Changin' it up

Notice anything different?? I have been dying to change my blogger background for weeks now and just couldn't find anything that I liked. Everything looked too much like a page from a scrapbook. No, that's not a bad thing all the time, but I just didn't want a bright orange, yellow and pink striped background with a fake flower on it.... (My apologies if that is your blog background. It's lovely. I can't imagine why you would want something different......) This is the best that I have found thus far so for now- this is it! Enjoy! 

I realized this weekend that I have not blogged one of our favorite recipes! Ah! What have I been thinking? Maybe subconsciously I thought I could keep it a secret... but, I love to share and talk, so today is your lucky day! 

Baked Ziti 

Ingredients

• 12 ounces ziti (about 4 cups)
• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• 1 large onion, chopped
• 2 cloves garlic, finely chopped
• 1/2 pound lean ground beef
• Kosher salt and black pepper
• 1 26-ounce jar marinara sauce
• 1 whole zuchinni, chopped
• 4 button mushrooms, chopped
• 1/2 cup ricotta
• 1/2 cup grated Parmesan (2 ounces)
• 1 cup grated mozzarella (4 ounces)

Directions

1. Heat oven to 400° F. Cook the pasta according to the package directions. Drain the pasta and return it to the pot.
2. While the pasta is cooking,  heat the oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Add the onion and garlic and cook, stirring every once in a while, until they begin to soften, 4 to 5 minutes. Add the beef,   ¾ teaspoon salt, and ¼ teaspoon pepper and cook, breaking up the meat with a spoon until it's not longer pink, 4 to 5 minutes. Add chopped zucchini and mushrooms and saute with the beef until they are slighty soft. Drain the beef mixture in a colander, return to pot. 
3. Toss the pasta with the meat mixture, marinara sauce, spinach, ricotta, and ¼ cup of the Parmesan. Transfer to a 9-by-13-inch baking dish or 4 large ramekins. Sprinkle with the mozzarella and the remaining ¼ cup of the Parmesan and bake until the cheese melts, 12 to 15 minutes.

This is some gooooood stuff. Enjoy guys! 

Recipe is adapted from Real Simple. Original recipe here.