Baked Penne

Baked Penne

This is my take on baked ziti.  I used penne, not because I like it more, but because it tends to be easier to find in whole wheat rather than other pasta shapes.  The meat here is purely optional, I made two trays with meat (a combination of ground beef and Italian turkey sausage), and a tray with just cheese, and they were all equally good.  Jeremy and I both loved this, it has the great flavor of lasagna, with a few less steps, and a shorter cooking time.

-1 lb whole wheat penne, cooked al dente
-1 lb meat, either lean ground beef, or Italian turkey sausage, or a combination of both
-32 oz marinara sauce (homemade or jarred)
-24 oz part-skim ricotta cheese
-1 egg
-1 lb part-skim mozzarella cheese, shredded, divided
-1/4 cup parmesan cheese, shredded

Cook meat over medium heat.  Drain.  Combine meat and sauce.  In a separate bowl, mix together ricotta, 8 oz mozzarella, egg, 2 cups of the meat sauce, and the cooked penne.  Spread mixture into a greased 13x9 pan.  Top with remaining sauce, then with remaining mozzarella and parmesan.  Bake at 375 for 30 minutes.