Twice-modified from a Rachael Ray recipe.
2 16oz cans of Spaghetti Sauce
1 lb short-cut pasta such as rotini or penne
1 16oz bag of shredded cheese – mozzarella works best
1 lb of ground beef, sausage, or pepperoni (or omit the meat for a great Lenten Friday meal)
1 16-oz tub of ricotta cheese (or you can make your own and it will taste just as good: 1 16-oz tub of cottage cheese, a good handful of grated parmesan cheese, an egg, and a splash of milk)
Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
Put the pasta on and cook to al dente, i.e., time it for the lower end of the recommended
cooking time While it’s cooking, mix up the fake ricotta and brown the meat.
Drain the pasta, put it back in its pan, and mix in one can of sauce.
Using a 9×13 baking pan, put in a bottom layer of the pasta. Next put in a layer of the ricotta or cottage cheese mix, then a layer of meat, then some sauce, then half of the shredded cheese. Repeat for a second layer.
Pop it in the oven, forget about it for 20 minutes (but don’t forget to set your timer), and then pull it out and chow down!
Serves 2 plus lots of left-overs.