss it in the cheese mixtureagain, dont mix the heck out of it. Just toss. Toss peacefully. Now just pour on the sauce thats been cooling. I love life. Toss it as you go And add some more if you think it needs it. You want it to be really creamy, but really saucy too. Not to be picky or anything Ha. Now, pour half the coated pasta into a very big, very honkin casserole dish. Spoon some extra sauce over the top Then grate some more mozzarella and sprinkle it over the sauce. Add the rest of the pasta, packing it down a bit after you add it. Then spoon on the rest of the sauce And add more mozzarella. Actually, have your daughter add more mozzarella. Then check her fingernails and say, Ew Grody, man. Then listen to her retort, I learned it from you, mom. Then cry and imagine a different way of life. One that involves lovely fingernails and pantyhose. Then put all of those thoughts out of your mind. How To Cook Corn Tortillas. Its best not to go there. Bake it in the oven until its nice and bubbly and awesome Then sprinkle on some chopped fresh parsley if you have it. Or dont, if you dont have it. Im easy.  Come and get it Yum. You can also try slicing it into squaresbut it needs to sit and set a bit first. Have I mentioned this is delicious Youll like it. Youll love it Youll devour it. Heres the recipe Baked Ziti. November 2. 5, 2. Prep Time 1. 5 Minutes. Difficulty Easy. Cook Time 4. Minutes. Servings 1. Servings. Tablespoons Olive Oil. Garlic, Minced. 1 whole Large Onion, Diced. Italian Sausage. 1 pound Ground Beef. Oz. Size Whole Tomatoes, With Juice. Ounce Tomato Sauce Or Marinara Sauce. Italian Seasoning. Red Pepper Flakes Salt And Pepper, to taste. Ziti Or Mostaciolli, Cooked Until Not Quite Al Dente. Oz. Size Whole Milk Ricotta Cheese. Mozzarella Cheese, Grated. Grated Parmesan Cheese. Egg Fresh Minced Parsley. Heat olive oil in a pot over medium heat. Add onions and garlic and saute for several minutes, or until starting to soften. Add Italian sausage and ground beef and cook until browned. Drain off fat, leaving a bit behind for flavor and moisture. Add tomatoes, tomato juice, salt, pepper, Italian seasoning, and red pepper flakes. Stir and simmer for 2. After that time, remove 3 to 4 cups of the sauce to a different bowl to cool down. Preheat oven to 3. In a separate bowl, mix together the ricotta cheese, 2 cups of the grated mozzarella, Parmesan, egg, and salt and pepper. Stir together just a couple of times do not mix completely. Drain the pasta and rinse under cool water to stop the cooking and cool it down. Pour it into the bowl with the cheese mixture and toss to slightly combine there should still be large lumps. Add the cooled meat sauce and toss to combine. Add half the coated pasta to a large casserole dish or lasagna dish. Spoon half of the remaining sauce over the top, then top with half the remaining mozzarella cheese. Repeat with another layer of the coated pasta, the sauce, and the mozzarella. Bake for 2. 0 minutes, or until bubbling. Remove from oven and let stand 5 minutes before serving. Sprinkle chopped parsley over the pasta before serving.