Comfort Food 001

I love pasta with every fiber of my being.  In another life, I was probably a very overweight Italian woman.  It brings me so much happiness and you can prepare it a gazillion ways.  Pasta is as diverse as meat.  There's orzo which is akin to rice, penne that goes with any sauce and large shells or manicotti for adding substantial fillings.  Really, I love them all.  I make a great, cold orzo salad for the spring and summer with fresh veggies, grilled chicken and feta.  In the winter, I often make a big pan or some sort of pasta for leftovers.  It freezes well and is easy to reheat.  That was a lot of build up to share one of my favorite recipes with you - baked ziti or rigatoni or penne.

Baked pasta

• 16 oz "tube" pasta - ziti, penne or rigtoni
• 1 jar pasta sauce - I recommend tomato and basil
• 8 oz ricotta
• 1/4 C sour cream - I use low fat
• 1 egg
• 8 oz shredded Italian cheese blend
• 1 lb ground pork, ground beef or Italian sausage - if using pork or beef, I recommend adding some diced onion, garlic and parsley for flavor

1. Preheat oven to 350.
2. Make pasta according to package directions. Meanwhile, cook ground meat or sausage over med-high heat in a skillet.
3. Mix pasta sauce, ricotta, sour cream, egg and half of shredded cheese in a large bowl.  Add ground meat and then pasta, mixing thoroughly to cover all of the pasta with the sauce.
4. Spread pasta mixture in 9x13 pan and top with remaining shredded cheese.  Bake for 20-25 minutes or until bubbling.