Baked Ziti and Bolognese Meat Sauce


2 tablespoon butter
2 tablespoon olive oil
1 medium onion, finely chopped
1 carrot, finely chopped
2 ribs celery, finely chopped
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 lb. lean ground beef
1 lb. ground pork
½ teaspoon salt
½ teaspoon black pepper
1 cup red wine or beef broth
1 cups whole milk or half and half
two 28 oz. can chopped Italian plum tomatoes in puree
2 bay leaves
¼ cup chopped Italian parsley


Heat butter and oil in heavy saucepan. Sauté the onion, carrots, and celery for 3
minutes. Add garlic and cook for 2 minutes. Add the beef, pork, salt, and pepper.
Cook until meat is no longer pink, about 5 minutes, stirring often. Add the wine, half and
half, tomatoes, and bay leaves.
Cover; simmer for 1 hour, stirring often. Taste for seasoning. Stir in chopped parsley and remove the bay leaves before using the sauce on pasta, in lasagna and in baked ziti. Makes about 4 quarts of sauce. Perfect for freezing.

Baked Ziti

  • 2 lbs. ziti pasta, cooked a little underdone, drained
  • 1 lb. shredded mozzarella
  • 2 lbs. whole milk ricotta
  • 2 cups grated Parmesan cheese
  • 2 quarts Bolognese Sauce

    Place 2 cups of sauce on the bottom of a 13” x 11” x 3” baking pan.

    Top with a layer of one half of the pasta, sprinkle on ½ of the mozzarella, ½ of the ricotta and ½ of the grated Parmesan cheese. Drizzle on more sauce. Continue to layer with the ziti, cheeses and sauce. Cover with foil, loosely so as not to have the foil touch the sauce, bake in 375o oven for 45 minutes; remove foil and bake an additional 10 minutes. Allow to cool slightly before serving. Serves 12-15. Freeze leftovers.

    NOTE: You can easily cut the recipe in half.

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