Baked Ziti With Easy Homemade Italian Gravy Recipes

Steps:

• To make the sauce, heat the oil in a large heavy pot over medium heat. Add the garlic and cook for about two minutes or until golden. Remove and discard the garlic. Stir in the tomato paste and cook for 1 minute.
• With a food mill, puree the tomatoes, with their juice, into the pot. Or, for a chunkier sauce, just chop up the tomatoes and add them. Add the water and salt and pepper to taste. Add the pork, veal, and sausages and basil and bring the sauce to a simmer. Partially cover the pot and cook over low heat, stirring occasionally, for 2 hours. If the sauce becomes too thick, add a little more water.
• Meanwhile, make the meatballs.
• Combine all the ingredients except the oil in a large bowl. Mix together thoroughly. Rinse your hands with cool water and lightly shape the mixture into 2-inch balls. (Note: If you are making meatballs for lasagna or baked ziti, shape the meat into tiny balls the size of a small grape.).
• Heat the oil in a large heavy skillet. Add the meatballs and brown them well on all sides. (They will finish cooking later.) Transfer the meatballs to a plate.
• After two hours, add the meatballs and cook for 30 minutes or until the sauce is thick and the meats very tender.
• Cook the ziti al dente, adding salt to taste.
• Drain ziti and toss in a large bowl with three cups of the sauce and half of the grated cheese.
• Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
• Spoon half of the ziti into a shallow baking dish. Spread the ricotta on top and sprinkle with the mozzarella and half of the remaining grated cheese. Pour on 1 cup of the sauce.
• Top with the remaining ziti and another cup of sauce. Sprinkle with the remaining grated cheese. Cover with foil. Can be refrigerated at this point for later baking.
• Bake the ziti for 45 minutes. Uncover and bake for 15 minutes longer until the center is hot and the sauce bubbles around the edge.
• Cover and let stand for 15 minutes before serving.

Steps:

• Gravy (2 hours before dinner or as early as a few days before) in a medium bowl mix together . . . ground beef, 1 tsp dried parsley, 1/2 tsp dried basil, 1 clove garlic minced, 2 TBS Italian Flavored Bread Crumbs, 1/2 tsp salt, 1/2 tsp pepper. Mix with fork until evenly blended. Brown meat mixture in olive oil in a 5 qt sauce pan. When cooked almost through remove.
• Drain pan. Add 1 lb sausage. Brown well on all sides. Remove.
• Drain pan well. Saute 1/2 lb sliced slice fresh mushroom until slightly brown.
• Return sausage links and ground meat mixture to sauce pan. Add tomatoes, puree, 1 tsp parsley, 1 TBS basil, 1 clove minced garlic. Simmer 1 hour. Remove sausage, slice (1/4 ") return to pot. continue to simmer until ready to use.
• NEXT. Fill large pot with 5 quarts cold water. Bring to boil. Cook ziti according to package directions (al dente).
• While ziti is cooking mix together ricotta, 3/4 lb mozzarella, Romano and black pepper.
• Preheat oven to 350°F.
• Drain ziti well. Place in 9X12 baking dish. Add cheese mixture blend well.
• With slotted spoon, remove 2-3 cups meat and mushrooms from gravy. Add to ziti. Add 1 cup extra sauce. Mix well. Top with remaining mozzarella. Cover. Bake 30 minutes. remove cover and baked another 5-10 minutes, until cheese melts and gets bubbly. You do not want it to brown.
• Also works well with medium sized shells.
• 1 cup sliced black olives may be added to recipe or substituted for mushrooms.