When the house is hot from the heat outside, the last thing you want to do it crank up the oven. But, what do you do when you are craving a big plate of baked pasta? Try the microwave.
As long as you have a microwaveable casserole dish that fits in your oven (and will still rotate), you can make your casseroles in half the time. I have a round stoneware dish as well as a covered stoneware baker. Both work perfectly in the microwave and are easy to clean too.
Here is a recipe for you to experiment with…
"Baked" Spinach Ziti in the Microwave
Ingredients
- 1 jar spaghetti sauce
- 1 pound ground beef browned and drained
- 1 15 ounce carton part-skim ricotta cheese
- 1 cup Parmesan cheese grated
- 1 egg slightly beaten
- 1 box frozen chopped spinach thawed and squeezed dry
- ½ teaspoon salt
- ¼ teaspoon pepper
- 1 box 16 ounces ziti, cooked according to package directions
- 2 cups shredded mozzarella cheese
Instructions
- Prepare the pasta according to package directions. Simmer the browned ground beef with the spaghetti sauce as the pasta cooks.
- Mix the ricotta, Parmesan, egg, spinach, salt and pepper together.
- Place enough sauce in the bottom of your microwaveable dish to barely cover the bottom. Add a layer of drained ziti. Dot the ziti with tablespoons of ricotta mixture. Smooth into a layer. Sprinkle about ½ cup of mozzarella cheese. Add a layer of meat sauce.
- Repeat layers, omitting the mozzarella layer and ending with meat sauce. Top with remaining mozzarella.
- Place the casserole into the microwave. Cover and set for 15 to 20 minutes on high. Allow the casserole to rest inside the microwave for about two minutes.
This post is linked with love at Balancing Beauty & Bedlam’s Tasty Tuesday and Gooseberry Patch.
This came out excellently! Thanks, Tabitha! I actually made this vegetarian and used GF pasta, and it was delicious! Even my picky eaters liked it!